Fansided

5 potential replacements for Mark Helfrich at Oregon

By John Buhler

Nov 26, 2016; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich walks onto the field before the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2016; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich walks onto the field before the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Sep 3, 2016; Evanston, IL, USA; Western Michigan Broncos head coach P. J. Fleck during the first quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Evanston, IL, USA; Western Michigan Broncos head coach P. J. Fleck during the first quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

4. P.J. Fleck, Western Michigan Broncos head coach

Now that Tom Herman has agreed to become the next head coach of the Texas Longhorns, the other hot coaching candidate out there on the market would have to be Western Michigan Broncos main man P.J. Fleck.

Fleck has quickly turned Western Michigan into the best Group of 5 program in the country. If the Broncos beat the Ohio Bobcats in the 2016 MAC Championship in Ford Field on Friday night, Western Michigan will be the Group of 5 team going to the Cotton Bowl.

Fleck is a former wide receiver with great midwestern roots. He could help get the Oregon offense back on track with well-designed route trees to get his wideouts open. Fleck gets the most out of minimal talent, something that has worked well in Eugene historically. He’s only 35 years old, but Fleck has the look and the tenacity of one of the next great college coaches.

He would be a progressive mind in a progressive state like Oregon, so the cultural fit in Eugene wouldn’t be all that challenging for the main man in Kalamazoo. For Fleck, this is the reach job, but he should still try to get it. He can be the head coach of either Western Michigan or at a sneak-good Purdue get. However, Oregon is the crown jewel for Fleck on this coaching carousel.

The only things that stand in the way for Fleck are youth and inexperience, a lack of familiarity with the Pacific Northwest, and Oregon may be looking for a more expensive candidate over Fleck this time around. If Nike founder Phil Knight backs up the Brinks truck, Oregon can land a coaching candidate above Fleck’s pay grade.

Home/College Football