Heading into Friday, it was assumed that the leading candidates for the Oregon Ducks head coaching job were BYU’s Kalani Sitake, UCLA’s Chip Kelly, and Cal’s Justin Wilcox.
Then came word that Sitake was getting a huge extension to remain with BYU. And then the big shocker came in the form of a report by Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Georgia Bulldogs DC Dan Lanning would be the next coach at Oregon. That report was quickly refuted by many of the top insiders, including Oregonian reporter John Canzano, leaving many to scratch their heads.
That confusion carried over to Saturday until, late in the day, it was indeed confirmed that Lanning would become Oregon’s coach and that Towers was ultimately right.
But that left a lot of people wondering why Oregon officials had denied the Friday report only to confirm it on Saturday. Now, it sounds like Canzano has figured out why and it’s a bit of a shocker.
A twist in Oregon’s football coaching search — Cal coach Justin Wilcox turned down the Ducks.
Why?
Column: https://t.co/EmoONR4En4
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 12, 2021
Per Canzano, Justin Wilcox was offered the position before Lanning and turned it down. And Canzano thinks that even after the school had negotiated with Lanning, it decided to make one last effort to land Wilcox on Friday and Saturday before officially committing to their new coach.
Wilcox made a lot of sense of paper as a Eugune native and former Duck player, but his record at Cal has been middling and he didn’t exactly excite too many in the fanbase hoping for a splashy hire. Still, the fact that he spurned Oregon’s overtures is certainly going to add a little bit of bite to the next game between the Bears and Ducks.
The surprising late twist in the Oregon head coach hiring saga garnered some interesting reactions on social media from the college football world.
Incredibly interesting. https://t.co/pK1GZ3yo9n
— Brandon Kamerman (@B_Kamerman) December 12, 2021
This qualifies as a wow https://t.co/hY0vqKSLVL
— Mike Vorel (@mikevorel) December 12, 2021
Yep. I’ve been told the same.
This was Wilcox’s job if he wanted it. https://t.co/sA6JJOc6YP
— Aaron J. Fentress (@AaronJFentress) December 12, 2021
Then he’s not very smart https://t.co/tNTwFqjIbP
— Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) December 12, 2021
Interesting development … https://t.co/DEAyd8eTfY
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) December 12, 2021
Maybe we’ll hear more details in the days ahead, but this is a good reminder that there is never a dull moment when the coaching carousel is still spinning.
