While there's still 5 games left in the regular season, it's hard not to start looking toward the future for the Oregon Ducks. At 4-3, even running the table could leave the College Football Playoff out of the picture, and with what the team has shown this season, winning out even seems impossible. Dan Lanning and the Ducks already started that look toward next season as on Sunday offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer was fired.
Over the next 5 games, one staff member will have a chance to showcase their ability as a playcaller, and potentially earn the offensive coordinator job, but the most likely outcome is an outside hire. The biggest factor for whoever earns the interim tag will be whether they get to call plays for Dante Moore, and regardless of if he comes back this season, his future is impacted.
Oregon's offensive coordinator decision may determine what Dante Moore does
Dante Moore came back to school to try, and clean up his game and build his NFL prospect status, even though he could've been the 2nd overall pick last offseason. The decision was incredibly risky, making the concussion even sadder, and now there's even more questions for Moore than there were last season.
When Dante Moore is healthy enough to play, he'll have to ask if it's worth playing behind a shaky offensive line with a playcaller he hasn't played under. While the injury concerns may hurt Moore's NFL draft stock, bad tape can do even more damage, which makes his situation difficult to break down.
The most likely candidate to take over playcalling is likely assistant QB coach Jay Johnson, given that he's atleast been an offensive coordinator before. Given that Johnson has worked with Dante Moore and does have the playcalling experience, it could ease any concerns that he might have about the operation.
The more interesting conversation will come when the offseason rolls around, where Dante Moore will have another tough decision to make. The new 5-for-5 eligibility rule means that Moore could come back for one more season, and it may be a decision he chooses to make, given how much time he's missed.
If Dante Moore is considering coming back, Oregon's offensive coordinator job will be far more attractive and could help Dan Lanning reel in the top candidate possible. This should've been the case last season, but Lanning opted to elevate Mehringer, which was clearly a massive mistake. Going out and landing a top playcaller may be enough to convince Dante Moore to roll the dice once more.
Getting Dante Moore to come back for another season would be a massive win for Dan Lanning as you don't want to find a new quarterback and offensive coordinator in the same offseason. Oregon is going to need to take massive steps as an offensive operation this offseason, but bringing Moore back would give the Ducks every chance at competing for a National Championship once again.
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