Searching for a replacement for the outgoing Chip Kelly, who was hired as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Oregon interviewed Stanford offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton for their head coaching vacancy on Friday, according to CBS Sports's Bruce Feldman.
Oregon coaching search: Pep Hamilton interviewed for job, according to report
Stanford offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton reportedly interviewed for the Oregon Ducks’ vacant head coaching job on Friday.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
As rumors of Kelly’s possible departure for the NFL began to swirl in recent weeks, multiple media outlets reported that the Ducks had a plan in place to replace their head coach. Oregon would simply promote offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, the same action the school took with Kelly when former head coach Mike Bellotti retired after the 2008 season.
As it turns out, executing such a plan would likely violate Oregon state law, which says the school must interview at least one qualified minority candidate or make a good-faith attempt to find such a candidate. Helfrich is white, and Hamilton is black.
Hamilton runs a traditional pro-style offense at Stanford, which wouldn't make him all that good of a fit at Oregon if the Ducks want to continue with their up-tempo spread attack. He recently interviewed for the open offensive coordinator position with the New York Jets and, according to Feldman, is considered to be a candidate for the Indianapolis Colts' OC job.
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