OR fires head coach Mark Helfrich

Kelly said he spoke to Helfrich Wednesday morning and that he meant to stay with San Francisco, who set a franchise record with its 10th straight loss Sunday in Miami.

“It is with respect and disappointment that we receive this decision”, Helfrich said.

Kelly, now head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, said Wednesday he had not spoken to anyone at OR except for Helfrich. He went 11-2, 13-2 and 9-4 in his first three seasons. The loss snapped an eight-game OR winning streak in the series.

Mullens said he informed the players of his decision earlier in the evening. He said he has not spoken with anyone associated with the university. Central Florida’s head coach, Scott Frost, was an understudy of Kelly’s at OR as the Ducks wide receivers coach for four years.

With the University of OR head coaching position officially open, Chip Kelly isn’t changing his tune.

Helfrich spent four years as head coach of OR, promoted to the job after serving under previous coach Chip Kelly. He’s a hell of a football coach, and he’s an even better person.

OR went 4-8 this season, 2-7 in the Pac-12 Conference and finished last in the North division. After the turn of the century, the Ducks became the college football program of the future, and while Bellotti had a lot of success, Kelly stepped on the accelerator, bringing the up-tempo spread revolution to Eugene. Tonight, Oregon broke from that pattern and fired Mark Helfrich. He also made an appearance in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, losing a tight one to Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers. “We’re going to have a broad, diverse pool of candidates”, Mullens said.

Looking at potential candidates, Scott Roussel of FootballScoop.com reported OR has contacted representatives for Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley and Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck. Kelly was 46-7 in four seasons at OR, winning three Pac-12 Conference championships along the way. He was then hired by the 49ers last offseason.

Altogether, the 10 FBS public-school head coaches who have been fired so far this season will be owed a combined total of almost $45 million in buyouts, subject to offset from future pay.

Coaches that may be in mix for #Oregon: #UCF’s Scott Frost; #UF’s Jim McElwain; #WMU’s PJ Fleck #WVU’s Dana Holgorsen & BSU’s Bryan Harsin. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article. Under his watch, the Ducks slipped to nine wins in 2015 and just four in 2016, including a last-place finish in the Pac-12 North.