UO players react to firing of Mark Helfrich

With the recent firing of Mark Helfrich freeing up the head coaching position in OR, it was only a matter of time before Chip Kelly would be forced to issue a statement regarding his interest in the job.

OR is reportedly looking to make a splash with their next head coach, as the university is looking to add “someone who would reinvigorate ticket sales”.

The second season was better, an 11-1 start before a 51-13 win over Arizona in the Pac-12 title game that sent OR into the CFP as the No. 2 seed for arguably the greatest win in school history over the Seminoles.

This was the first season since 2004 that OR finished with a losing record and without a bowl appearance.

“So we’re done with that, I hope”, he said before the 49ers’ Wednesday practice at the University of Central Florida.

“It is a great honor to have served as the head football coach at the University of Oregon”, Helfrich said in a prepared statement. A lot of those guys just stopped as soon as Coach Helfrich came in. “I love him like a brother”, he said. “He’s a tremendous person”. Yes in regards to Helfrich’s predecessor, anyone would want to coach at OR with the facilities, the support of the university and boosters, and the connections with Nike make it a dream opportunity to build a program. “It’s really unfortunate to see him go”. The 49ers are 1-10 in Kelly’s first season.

Helfrich met OR athletics director Rob Mullens to discuss his future Tuesday night and left the meeting without a job.

Mark Helfrich leaves OR following a 37-16 record in four seasons that saw the Ducks reach the national championship game in 2014, in which they fell to Ohio State, denying the program its first national title.

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. The following season, the Tigers reached the national championship game under his successor, Gus Malzahn.

Mullens said the school will search “far and wide” for their new coach. The Ducks’ season ended without a bowl game for the first time since 2004.

“When you take this job, or you have a job like this, that’s how it goes”, Helfrich said after Oregon lost 34-24 to Oregon State in Saturday’s Civil War. Last year, the Ducks brought in graduate transfer Vernon Adams, whose season was marred by a finger injury.

That made it an unceremonious breaking of the news to OR football commits, including West Linn four-star offensive lineman Alex Forsyth, who first learned of a possible move through Twitter. Then you start to look at the totality of the program and, again, there was a shift in culture.

“I’m 100% committed”, said Forsyth.