There is a fairly predictable exercise that takes place whenever a major college football program changes coordinators. Search the list of highly ranked offenses, grab the names of their coordinators, add a few famous former coaches and call it a hot board. That may produce recognizable names, but it does not necessarily produce realistic ones, and the distinction matters even more in Oregon’s case because this is not simply about identifying good offensive coaches.
A serious Oregon board has to begin with two different questions: Why would this coach take this job, and why would Dan Lanning want him? Both parts matter because Oregon can pay almost anyone, but money does not automatically make a lateral move logical for a successful Power Four coordinator already positioning himself for a head-coaching opportunity. At the same time, someone being available does not mean Lanning would consider him. The candidate has to fit Oregon’s needs, the direction of the program and Lanning’s own tendencies as a staff builder.
That second piece helps narrow the field considerably. As I put this together, this is just research I have done with my own ‘likelihood’ filter applied. I see plenty of different boards that purport to be ‘inside’ information and the truth is that there is no one yet sharing any list with any of the media because it is too early. Unless Lanning decides to hire a currently unemployed coach, the chances are strong that an interim tag is applied to a current staffer and the real search won’t even start until the regular season is over - which also makes sense as many of the top choices cuold be head coach candidates elsewhere. But one thing to note: that will not stop agents from talking and over the next six or so weeks, there will be plenty of chatter that will leak to all of us in one way or another.
