Oregon Fans Will Love What Drew Mehringer Said About Receiver Gatlin Bair

Eugene, Ore. — Oregon offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer didn’t mince words when asked about freshman wide receiver Gatlin Bair, and every syllable should have Duck fans buzzing about the 2024 season.

“Gatlin’s really fast. Like, that’s not a secret. He’s got the track times to prove it,” Mehringer said, referencing Bair’s 10.15-second 100-meter dash in high school that landed him on 247Sports’ 2024 Freaks List. “He didn’t forget how to run, you know? He can definitely do that.”

Bair, the No. 6 wide receiver and No. 27 overall prospect in the 2024 class, arrived on campus this winter after completing a two-year mission. The layoff has created some inevitable rust, but Mehringer sees a player whose raw tools never left.

“There’s definitely some rust that has to get knocked off for him… But does he show a lot of very exciting things? Yeah,” Mehringer said. “Gatlin’s got size. He’s got speed. He’s got really great work ethic. He’s tough. He’s strong. So, there’s some very exciting things that we see from Gatlin.”

At 6-foot-2 with legitimate track speed, Bair gives quarterback Dante Moore another vertical threat in an already loaded passing attack. Oregon returns 1,000-yard receiver Evan Stewart and breakout sophomore Dakorien Moore, leaving Bair to battle Jeremiah McClellan and UAB transfer Iverson Hooks for early-season snaps.

Mehringer emphasized the learning curve ahead: Bair must master formation manipulation, pre-snap motion and the volume of the Ducks’ playbook after two seasons away from competitive football. Yet the coordinator’s early assessment suggests the freshman could force his way onto the field sooner rather than later.

If Bair cracks the starting lineup in the Big Ten opener, he would become the second consecutive true freshman to do so at Oregon, following Moore’s injury-plagued but promising 2023 campaign (34 catches, 497 yards, three touchdowns).

With tight ends Jamari Johnson and Andrew Olesh also in the mix, Mehringer inherits one of the nation’s deepest collections of pass-catchers. Should the pieces click, the Ducks believe a third straight College Football Playoff berth is within reach under head coach Dan Lanning.

For now, Mehringer’s message is simple: keep watching Gatlin Bair run — because Oregon certainly is.