The Oregon Ducks racked up 441 total yards and 34 points in beating the then-ranked No. 20 Northwestern Wildcats 34-26. And that production came with a new play-caller in assistant quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson.

Time to look closer at the latest realistic candidates to replace former Oregon offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer moving forward. Including one coach who's now available.

Mike Norvell, Former Florida State Head Coach

Florida State just created the newest high-profile head coaching opening to kick off November. Coach Mike Norvell is out after seven seasons and a 3-5 start.

Norvell can still potentially field head coach opportunities. The 45-year-old owns a 79-54 coaching record plus took Memphis and FSU to a combined six bowl games (the 2023 Orange Bowl with the latter).

The former Seminoles coach has a familiarity with Lanning as the Ducks coach worked on Norvell's staff at Memphis for the 206 and 2017 seasons.

Norvell prefers to operate with a RPO (Run Pass Option) offense that wants to work in a fast pace, which is often welcomed in Eugene. He's big on using the tight ends too including working in 12 personnel looks, which could intrigue future options who want to become the next Terrance Ferguson, Kenyon Sadiq or Jamari Johnson.

Norvell delivered polarizing results in Tallahassee. There's no disputing that he brings a deep offensive acumen, though. And Oregon could be the place where he rebuilds himself.

Jay Johnson, Interim Offensive Coordinator

Johnson sure did impress in his taking over an emergency role.

Notable areas that improved with Johnson calling the plays were the following: Quarterback Dylan Raiola hitting 336 yards, Oregon averaging 7.5 yards a play, wide receiver Dakorien Moore hitting 128 yards and finally, Oregon hitting six third down conversions out of 14 attempts.

He even helped birth a new breakout performer in running back Brandon Smith, who led the way with 82 yards but averaged an astonishing 10.2 yards a carry.

But Oregon the last three weeks struggled to surpass 5.8 yards per play offensively. Johnson lifted it back to over seven. And he pulled off the feat facing a team that came in ranked 24th overall.

Granted, one game doesn't solidify that Johnson is the permanent offensive coordinator moving forward. A lot hinges on how this unit performs in the final four games, starting with new No. 10 Ohio State coming next for the Ducks. If anything, Johnson showed he can hit the ground running in attempt to improve the offense.

Chip Kelly, Northwestern

So Kelly took the loss on the same field where he enjoyed his most college football coaching success.

But Kelly called a strong game with NU racking up 456 total yards, including 175 through the ground. Kelly even busted out a new, unorthodox wrinkle here at Autzen Stadium.

OC Chip Kelly cooking up some new formations against the Ducks. @NUFBFamily

(Via nbc) pic.twitter.com/Cse4eYS1rm

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 31, 2026

Northwestern may have a hard time keeping Kelly, though. Perhaps even a university with a head coaching opening (Baylor and Maryland comes to mind) could make a run at Kelly.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning greets Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who coached the Ducks from 2007–2012, including four seasons as head coach.

Oregon defeats Northwestern 34-26. pic.twitter.com/rQDQs8TGTT

— Bri Amaranthus (@BriAmaranthus) October 31, 2026

Mitch Dahlen, Oregon State

The Beavers offensive coordinator snuck inside the previous offensive coordinator hot board. His Oregon State offense racked up 450 total yards on Halloween at Fresno State.

But the Beavers took a disappointing 38-22 loss to a Bulldogs team that entered with a two-game losing streak. Plus found a way to bottle high-powered wide receiver Jesse Legree to under 100 yards plus kept him out of the end zone.

Dahlen still has turned Oregon State into a top 10 offense. Yet the Oct. 31 showing now looks like Dahlen needs a few more games or even one more year to prove he's ready to jump to a higher playing field compared to the new Pac-12.

Time for 2 Brand New Names to Watch for Oregon

There's one more name out in the Pac-12 to closely monitor. And one Oregon already became familiar with.

Boise State offensive coordinator Nate Potter looks like he's on the rise. Potter's learned enough from predecessor Dirk Koettner and now, has created a BSU offense that is fielding a top 25 unit and has scored 27 points or more in every game. Only Oregon has held Boise State to its lowest scoring output this season.

Granted, Potter is an alumnus of Boise State so that aspect might prevent him from leaving. However, the Broncos have struggled to keep their young offensive coordinators; notably Zak Hill (Arizona State) and even Bryan Harsin (briefly left for Texas) in the past.

Adding one more despite taking a Halloween loss, but this one is currently coaching a potential first round selection at quarterback: Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Sean Brophy. He's helped do his part in molding quarterback Drew Mestemaker into a record-breaker at North Texas while galvanizing the Cowboys.

Brophy knows the west regional too, having spent one season as a grad assistant at Washington State in 2022 plus played his junior college football in Glendale. But Brophy and coach Eric Morris have created the Big 12 Conference's best offense. Oregon has seen how this system operates too, having saw it in Week 2. Perhaps Lanning and the Ducks can capitalize on Morris/Mestemaker's rise by swooping up Brophy.