Bronco Nation can now breathe a sigh of relief. Chip Kelly is not leaving Oregon for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After he apparently accepted the position late Sunday night, Kelly had a change of heart and decided to remain at Oregon. The domino effect that his departure may have caused will not start and that is great news for Boise State fans.
While it is far from a certainty that Chris Petersen would have been interested in the job had it been offered, there was a brief panic that quickly spread through this sportswriter’s mind. Petersen is a former Oregon assistant coach whose last coaching stop previous to joining Dan Hawkins at Boise State was as the wide receivers coach in Eugene. He has long had an affection for the Ducks and despite the dust-up following Boise State’s 19-8 win over Oregon in 2009, it is clear that Oregon still has a place in his heart.
Oregon, like Boise State, has become a surprise national power in recent years. They have played in three consecutive BCS games, winning the Rose Bowl this season after losing the National Championship game a year ago. The head coaching job at Oregon is one of the most lucrative jobs in college football this side of the SEC. The passion of the fan base and the relationship with Nike are major benefits. It is unquestionably an elite job.
With that in mind, it seems unlikely that Petersen would have bolted for the job at this stage in his career, and this offseason. For starters, he just signed a lucrative contract extension earlier this month that will pay him $2 million in 2012 and escalate each season for the length of the five-year deal. Petersen has also repeatedly turned back overtures from BCS programs that have offered at least twice the salary that he makes at Boise State.
Perhaps even more of a consideration than his own financial security, Petersen is also in the process of rebuilding his staff following the departures of three assistant coaches last week. Leaving the Broncos in such chaos is entirely out of character for Petersen. Furthermore, the Broncos are nine days away from adding one of the best recruiting classes in program history. Signing day for high school seniors is Wednesday, February 1st. Petersen has proven time and again to be a man of his word and it seems unlikely that he would have turned his back on his recruits at such a late stage in the game.
Reports out of Eugene even indicate that Petersen may not have received an offer had Kelly taken the Buccaneers job. In what would have been a whirlwind effort to secure a coach before recruits decided to abandon ship, the Ducks would have likely looked at offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich as a solid internal candidate before spreading the wings of their search. Former Oregon Head Coach Mike Bellotti also would have possibly made the short list.
Perhaps even more surprising was Oregon’s apparent interest in TCU’s Gary Patterson. Not that Patterson isn’t a great coach, but he has no northwest roots and the hiring may have surprised a few folks. The overwhelming status in his favor is that his Horned Frogs teams run a version of the spread option offense, which obviously would have helped a transition to a new regime in Oregon.
All the hypotheticals can now be thrown out the window since Kelly’s midnight hour reversal. With no job opening at Oregon, there is no decision to be made by Petersen. The Broncos can continue with their own plans for this offseason. Petersen officially added Jonathan Smith as the quarterbacks coach this past week and is still in the hunt for a defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator.
Boise State also secured the commitment of their 19th recruit when linebacker Chris Collins of Santa Monica, CA pledged to the Broncos on Saturday. The hybrid outside linebacker/nickelback prospect chose the Broncos over offers from a pair of Pac-12 schools, Arizona and Washington State. The Broncos hope to put the finishing touches on their recruiting class with one more recruiting weekend remaining. Three official visitors will be on campus next weekend, all defensive prospects.
A tumultuous offseason should come to an end shortly when the recruits are announced and Petersen fills out his staff. The Broncos can then turn their attention to preparations for spring practice and an offseason leading up to a showdown in East Lansing with Michigan State.
Thankfully, Chris Petersen will be roaming the sideline when the Broncos lace ‘em up against the Spartans.
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