Oregon has fired Mark Helfrich after the program’s number of losses doubled in 2015 and then again in 2016, making for a 4-8 final season. Oregon had quickly become a stale program in need of a change.
Oregon should hire P.J. Fleck, with Greg Schiano as his defensive coordinator
The two complement each other’s skills well and already have a connection.
Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon is a tough job due to recruiting geography.
The entire state produces an average of just two four- and five-star players on an annual basis. There are 30 or 40 cities that beat that mark.
That means almost all of Oregon’s elite recruits are going to come from out of state, which is always difficult. Nike’s brand, facilities, and flashy uniforms help some, as does the brand of exciting football played by the Ducks. But, geography still trumps in most situations.
Chip Kelly was able to take Oregon’s recruiting from a top-30 level to a top-15 level. Combined with a system that was, at the time, unique, Oregon had a great run.
But recruiting has slipped. Oregon ranks 40th nationally for 2017. And more importantly, sixth in the Pac-12, behind even Oregon State. Oregon has a blue-chip ratio of just 8 percent, compared to its previous rolling four-year average of 33 percent. That is a big drop. USC and Washington are destroying the Ducks on the recruiting trail.
Fleck could be the dynamic recruiter the Ducks need.
Fleck’s undefeated Western Michigan program is about to win the MAC Championship, having put together one of the most dominant MAC seasons in recent memory. It has been one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history, going from 1-11 to 12-0 in four years.
The way Fleck has gone about this is easy to see: recruiting. WMU’s had by far the top class in the conference over each of the last three years.
Fleck went out and believed that with tireless recruiting, and pitching of an energized vision, he could bring in recruits the caliber of which the MAC had not seen. This probably would not work with a lot of coaches, but Fleck has such energy, and effortlessly connects with recruits, parents, and high school coaches. He could sell ice cream to an Eskimo.
Fleck convinced countless players to come to Kalamazoo, and even got ESPN’s College GameDay to be there.
Fleck’s style fits.
He runs an exciting, up-tempo spread offense predicated on running and feeding its best players. That sounds exactly what Oregon fans would want.
Fleck turned 36 Tuesday, and his best coaching days are certainly ahead of him.
But 36 is very young to get the keys to a top-25 job like Oregon.
An experienced defensive coordinator could help.
If Oregon were to hire Fleck, it would likely insist on him bringing in an experienced coordinator, whom he could lean on during the adjustment period and who would certainly come from a bigger job.
That could be Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Greg Schiano. Oregon megabooster Phil Knight was seen in Ohio State’s locker room after the Buckeyes defeated Michigan, and Schiano has apparently himself emerged as a candidate. Schiano’s old-school style probably does not fit as the head coach of Oregon, a program built on flash and dash.
Schiano is himself a strong recruiter, and did great things as head coach at Rutgers, relative to the program’s vast history of futility, and with Ohio State’s defense. His stop in the NFL went horribly, but that’s how it’s gone for many coaches who are employed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Importantly, he has shown a history in his career of being able to shut down both pro and spread offenses, of which Oregon faces both in the Pac-12.
The connection between Fleck and Schiano?
Schiano was Fleck’s mentor when the pair coached at Rutgers.
“The way I can describe Rutgers and (working under) Greg Schiano is ‘I came to Rutgers as a boy and left a man,’ ” said Fleck, who coached the wide receivers at Rutgers in 2010 and ‘11. “I went there as an assistant coach; I left ready to be a head coach.”
Adding Schiano — who has head coaching experience, tremendous defensive coaching acumen, and good recruiting skills — to the staff would be a home-run hire.
For Schiano, Oregon would represent a major step down in terms of the caliber of talent he would be coaching, but it would allow him to get away from the “co” tag in his current title at Ohio State.
Mike Sanford could be a great fit as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Sanford, currently the offensive coordinator and QB coach at Notre Dame, would be a very attractive hire. Fleck and Sanford, both young coaches, have quickly developed a bond. Adding Sanford would be a great choice for Fleck, as the Notre Dame coach is himself a strong recruiter.
For Sanford, he could get out of Brian Kelly’s large Shadow in South Bend and build more of an individual profile.
This might actually happen. Let’s connect some dots.
Wednesday, a large number of Oregon’s commitments started following EJ Barthel, the recruiting coordinator at Temple. Barthel was a player at Rutgers under Schiano. And Fleck and Barthel crossed paths when the latter coached high school football in New Jersey during Fleck’s time coaching at Rutgers. Barthel then became Rutgers’ recruiting coordinator, before moving on to Temple after a coaching change. He’s done excellent work at Temple under coach Matt Rhule.
There is no way of knowing whether the players did this based on a rumor, or whether they were directed to do so with the indication that Barthel will somehow be connected to the next Oregon coach. But it is a very interesting thing to follow.
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