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From Matt Prehm 247 Sports: 5 pm, December 7 Chip Kelly, Justin Wilcox, and Kilani Sitake We can report that all three coaches have interest in coming to Oregon, and there is different levels of interest in Oregon in all three names. Justin Wilcox's name was one that had a lot of buzz on Monday afternoon, but that's since died down a little bit. You typically don't want to be the first name that gains steam in these searches as that can oftentimes be a deflection or not a true rep of where things are going. I know Oregon's decision-makers want to speak with him and feel him out. We'll see what transpires from it. Chip Kelly is of interest as well for Oregon, but I don't get a sense that this is an "all-in on Chip Kelly" move for the Ducks. Again, a lot of people think very highly of him, but I also don't think it's anywhere near a lock after talking with a few folks. As for Sitake, there was the report that came out Monday evening saying Oregon has requested permission to speak with him. Like Wilcox and Kelly, I don't get a sense he's the all-in guy. A lot of interest, a lot of vetting, but none of these three are coaches who are going to win over every person associated with the Duck program, not that that needs to be a requirement. Dana Altman didn't fit that bill and today everyone views Altman in a very positive manner. One Note on Chip and Wilcox I think there is a lot of noise around these two programs and figuring out what's legit and what is fake noise is going to be tough. I think on Monday the position of both coaches being so high up the list of go-to hires was a bit inflated. This isn't to say that Oregon isn't really high on them, but yesterday I was hearing from multiple sources that this looks to be the two top guys. It isn't because right now there isn't a leader in the clubhouse. Lane Kiffin Lane Kiffin's name was brought up by the On3 Podcast trio today and he was included in our Hot Board on Monday. We're told that Kiffin is interested in the gig even though he signed a new contract this week with Ole Miss. There's a rumor out there his buyout didn't change with the new deal, so that helps Oregon here. Kiffin has some baggage for sure, but he also checks off a lot of the boxes Oregon would want in a coach. He also spent time working under Nick Saban at Alabama and the style of a program Kiffin runs could easily transition over to what Mario Cristobal did. The Kiffin interest is what Rob Mullens was talking about on Monday when he said there would be a lot of interest in this job. I expect we'll hear more names getting their name floated for a look by Mullens. It's a top job, with elite resources, and full supportive boosters. It's a special place in the coaching world that is thought of in a high manner. Timeline I was able to speak with someone who I trust about just the overall timeline of this decision that will be made by Oregon. This person isn't involved in Oregon's search but knows the process of how these work. I was told the plan would typically be to do some kind of interview either in-person or over zoom in the next two days with multiple candidates, then on Wednesday night or Thursday morning, you make a decision on who you offer the job to. The hope is that person says yes and you fly Thursday to pick them up and either host a press conference on Thursday or Friday. Then that coach gets on the road to visit Oregon's most important recruits Friday, Saturday, Sunday, before returning home Sunday to meet with Oregon's team for a second time and begin building his staff. I was told you need to have this hire done this weekend ideally because if you don't, it'll cause your commits to scramble and visit other schools next weekend even they don't like your coach, thus making it harder for your new coach to keep this good class in place. The next 48 hours for Oregon are going to be very critical. Recruiting Right now I don't expect the Ducks to be able to get Kelvin Banks back into the fold. I also don't think Oregon will land TJ Dudley or Tanner Bailey moving forward. Both Jahlil Florence and Jalil Tucker are teetering on backing off their commitments and opening things up. I'd be really worried about Lincoln Riley and USC for both schools . Tetairoa McMillan is another that is saying the right things, but the longer this plays out, the chances of him opening up improve. Devon Jackson and Harrison Taggart are also getting courted by other programs, but are still in on Oregon for now. Gracen Halton might open things up, but he feels good with Oregon. In-state commits Trejon Williams and Emar'rion Winston are in a good place as long as Don Johnson is still at Oregon. Ben Roberts and Sir Mells are also still locked in right now. Cameron Williams and Landon Hullaby are teetering on opening things up, but could be salvaged with a hire. Staff Changes It sounds like a good chunk of Oregon's recruiting department are going to stay at Oregon, which is a good sign. I do expect Alex Mirabal and Aaron Feld to follow Cristobal after the bowl game. Mirabal was in Miami today for the press conference and was sporting Miami gear. Oregon is also going to have to fight off Nevada for Ken Wilson. Wilson might get the head coaching job in Reno, and that could lead him to taking a few of Oregon's assistants with him should he get the job.

The only candidate on the table who is as dyed in the wool yellow and green as most of us are is Justin Wilcox. He was raised here, grew up hearing Duck football inside stories from his dad and his grandpa, idolized Duck players and had their posters on his bedroom walls, dreamed about being a Duck and playing in Autzen, and followed in his father's and brother's footsteps and played some great Duck football as a defensive back at Autzen. If you want a Duck, Justin Wilcox is an honest to goodness Duck through and through. Like Helfrich, Wilcox would treat being the head football coach at the University of Oregon with a kind of reverence that comes from being born and raised in Oregon. The job would be a destination, and not merely a stepping stone on the road to bigger and better. Anyone else you hire is here to earn great money doing a job at a world class facility with world class resources. They will be loyal to the University of Oregon in the sense that a good and honorable employee is loyal to their good and honorable employer. You can't ask for, and shouldn't expect anything more than that. In that sense, it should surprise no one that Cristobal decided to go home. His true home and his heart are in Miami. He did a good job at the University of Oregon, but it was a job. Miami means more to him than just being a job; and you can see and feel that while listening to his acceptance speech to be head football coach at the University of Miami.

Aranda and Campbell would be my dream come true candidates. Both men are great coaches who I think would do well at Oregon. It's interesting to me that Aranda hasn't signed his Baylor contract yet, as far as we know. The 8 million dollar question is: Would either man leave their present situation for Oregon? Time will tell.

I was talking about Oregon's HC options with a friend and we both came to the conclusion that whomever Mullens chooses, most of us who are involved in this passionate love affair with our team will be unhappy with the choice. A coach's ability to succeed in a given place is all about his ability to utilize and maximize the resources, staff, and players at his disposal there. Also, just because a coach was successful at one place DOES NOT mean it translates to another place. We see examples of this all over the nation every single season. Chris Peterson is amazing at Boise State, but can't really make it happen at Washington. Dan Mullen is successful at Mississippi State, but not so much at Florida. Willie Taggart was a winner until he wasn't at Florida State. Scott Frost is boy wonder at University of Central Florida, but can't make it happen at Nebraska; and the list goes on and on and on. Chip Kelly is not my top choice, but he was the most successful coach Oregon ever had in the modern football era, and he is at least twice as good a coach as Cristobal. His biggest hole is his distaste for recruiting, yet he still manages to get the players he needs to make it happen. It's pretty easy to make recruiting a designated priority when you hire him and make sure he is surrounded by a staff who is good at it. With NIL and Phil Knight in your pocket, Cristobal has proven that Oregon can be a pretty juicy destination. Also, don't tell me about how Kelly wouldn't have the personnel that he had when he coached here the last time because Cristobal probably had it sitting on the bench this season. One need look no further than Justin Herbert to realize that player development isn't Mario's strong suit. Barring a mass exodus, I'm convinced that we are in good shape in the quarterback, running back, and wide receiver departments. The cupboard is far from bare my friends. Chip Kelly and Ty Thompson seem like a match made in heaven. That all said, Mullens gets who he gets and, sadly, we don't get a vote. The only candidate mentioned here that I would absolutely loath is Urban Meyer. He may be a great coach, but he is a horrible human who is neither trustworthy, loyal, nor honest. Never forget Willie Taggart. We don't need the likes of that to lead our team at Oregon.

The sad fact is that, just like happened at Oklahoma when Riley left, some of our player and most of our recruits will be recommitting elsewhere. Also, expect Cristobal to take a fair share of them. It's just the way the cookie crumbles, unfortunately. The one thing that could somewhat stem the outflow would be a quick new HC hire.

If the implication is that this is all handled by the people who represent the people unbeknownst to the people who are represented, then that's hogwash. I will lay you odds that Mullens and Knight knew exactly what was going on in mid November. Joe Moorhead sure did. For that matter, most of the people who post here were well aware of the fact that something was going on the weekend before the Pac 12 Championship game. A news report I just read reported that Mullens/Knight offered Coach Cristobal an updated contract that was along the lines of what he was being offered by Miami right before the second Utah game. Cristobal wouldn't sign it and Knight saw to it that it was immediately retracted. Phil has been there and done that many times, and he doesn't play games when it comes to these kinds of negotiations.

As far as Chip's recruiting weaknesses go, I think he has learned a lot on that front. He certainly is super familiar with recruiting in Southern California at this point, and it won't hurt to have Phil Knight's support when it comes enticing players with NIL. I also think he would make sure to have skilled recruiters on his staff. Could Chip recreate the magic that he brought to Oregon in his first go round? You bet he could. The man is an offensive genius who knows the ropes at Oregon and who knows how to get the most of the resources he has available to him here. It's true he hasn't been able to translate his success at Oregon anywhere else, although he did just have a pretty good season at UCLA. If he can somehow keep the boosters from having his head, I think UCLA's future trajectory is positive. He's a character who rubs many the wrong way, but you have to admit, his brand of football extremely entertaining. His whole persona is pretty entertaining, as far as that goes. That all said, my vote is 100% for Justin Wilcox, however, I don't get a vote. My inside people are telling me the ones who do are casting their nets towards Charles... Kelly that is.

As a side note, Justin Wilcox is a former student of mine, as well as a former player I had the honor of coaching back when he was in middle school in Junction City. He was our skilled beyond his years quarterback, and he led us to an undefeated season. I won't even get into what it was like getting to know his father Dave, who was one of my childhood heroes. I love the man Justin has grown into. He is intelligent, has integrity, is a native Oregonian and former Oregon player, and he is a great coach. While you might question the job he has done at Cal, you have to realize that Cal is hampered in many ways that Oregon is not. Given the resources he would have at his disposal at Oregon, he would do an amazing job here, and as Canzano said in his article in the Oregonian, he would be loyal and true to the Ducks. If things with Kelly fall through, I hope Mullens/Uncle Phil knock on Justin's door. Big and splashy are sexy, but I'm passionate about my love for our Duck sports programs. We don't need another wind bag huckster who can sell ice cubes to Eskimos, but always have their ear to the rails for the next chance to jump on a bigger and better train. We need a real and true solid citizen who is loyal to Oregon and who has a real relationship with the Truth.

Love him, or hate him, my trusty behind the scenes people in The Know tell me Mullens/Uncle Phil have been in negotiations with none other than Charles "Chip" Kelly. They want a quick hire to minimize damage and head off the exodus of players and recruits and Kelly is interested. My sources are almost always right on the money. They told me in mid-November that Cristobal was having an illicit affair with Miami and that he was probably going to go. Now you know...

As I have said in several threads now, I completely understand the draw of going home Mario feels. On top of that, he has an ailing mother and family he wants to be close to, and Miami is his alma mater. In spite of what he said last Friday night, it is now coming out that he has been in negotiations with Miami since at least mid-November, or right about the time Moorhead started looking around to escape the sinking ship. That all said, I can't respect a man who feels a need to be dishonest to further himself and his personal aspirations. I'm sure many will pass it off as just the way business is done these days by coaches, but Cristobal talks about how important it is to him to be a leader of men and to have a real relationship with his players. This move reveals that he is just another huckster who, first and foremost, is looking out for number one. Although Mario is in his 50s, he still has many lessons to learn. Perhaps the biggest one is that before you can ever hope to have a "real relationship" with another person, you have to have a real relationship with the Truth.

The Bleacher Report is a pretty legit news source so I'm sure the sources of their information check out. The question now is is Mario coming to Eugene to compare numbers with what Oregon is offering him, or is he coming to Eugene to meet with his players and staff and bid them a fond fare thee well. If he decides to stay at Oregon (which looks highly doubtful), how much credibility does he lose with the University, his staff, his players, and his recruits over all of this? If he goes, who is on Mullen's short list of replacements. Their are some very interesting names potentially available. It shall all be revealed by high noon.

It's hard keeping all of the goings on straight. Social media is filled with lots and lots of noise.

Come on Matt! Ask him some hard questions. Cristobal is the story here.

https://mobile.twitter.com/B_Kamerman/status/1467623150741385218

Like I said in another thread, the interesting thing about the Alamo Bowl is that by game time we could have two teams coached by interim coaching staffs. When has that ever happened before?

Another interesting dynamic is the coming projected Alamo Bowl where Oregon is predicted to be playing against Oklahoma. It could be a game coached by two interim coaches and staffs.

The really cruddy thing about the timing of all of this is the proximity of it all to Early Signing Day for recruits. I'm guessing we are about to experience a cluster mess on the order that Oklahoma just experienced. It will be interesting to see which recruits stay the course, and which ones bounce. It will also be interesting to see which players stay and which ones decide to hit the portal.

Where there is smoke, there is fire. Andrew Nemec has been a dependable source of Oregon sports information. In spite of the fact that there are so many loose ends Miami needs to tie up ( like not having an AD, and not firing their current coach Manny Diaz), my gut is telling me that Mario has already, or is very close to bouncing. Joe Brady, the just fired OC for the Carolina Panthers is an intriguing candidate. The guy is great with Xs and Os, and he has had proven success working with quarterbacks. Justin Wilcox would also be intriguing. He hasn't had major success at Cal, but Cal has made his job there very difficult. The Oregon environment and resources are a game changer.

The one thing that is fishy about this report is that Miami hasn't hired a new AD (the guy from Clemson just got hired by Oklahoma), and Miami hasn't fired Manny Diaz. My sources in the know are saying that Mario's leaving is NOT a corroborated report. So everyone just hold your horses. Here is what Matt Prehm from 247 Sports says is the current situation: Well what a way to wake up on a Sunday morning. There is a lot to get to. First and formost, there is a lot of buzz coming out of Miami right now about Mario Cristobal getting the job. Clearly there is a report that is out there right now that says he's taken the job and will be paid in a big way. You can read that report here. Our Miami site has not reported it is done yet. David Leake of our Miami site has reason to believe Miami is confident Mario is in, but they didn't want it to happen this way at all. In terms of order of hiring Mario before Diaz separation and AD hire. I do believe there is some questions in the reporting right now from those outside our own network. First of all, I know there hasn't been a team meeting by Oregon for the players to gather and learn what has happened. Second, I spoke with someone I trust who didn't say the reports of him to Miami are true, but instead said they could be but he has major doubts a final decision has been made and this is more so Miami feeling like they've got him when he's one step into the pool and trying to decide if he wants to go all in still. But the fact of the matter is that Oregon's head coach is generating more and more buzz about landing in MIami than staying in Oregon. Oregon's side also doesn't believe a final decision has been made one way or the other. We've also got a few reports that say this isn't done yet. https://twitter.com/dennisdoddcbs/status/1467538164571115525 https://twitter.com/ESPNRittenberg/status/1467535898703110145 And for Rittenberg's part, Mario Cristobal was in different states the last two days recruiting with its coaching staff in hand. Ken Wilson and Joe Salave'a were with him to see Cyrus Moss and then Ben Roberts. Right now we're all in a holding pattern. Oregon will be accepting a Bowl Game bid later today and that's expected to be the Alamo Bowl, which would require Mario Cristobal to do a press conference. We'll see if he shows up, and if he does, we'll be asking him about these reports once again. Buckle up. It's gonna be a ride. I do not believe this is done, I expect Oregon AD Rob Mullens and their biggest boosters to put their heads together and either up the ante on Cristobal's contract or continue working with Mario on details of what he needs. Oregon won't go down without fighting this, and we'll have to see if we get closure here in the next 24 hours.

Given what he said at his post game interview on Saturday night, it's now clear he was just feeding everyone a load of subterfuge and dishonest crap. This didn't just get sprung on him last night. He's been in talks and negotiations with Miami for over a week now. Now we know why Moorhead bolted. He knew Mario was leaving and he either didn't want the Oregon job, or the feelers he put out told him he wouldn't get the Oregon job. Oregon played like they were unprepared to beat Utah because they, in fact, were unprepared. As one person described him, Mario can sell ice cubes to Eskimos, but if this is how he conducts his business, I would have a hard time trusting him and anything he considers a "real relationship". We know what kind of a coach he is, and now we know what kind of a man he is. What is it about coaches from Florida? 8 million a year will set him up for life, but as the Beatles so wisely pointed out, money can't buy you love. * Added Note: It appears from information I just posted in the comments below that Mario, in fact, HAS NOT officially agreed to be Miami's coach. Miami has not hired a new AD and they have not fired Manny Diaz. It appears that the reports coming out of Miami are more wishful thinking than actual fact at this time. Please read the information I posted a few comments below from Matt Prehm of 247 Sports.

Awesome find and post 81DuckAlum. I will sleep a lot easier tonight.

I read an article a couple of minutes ago that Ole Miss just renewed Lane Kiffin's contract. He is signed, sealed, delivered and off of the table. Hiring a new coach is such a hard thing to do at this point in the time with so many openings having already come up and been filled. I can't imagine anyone already on the Oregon's existing football staff being promoted to head coach. That said, given the rumblings about Miami, I hope he's started at least considering candidates. Especially given the news reported today by ESPN that a University of Oregon official familiar with the situation puts Cristobal staying or leaving as a 50/50 coin toss.

One of the red flags for me is the fact that Moorhead is leaving for Akron, of all places, to be head coach. Is he feathering his landing knowing that MC is leaving? Perhaps.

Nope. In spite of what MC is saying, Miami has contacted him and he is considering his options. That much has been reported by Colin Cowherd who was told as much by his friends in The Know. Cowherd says his friends who have details regarding the likelihood of Miami getting MC are telling him, "It's going to happen". In addition, ESPN is reporting the following in an article they posted today about Cristobal: "A university source told ESPN that it's "a coin flip" as to what Cristobal decides, noting that Clara Cristobal's health and returning home -- not financial reasons -- would be the driving factors if Cristobal were to consider taking the Miami job, if offered."

I've never seen two terrible Duck performances against another team that were more alike than what we saw last night. It was the kind of deja vu that defies logic. Water boarding would have been more pleasant. Utah's game plan was exactly the same, and Oregon's inability to respond was also exactly the same. The poor officiating didn't help matters. Something was up with the Ducks last night. There was definite evidence of distractions, and there is much that we know along those lines. Oregon had a short week to prepare which meant a break from the normal preparation routine. Moorhead is leaving, which meant offensive players are concerned about the changes ahead. Cristobal takes off for Florida giving him at least one less day to prepare his team, plus his mind is distracted with worries about his mother's health. Finally, Miami has been in touch with Mario. He is considering his options. If his option is to stay, then it's less of a distraction. If he is seriously considering leaving then the distraction is HUGE to the point of debilitating. He must figure out all of the details to make his departure "graceful", as well as figure out the logistics of moving his family and starting a new and challenging job. I was at the Oregon State game and it was, for the most part, masterfully coached and played. The game last night, 6 days later, was a completely different Duck team. Something was definitely up.