Having struck out with a young, in-house candidate at offensive coordinator in Drew Mehringer, one would expect the Oregon Ducks to cast a wide, national net in the search for their next play-caller and offensive coordinator. It was a telling sign that head coach Dan Lanning gave the play-calling duties to assistant quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson, rather than young position coaches such as Ra'Shaad Samples (running backs coach), Koa Ka'ai (quarterbacks coach) or A'lique Terry (offensive line coach).
Johnson has had a myriad of stops during his coaching career that spans over two decades, with stints at Michigan State (2020-2023) and Wyoming (2024-2025) in recent years. The hope was that with his experience, Johnson would bring some stability
to the offensive coordinator spot with an interim tag on his name.
Through two games of calling plays, Johnson has done much more than just provide stability.
Aside from a slow start against Northwestern in which the Ducks scored just six points in the first 28 minutes, Oregon's offense has been full steam ahead. They perfectly executed a two-minute drive at the end of the first half against the Wildcats, the start of a 28-6 run to end the game.
Facing one of the most talent-rich defenses in the country in Week 10 against Ohio State, the Johnson-led Ducks offense was both dynamic and unpredictable, perfectly meshing runs and passes and fooling the defense with clever play-calls on more than a few occasions. The Ducks, with a newfound offense called by Johnson, defeated the Buckeyes handedly and have a chance at running the table and making the Big Ten championship.
After the dismantling of Ohio State, Lanning was asked about the performance of Johnson and if his time in the role will be a factor in Oregon's offensive cooridnator search.
"Yeah, I mean he's been outstanding. I think he did a really good job, and there are some plays that he'll want back from tonight," Lanning said. "I think the collective effort, I think the way he's communicated with our quarterback and helped create confidence, and then just the volume. We were able to hit on a lot of plays we practiced over and over and over again tonight. But yeah, he's done a great job, and certainly it's something that has to be considered."
Johnson does not fit the mold of Lanning's previous offensive coordinators. Kenny Dillingham was in his early 30's when he was running the Ducks' offense. As was Will Stein, with both excelling in Eugene and being hired as head coaches elsewhere. That was the blueprint for Mehringer, who was young and affable like the others.
Nowhere in there are characteristics of Johnson, who's in his late 50's and doesn't have an outwards-facing personality like the youngsters. But in six of his eight quarters (they started slow out of the gates in both games) as Oregon's play-caller, the Ducks have looked like the explosive and exciting offense that fans had come to expect heading into the year.
With a search upcoming for the team's next full-time offensive coordinator and play-caller, the answer, if Johnson continues to excel, might be right in front of Lanning.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon's success under Jay Johnson 'has to be considered' in OC search
