The college football coaching carousel is off to a slow start, at least in comparison to last year. 

Baylor, NC State, and Maryland are the only Power 4 jobs open right now. Last season at this time, Florida, LSU and Penn State were three big-time jobs available.

The market is making for an exciting coordinator carousel in late October. The Oregon Ducks fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer on Sunday after a 21-10 loss to Illinois on Saturday. 

Oregon should have one of the more highly sought-after assistant jobs in college football this year. 

Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire put Florida State head coach Mike Norvell on his hot board list for Oregon at offensive coordinator. The Seminoles have a 3-4 record and could fire Norvell if things don't improve quickly in Tallahassee. Though he argued there is a worry about quarterback development under Norvell.

Neel noted that Lanning is familiar with Norvell, as Lanning was an inside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator (2016–17) at Memphis when Norvell was the head coach of the Tigers. 

One has to wonder how the hire would go over the fan base. While Norvell has plenty of experience, he would not be a splashy or exciting hire for the Ducks to make. However, Lanning might prefer to go with a coach who has more experience after going with inexperienced coordinators this season, which has resulted in a 4-3 record.

While the status of Dante Moore for 2027 is uncertain, the Oregon job should be attractive to big-name coaches like Norvell because of the players on the roster and the resources the program puts into the team.

Given the disappointment of the 2026 season, the Ducks have to be patient and picky when finding their next offensive coordinator.

The Ducks will play one of the surprises of the college football season, No. 20 Northwestern, on Saturday. Former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly has been instrumental in helping the Wildcats’ offense improve this season and will no doubt be a hot name in the coaching market.

The offensive coaching nomad was also named by Neel as a potential candidate for the Ducks. Saturday could be an opportunity for Lanning to put out feelers for Kelly and see if he has any interest in returning to Oregon to coach with a lesser title than the one he left Eugene with for the NFL.