Update on Oregon's head coaching search

The University of Oregon is just the latest top-brand, Power-5 program seeking a new head coach after Mario Cristobal’s departure earlier this week for a return home to Cristobal’s beloved Miami Hurricanes.

So where do the Ducks turn?

It helps to have the backing of the Nike brand and its most innovative amenities, gear and uniforms; helps even more when you’re so close to the Swoosh’s headquarters and Phil Knight has a very personal stake in seeing the Ducks successful in all of their athletics programs – especially on the football field.

Talking with sources throughout college football, from coaches to industry insiders, FootballScoop dives into the Ducks’ search, as the NCAA’s early signing period opens in six days and the Transfer Portal continues to see a flood of players – currently more than 1,000 student-athletes to have entered this year.

Oregon has some recruiting challenges – there isn’t a huge homegrown talent base – but it also has some of those aforementioned advantages, and it absolutely resonates with a “cool” factor. So while college names dot the early contenders to be Top Duck, don’t discount some NFL coaches casting glances at the Oregon program, per sources – especially as much as Oregon can pay and the resources it can offer.

CHIP KELLY, UCLA HC: Still beloved in Eugene, Oregon from his first tour that took the Ducks from niche program to regular national-title contender, Kelly’s ties along the Pacific Northeast remain deep and his popularity runs high. His candidacy is no farce; “He’s very much in it,” a source today told FootballScoop, echoing similar reports today from Oregon reporter John Canzano, as well as ESPN’s Chris Low.

Though he entered this season somewhat on the hotseat in Westwood atop the Bruins’ program, Kelly responded with a solid 8-4 campaign for UCLA, which knocked off LSU to open the season and rival USC late in the year, with a bowl game left on the docket.

Kelly’s buyout is $9 million if he leaves UCLA in the next month (but drops to zero on January 15th), but consider this: Cristobal’s buyout to exit Oregon for his alma mater came with a price-tag in the range of $8-10 million. So, basically, it’s a wash for Oregon, if the Ducks go the Kelly route soon.

JUSTIN WILCOX, CAL HC: The Wilcox name runs about as deep as it gets with Oregon football. Heck, he was born in Eugene, Oregon, and Wilcox played defensive back for the Ducks the last half of the 1990s.

Though Wilcox is two games under .500 in his head coaching career at Cal, he’s 1-1 in bowl games and has more than a couple signature wins for the Golden Bears. Moreover, per industry insiders, Wilcox’s work with the Cal program – which recently routed archrival Stanford – becomes all the more impressive when one considers “the administration just doesn’t seem to care.”

Wilcox has a knack for developing players, getting the most from his talent and for being a keen defensive mind. Prior to becoming the Bears’ head coach in 2017, Wilcox had defensive coordinator stints atop teams at Boise State, Tennessee, Washington, USC and Wisconsin.

KALANI SITAKE, BYU HC: Sure, BYU is Sitake’s alma mater, and there’s such a deep, genuine and loving connection there between Sitake and Cougars Nation. But let’s be real about Sitake the coach: He might get more from his teams, game in and game out, than any coach in college football.

And it’s not as though Sitake’s entire coaching career is at his alma mater; he’s got stops at Eastern Arizona as he was getting started and Oregon State as assistant head coach prior to taking over his alma mater in 2016.

The past two seasons have seen Sitake’s star as a coach, and his Cougars’ program, both rise in concert. The Cougars closed their regular season last weekend with a resounding win against USC, and BYU has won a combined 21 games the past two seasons.

Start looking around college football during the COVID-19 2020 campaign and this year’s return to a relatively more normal autumn of games and check the programs with which Sitake’s Cougars are keeping company; heady, heady stuff.

There has been discussion about Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin on this one. The first year on the plains hasn't felt great and there are a myriad of factors involved. If Harsin was still at Boise, this one might be even more likely; but never say never with the resources Oregon can muster. 

We'll keep you posted as this one progresses. As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest coaching news.