On Sunday morning, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning made a very tough decision.
That tough decision wasn't to fire offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, a coach who was not living up to expectations and was clearly in over his head. No, the tough decision was bigger than that, and one that nobody enjoys having to make.
Lanning admitted his mistake.
Nine months ago, Lanning decided to promote from within and hire Mehringer to replace Will Stein at OC. It was a risky decision at the time, and it aged poorly, to say the least. I can't imagine it was easy to sit down with a close friend, someone who's been on his staff from the very beginning at Oregon, and be honest about the fact that this isn't working.
But that's the reality. In six games against
FBS competition this year, Oregon's once-electric offense averaged just 24.7 points per game, which ranks 74th in the nation. Their rushing offense (121.5 yards per game) ranks 99th in the nation, and their passing offense (248.8 yards per game) ranks 43rd. Yes, there have been injuries and unforeseen circumstances, but those are all excuses.
As Lanning has said time and again, he has no room for excuses.
So, credit to him for making the change. It was an obvious one, and something that arguably should have been done a couple of weeks ago. However, it is also one that led to a necessary reality for Oregon Duck fans. While this season — one with national championship expectations a couple of months ago — may be lost, the future is not forsaken.
Lanning now has a chance to right his wrong.
Hiring Mehringer, an unproven play-caller, was a mistake, and one that Lanning likely won't make again. With the Ducks now getting an early jump on the OC carousel, and owning one of the most attractive openings in the nation, they should be able to bring in a dynamic play-caller who can overhaul the offense and get Oregon looking like Oregon again.
Will that new OC bring in his own quarterback and staff? It's possible, but not a requirement. The Ducks have done well in the transfer portal before, and with their resources, it shouldn't be hard to land an experienced starter off the wire this winter. Will that new OC be a young, up-and-coming coach with little name recognition, but a ton of upside? Possibly, though I would guess Lanning opts for experience over upside this time around.
No matter where the Ducks go from here, fans can feel confident that Lanning is going to be better suited to make the right hire. He's young, and for the first time in his career, he got a major coordinator hire wrong. That's not a sin, but rather a learning moment.
Through the first four years of his tenure in Eugene, things were largely sunshine and rainbows for Lanning. He won far more than he lost, built a cult-like following with his quips and quotes, and saw what it was like to become beloved in a brutal industry. Over the past few weeks, though, he's seen the darker side of college football, and I'm sure it hasn't been fun.
Now comes an inflection point, where a young head coach is asked to make the most important hire of his career.
Now is the time to right his wrongs, but the first step in doing so is admitting the wrong in the first place. On Sunday, Lanning did that.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dan Lanning admitted his mistake; now he must right his wrong | Opinion
