According to a new report from The Oregonian‘s John Canzano, the Oregon Ducks are making a few calls about their head coaching vacancy and working to get a few interviews set up with potential candidates.
Among those candidates are Justin Wilcox, the head coach of the California Golden Bears, and Kalani Sitake, the head coach for the BYU Cougars, according to Canzano.
These are two names that everyone expected to be on the list of candidates for the Ducks’ job. Wilcox is an Oregon native, and he played for the Ducks in college under Mike Bellotti. He has coached at Cal since 2017, where he has a 26-28 overall record while going 1-1 in bowl games.
Many Oregon fans have shown disapproval of a potential Wilcox hire, noting that he would be regarded as a safe choice that is viewed as someone who wouldn’t use the Ducks as a stepping stone, rather than a big-name hire.
Sitake is already coaching at his alma mater, BYU, where he played as a fullback from 1998-2000. He has made his way up through the coaching ranks across the west coast, which included a stop at Oregon State with the Beavers, but was hired as the head coach of BYU in 2016, where he’s built a 48-28 record, as well as going 21-3 over the past two seasons.
Canzano also noted on Wednesday night that the Ducks are in contact with at least two other coaches, one of which is in the NFL currently.
Oregon is also talking with at least two other candidates, I’m told. One of those is in the NFL.
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 9, 2021
No matter who Oregon hires, there is a feeling that they need to get the job done pretty quickly. Early signing day is around the corner, and every minute that passes is another chance for recruits to fall in love with a different school.
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