latracey

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.

You hit the nail right on the head HappyToBeADuck. A simple statement about his ongoing commitment to being Oregon's head coach was woefully lacking in all of the coach speak blather from his interview last night. Given that connected people like Colin Cowherd and others have heard from their sources that there indeed HAS been communication between Miami and either MC, or his "people", says to me that where there is smoke, there is fire. I get the pull of Florida and the fact that, just like in Taggart's case, Cristobal is from there and has family and close friends there, and played football for The U. I'm sure Florida is a wonderful place unless it's hurricane season. I won't be surprised if he, like the prodigal son, returns to try and make good there. I get it. Oregon is my home and, no matter how far and wide my travels take me, my heart is always in Oregon. Although Cristobal is still learning how to be a great coach, he has been a very good coach for Oregon. He isn't like Bellotti, Kelly, or Helfrich who all had skilled offensive minds and had Aliotti backing them up with "gang green" defense, but he wins A LOT more games than he loses; 10 wins is a pretty great season that 10 other Pac 12 schools would love to have had this season. I really liked, no LOVED, watching Kelly's basketball on grass offenses. Even in close games, you never lost hope knowing that your offense could score in under 2 minutes. That's not and probably never will be Cristobal's thing, but Cristobal's thing could still be a good thing for Oregon. He is learning and his team is very, very young this year. In spite of how terrible the game was last night, I see a huge upside with MC and with what he has started to build at Oregon. I truly hope he fights the urge to go home and signs the juicy deal Oregon has laid at his feet. I hope he finds a great, innovative OC, and that he finds a way to step back and let that person make Oregon's offense truly great again. Oregon has been blessed to have MC as their head football coach, and we would be blessed to have him continue coaching the team that we love.

“I don’t know what to tell you. I can tell you this, if I had any plans, if I had a decision to make or if I had something to report I would and I wouldn’t keep it one way or the other. We know Mario is a great recruiter and that he isn't so great with certain aspects of game management and the Xs and Os; but is he the kind of a guy who bends the truth here and there to fit his narrative? Time will tell.

Oregon played tonight like a team that knew their coaches were leaving. MC to Miami and JM too Akron. Talk about a distraction.

Cowherd definitely has connections, just like he says in the video. Of course Miami has billionaire boosters that want to see their school back in the college football thick of things. Of course Mario's buyout and king's ransom bigger and better salary is chicken feed to a billionaire. I have to say I've had a funny feeling about Mario and his coaching commitment to Oregon for a week or so now, and I know I'm not the only person around here who has had these funny feelings. Then tonight, after the game, when asked a couple of times outright about the rumors linking him to Miami, he used the same kind of use words to say absolutely nothing coach speak that Moorhead used last Tuesday when also asked outright about Akron. Did he outright deny that he was leaving? Nope. Just like tonight's game against Utah. We've seen and heard this all before.

The whole picture makes sense with this news that Cristobal to Miami is going to happen. Moorhead leaving for Akron now makes sense. As Charles said in his article today, the game tonight went to the team that was mentally stronger. It's hard to be mentally strong when you are wondering who your coach is going to be next season. Talk about a distraction.