Before the beginning of the Oregon Ducks' 2025 College Football Playoff run, coach Dan Lanning marked the departure of offensive coordinator Will Stein to Kentucky and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi to California. Lanning subsequently promoted tight ends coach Drew Mehringer and safeties coach Chris Hampton to the open spots.

Both Mehringer and Hampton got to coach alongside their outgoing counterparts during the 2025 playoff campaign, but with the reigns firmly in their hands, how is Mehringer settling in at the helm of one of the most anticipated offenses in the nation.

Drew Mehringer's Familiarity With The Program

After the third day of fall camp, Mehringer spoke to the press about his current role, referencing his time learning as a position coach as Stein finished out his work in Eugene.

"I think I have a better understanding of who we are, what we can do at this moment. I do think there's obviously a a clear transition from my role last year to what it is this year. Just the general organization of a lot of people is more of a task that I thought it would be, to be honest. But it's great, and we have an unbelievable offensive staff that takes a lot of charge, and I don't have to worry about as much things as you maybe think that I would," Mehringer said.

As one of the few remaining coaches hired on to Lanning's inaugural staff, Mehringer's familiarity with the program for the past four seasons, along with his talent of developing top talent like New York Jet Kenyon Sadiq, Los Angeles Ram Terrance Ferguson, and incoming junior Jamari Johnson, likely makes settling into his latest job a little easier.

Learning From Each Other

When asked about Mehringer and Hampton's adjustment to their new positions at Big Ten Media Days, Lanning says both men have done a great job "hitting the ground running."

For Mehringer, having another coach like Hampton beside him going through a similar transition has given him not only a peer going through a similar transition, but also a sounding board when watching tape or to point out the highs and lows on the practice field.

"I think that me and Hamp (Chris Hampton) are growing and getting better," Mehringer said. "And like we talked about it as a staff, you know, when we're watching practice tape: 'These are the two things that I messed up in practice, right? These are the two things that I gotta get better at.' And it's cool sharing ideas with him, 'Hey, this is hard for us. All right, let's do something with that, right?'"

"And the same thing vice versa. So we can challenge each other to have better answers, so by the time we come and play this thing live, I think we can be as good as we possibly can be," Mehringer said.

So, as players call Mehringer "Einstein" or "genius" during the programs' media day, time will tell if the in-house transition proves fruitful on the field.

The Ducks are preparing for another season with offensive veterans like senior wide receiver Evan Stewart, junior quarterback Dante Moore, senior center Iapani "Poncho" Laloulu, sophomore running back Dierre Hill Jr. and young talent like freshman receiver Messiah Hampton, receiver Jalen Lott, an unproven offensive line surrounding the center, and more that Mehringer must navigate with his position coaches to find success.

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