Oregon Turns to Former Wyoming Coordinator to Call Offense

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning installed Jay Johnson as the Ducks' play-caller Monday, a day after a 21-10 loss at Illinois dropped Oregon to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play. Johnson, 57, had been working as an offensive analyst and assistant quarterbacks coach on the staff. The move came less than 24 hours after the Illini held the Ducks to 10 points.

Lanning dismissed offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer after the game in Champaign. Lanning said Johnson will lead the offensive staff. "But it will still be a collaborative effort with a lot of the work that we do," Lanning said Monday. He added that Johnson "is also coming in with a different perspective, a different view, not being with us the last few years."

Johnson spent the previous two seasons at Wyoming. Across 19 games calling plays in Laramie, the Cowboys failed to reach 20 points in 15 of them. Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said he had to take a hard look at the offense. "We haven't scored enough points," Sawvel said. He pointed to five losses by four points or less over two seasons and said the production did not match the talent on the roster.

Sawvel demoted Johnson to analyst after a 24-21 loss at Air Force 363 days ago. An intercepted lob pass in the end zone by a backup tight end decided that game. Johnson left the Wyoming program two weeks later. Wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight ran the offense for the final month of the 2025 season on an interim basis.

Sawvel hired Christian Taylor in December to lead the offense. Taylor had spent the previous two years on the Buffalo Bills staff. Wyoming finished the 2025 season with four wins, one more than in Sawvel's first year as a head coach.

Johnson takes over an Oregon roster without its starting quarterback. Dante Moore suffered a concussion in a Week 4 win at USC and will not return this season, the school announced Monday. Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas are next in line. Oregon hosts No. 20 Northwestern on Saturday, then visits second-ranked Ohio State.

Quarterback development was also a point of scrutiny at Wyoming. Evan Svoboda and Kaden Anderson completed 53.2 percent of their passes over two seasons, throwing 23 touchdowns against 22 interceptions.

In a separate staff change, NC State fired coach Dave Doeren a day after a 31-28 loss at Stanford. Defensive coordinator DJ Eliot was dismissed with him. Eliot, a Wyoming linebacker from 1996 to 1998 and a graduate assistant in 1999, signed a contract in February that ran through at least 2028. Pack Pride reported the school could owe him $1.215 million. NC State's defense allows 380 yards per game, 93rd in the FBS, and more than 28 points per game, ranking 105th.