Justin Wilcox second-best odds to be next Oregon coach, Jeff Tedford returns to Fresno
Justin Wilcox second-best odds to be next Oregon coach, Jeff Tedford returns to Fresno
Also other coaching moves around the Pac-12.
Justin Wilcox second-best odds to be next Oregon coach, Jeff Tedford returns to Fresno
The coaching carousel is in hot stove mode. Even though Cal currently has an intact coaching staff, one can never know what exactly is in store once the cycle heats up.
The departure of Mario Cristobal at Oregon could entail a chain reaction that reverberates across the West Coast. Cal coach Justin Wilcox is currently on the Vegas odds boards be the next head coach at Oregon. He only trails UCLA coach Chip Kelly at this time.
Reminder that Vegas is not always a reflection of reality, but betting action. Chip Kelly obviously has the cachet from his previous head coaching experience, but so far there hasn’t been much public buzz about him returning for a second stint in Eugene. Ditto Wilcox in Berkeley, who has currently hit the recruiting trail hard to close the 2021 Cal class.
As for actual coaching news, there hasn’t been much leaking. Oregon has interviewed BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. BYU went undefeated in their five matchups with Pac-12 teams this season, including Pac-12 champion Utah.
BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe had this to say on the future of Sitake.
There has been speculation on Oregon’s coaching list, including Baylor coach Dave Aranda, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and retired coach Chris Petersen, but nothing else concrete has come out on who Oregon has interviewed.
We go from one former Cal coach to another. As expected, Jeff Tedford is back in charge of Fresno State.
Seems as if Tedford had another trick play up his sleeves—after recommending former Fresno coach Kalen DeBoer for the Washington job, he opened up the Fresno position to take himself.
Also from Oregon, Cristobal’s departure has led to other former Cal coaches making moves. Both defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter and defensive backs coach Marcel Yates (who left for Oregon last year) are headed down to Lubbock to join Joey McGuire’s coaching staff.
Although DeRuyter had a good defense at Oregon, it never really achieved the level of expectations that we thought might happen with the level of talent at his disposal.
In other Pac-12 coaching news:
Here’s USC head coach’s Lincoln Riley’s official introduction at Heritage Hall. And…cringe.
Less cringe for USC: Riley has brought along many of his key contributors from Oklahoma, including defensive coordinator Alex Grinch (formerly Mike Leach’s DC at Washington State), Dennis Simmons (a shorter stint at Wazzu), and strength coach Bennie Wylie. It’s expected Oklahoma defensive end/outside linebackers coach Jamar Cain will also join. Cain coached at Fresno under Tedford and was at Arizona State with Herm Edwards for a season.
Washington: Kalen DeBoer’s hire was a relatively quiet one, but he’s already brought along his offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who has paired with DeBoer at Fresno State and Eastern Michigan most of the last seven years. Also coming up from Fresno is cornerbacks coach Julius Brown, to take the same position. DeBoer also snagged his old director of player personnel Courtney Morgan.
Washington State: Jake Dickert is bringing the Air Raid back to Pullman. The Cougars have hired offensive coordinator Eric Morris, former inside receivers coach at Wazzu under Mike Leach. Morris has been the head coach at Incarnate Word for the past few years, but he is most famous for being Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive coordinator at Texas Tech, where he helped recruit and develop NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.
Also joining is offensive line coach Clay McGuire, recently let go from USC. McGuire was part of Leach’s original staff at Washington State. And there are reports that Nevada defensive coordinator Brian Ward will be joining as well, in the same role.
More news sure to come.
RE: Lincoln Riley press conference
What's up with that?
https://twitter.com/jga41agher/status/1468297411240280064
Always happy for Tedford being at Fresno. No way Wilcox to Oregon. He's not that interested and they want a much bigger fish. That $C clip was so $C and so cringy bad that it only affirms all that is laughably horrible about that school. The cheerleaders in the front are right out of central casting, and yet the amateurish gig was pathetic.