David Marsh

Good for him... I feel bad for the guy the way Miami treated him.

Maybe not be able to pass a ball beyond three yards though...

That's what happens when the recruiting class is a top ten class and the coach leaves ... Every single recruit is highly sought after so they can choose and they don't want to be left out if having any choices if they don't like the new HC. If we had a low ranked class probably wouldn't see much change. Now... The more important number is the transfer portal number. Right now there is only 1 by my count since MC has left. Keeping that number down is critical to the next year and a new coach's success. As long as oregon ends the recruiting class ideally in the top 20 and maybe pick up some good transfers we're in good shape. Not ideal... But good. Gotta bring in a big time recruiter and some good assistant coaches and coordinators.

Who wants what in particular?

FSU is a hot mess right now and will take years to fully unravel. We have a solid stable of skill players who need the right OC to unlock their full potential. With the right hire next year can be very telling as to MC's level of control over the offense.

What if this is a crazy SET of hires? A HC, DC, and an OC all at once to make the dream team? Highly unlikely... But hey ... It would be interesting.

Until someone who actually covers the Ducks reports the hire, I am going to be skeptical. Yesterday it was a UCLA person and an ESPN person who said it was Chip. Today it is an Atlanta paper saying it is Lanning. Not a word out of any Oregon sources to date...

And Taggart didn't even coach his own bowl game... But also.. 2/4 coaches have made it to a National Championship game too.

I don't know exactly... but there are some interesting examples where students transfer pretty quickly after signing. I believe (and I may be wrong) but a student athlete after signing a LoI can ask the school to be released for no real consequences but they can't use the transfer portal at that time. I believe a student athlete must actually enroll with a school before they can transfer.

Yes... but they would be a walk-on in status. However, the liklihood a player who would get NIL money would be a walk-on is rather low. Then if they are that good they are going to be getting a scholarship from their own school so that they don't lose them. But yes... it is theoretically possible for a walk-on to get NIL money for them to live off of.

I didn't even have time to discuss the back channeling going on with the Portal right now. Which is also a huge concern for coaches and programs alike. There is absolutely a ton of risk for anyone who uses the portal and that in itself is fair but I guess is there too much risk for some players who enter it? Should there be a window where a player can enter but not surrender their current scholarship? That is a tough question because if a player wants to leave a team for better opportunities then there is a sense that their team would like nothing to do with them.

I'd take Ubren Myer over Gruden.

I heard that UCLA has offered chip an extension now. Probably a good amount of the smoke today was made to get UCLA to to work to get an extension out for Kelly. I'll try and find the tweet/link ... But that also makes a lot of sense.

In January it's down to 0... But we can't wait till then. There won't be a recruiting class or much if a team left.

The 9 mil buyout would be insane for an OC.

At this point... Not sure how much I trust from anyone. Especially outside of the Oregon circle of reporters. If we do hire Kelly I can feel my enthusiasm for the program dropping. Nothing like retreading the past to make you feel like a lack of progress.

Actually... now that I am thinking about it, I think the sign that Oregon is interviewing Wilcox and Kelly today means the process is almost over. Oregon knows Kelly and his limitations at this point. Wilcox is young and may be a good coach for Oregon down the road but Uncle Phil doesn't have time to waste waiting on Wilcox. So why is Oregon interviewing these two? Well... I am guessing like everything else... but it feels to me that these two interviews may have been potentially so late in the process because they weren't considering them for the job. However, not interviewing them burns a bridge that just isn't worth doing. Interview them, hear them out, and then make the hire. Or... everyone involved in the hiring process is incompetent and they are the only choices left... but I don't think that is the case right now. If we are still at the same point a week from now then I'll change my tune on that one.

You can get good players for the transfer portal... occasionally there is even a great player. But most of them are players looking for more playing time at another school. There are very few top tier players in the transfer portal because they play at their college which they are a starter and then make the jump to the NFL. Again not all transfer portal players are bad but to get the best potential players out there you have to recruit and then land top tier players out of high school.

Kelly would be a fine coach for Oregon now... but he will not bring us to the promised land. Chip has shown at every coaching stop that he wants to be comfortable with his staff and he will opt for the familiar rather than push the envelope and find some stronger hires. Also Kelly hates recruiting... that is what makes him undesirable in my book. We need someone who can recruit. The last time Kelly struck gold and made Oregon such a hot brand that it recruited itself... even then he didn't bring in top 10 classes (depending on the recruiting service he had 1) he brought in top 15 classes and made the most out of 3 star recruits. We sniffed at the National Championship but didn't reach it. This time around I see a Kelly run Oregon making the Pac-12 Championship game every few years and some Rose Bowls... I don't see him wanting to recruit hard enough to get us to the National Championship.

I think fans would completely lose it if Hoke was hired for any position. He is wrong for any job at Oregon. There might have been a recruit in Eugene he is interested in which is why he might have been in Eugene. Sheldon High School does produce some good talent in the state but not inherently good enough for power-five.

Can't wait on this hire... its the nature of the new coaching carousel. There will be lots of potential candidates for any number of reasons in a month. But the early signing period is next week and so far Oregon has done well in only losing 4 commitments, I was expecting a flood here. Also Oregon hasn't lost anyone to the transfer portal, YET! However, it is only a matter of time until the flood gates open and the only way to stop that is to get the new HC in soon.

Not burning a bridge with Wilcox. Wilcox is NOT the right coach at this time in my personal opinion but in 5 or 10 years he may be. Wilcox, Kelly and Sitake are all good coaches and will do fine at Oregon right now. The problem with all of them is that they will get Oregon to a Pac-12 Championship game and a Rose Bowl often enough for us not to fully hate them but not get us a National Championship. They would be good... but not great. Oregon is in the market right now for great.

And Kirby Smart, Mel Tucker, Jimbo Fisher, and many others.

Post Bama Kiffin is a different coach. Nick Saban's coaching rehabilitation clinic is pretty good.

These days I just feel confused about everything... so... is being confused deja vu? If so... then yes.