The past several weeks in Oregon Ducks football news has been concerned with commitment and wondering which coaches are hanging around, and which are jetting for new destinations.
Ever since head coach Mario Cristobal left for the University of Miami, Oregon’s coaching staff has seen a mass exodus, with a number of guys agreeing to deals with new teams for next season and signaling their departure from Oregon. While a number of them are still hanging around Eugene to help coach in the bowl game, we know for a large part who is staying and who is going after December 29th.
One guy who’s future we don’t quite know just yet, though, is interim head coach Bryan McClendon, who has served as the wide receivers coach and pass-game coordinator for the Ducks. McClendon is an extremely valuable coach who players seem to love, and decision-makers seem to respect, made clear by him being offered the interim tag. Fans would obviously like to keep him around.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that will be the case, with some recent leaks online signaling that B-Mac might be taking off for Miami as soon as the season is over to join Cristobal.
“I don’t how much is out there is actually true, to be honest with you,” McClendon said Monday after Oregon’s practice. “The frustrating thing about it and disappointing thing about it is regardless of how some stuff came up, which I still don’t know how that happened until this point, I think everything did get rectified in that sense. The thing that’s frustrating though is I haven’t even thought about it as much as some of the other people have. My focus has been on these guys.”
Looks like Miami has landed Bryan McClendon, who is the lead recruiter for T-Mac. Poorly kept secret but here you go. pic.twitter.com/lQIavnzwvr
— Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) December 18, 2021
The above tweet is what McClendon is likely referencing, where he was listed on the Miami website directory as the assistant football coach. On Monday, McClendon stated again that he has yet to even think about where his next destination should be if it is outside of Oregon, and that he wants to keep his focus on the players, who deserve it.
“It’s not right for those guys for my focus to be other places. So I haven’t done it,” McClendon said. “It’s not right, quite honestly, for my family to try to make a family decision while my focus is on the guys right now. I feel like anything that’s out there right now, it did not come from me and I would — not to sit up here and say one way or another, but it did not come from me. However all that stuff came out there, I think it got rectified and I do look forward to being able to make those decisions. I just feel like it’ll be a hard decision to make right now while my focus is solely on these guys and making sure that these guys have a positive influence. I don’t want to cheat them. I don’t want to make a bad decision for my family because my focus is so much on these guys right now.”
It’s extremely possible, and probable, that we find out more about McClendon’s future over the next few days or weeks as Oregon’s appearance in the Alamo Bowl comes and goes. If you were inclined to bet, I could give you a good idea of where to put your money. For now, though, B-Mac is keeping his focus on the players wearing green and yellow. Ten days from now, we’ll see how that changes.
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