With Mario Cristobal seemingly bound to coach Miami, who could take over to be the next Oregon football coach? Here are a few options to consider.
Well, it looks like the Oregon Ducks need a new head coach. Mario Cristobal is apparently taking off for Miami in one of the most bizarre and controversial coaching searches the sport has seen in a very long time.
Regardless of how it’s happened (and how messy things have been for Manny Diaz), Cristobal is headed to Miami. He’s no longer going to be coaching the Ducks.
Oregon must now move on.
The Ducks have a great program and there’s a ton of money available to move around in Eugene. Because of the financial backing that Oregon has, there’s no reason why the Ducks shouldn’t be able to go out and get the right head coaching candidate to replace Cristobal.
Of course, who would that candidate be?
Oregon has plenty of options available. Here are a few names they must consider as they search for their next head coach.
Oregon football: Potential coaching candidates to replace Mario Cristobal
5. Chip Kelly
Why not reunite with the guy who is arguably the greatest coach in program history? While Chip Kelly hasn’t been super successful since leaving Oregon, he has seen some flashes of success with the UCLA Bruins and he’s a brilliant offensive innovator.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to look his way.
Kelly hasn’t really won a lot at UCLA prior to this season. The Bruins have only managed to go 18-25 under his leadership up to this point. But, it’s worth considering that he’s been working on rebuilding the Bruins and that they are moving in the right direction.
UCLA is 8-4 this season and, while the defense isn’t great, the offense is showing some promise. The Bruins are scoring 36.5 points per game and are gaining 445.8 yards per game.
That’s not bad.
If Kelly could return to Oregon, he would be stepping into a situation where he already has a winning program in place. The Ducks have a decent offense assembled already and could be ready to win immediately.
It could work. Or it could be underwhelming. There’s only one way to find out, Oregon.