Could Cal’s newly fired coach be a last-minute contender at OSU?
The Oregon State football coaching search is heating up, and at least one candidate arrived at the airport to potentially interview in-person. The process could change rapidly as the coaching carousel continues to spin across college football.
As the search rolled along, The Oregonian/OregonLive examined the credentials of 12 potential candidates for OSU’s next head coach.
We add a last-minute 13th candidate to the list in the wake of his firing elsewhere:
Justin Wilcox
Job until Sunday: HC, California
Age: 49
Head coaching record: 48-55
Why it works
The born and raised Oregonian is suddenly available after nearly nine seasons in Berkeley. The Bears were largely middling during his tenure, but Wilcox did put together some exciting offenses and quality defenses while at Cal. He just never quite got over the hump, and it led to his firing Sunday after a blowout loss to Stanford.
His recruiting ability is evident, as he snatched away four-star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele from Oregon this past offseason. And Wilcox’s connections on the West Coast run deep. The former Ducks defensive back was born in Eugene but grew up in Junction City, so he understands the kind of small town culture he’d be walking into in Corvallis.
Wilcox could also build a quality staff around himself, having worked at high-level programs in power conferences around college football.
Why it might not work
OSU football is in a bad spot right now, but it doesn’t strive for middling. It wants to win, lead the new Pac-12, and have football be the driving force for everything else. Wilcox had nearly a decade to build a consistent winner at Cal and didn’t, and while it’s not clear how the resources compare between the two programs, what guarantee is there that he can do better with the Beavers?
Wilcox is widely respected around the sport, and some believe the right situation could allow for him to flex his coaching muscles. But the uncertainty of the situation at OSU — as it transitions into a new conference and navigates athletic department upheaval — doesn’t feel like an easy match for a guy who just lost his job.
Is he interested in Oregon State?
There have been rumblings about Wilcox to OSU even before his firing, but we don’t know for sure that he is interested. That could change in the coming days.
Wilcox is just now picking up the pieces after getting canned at Cal. And frankly, OSU is likely too deep in the process to turn its head towards Wilcox now. The leading candidates as the search enters its final week are just as if not more qualified.
Know the other (possible) candidates:
Oregon State (2-9) at Washington State (5-5)
- When: Saturday, Nov. 29
- Time: 3:30 p.m. PT
- Where: Martin Stadium — Pullman, Wash.
- TV channel: The CW
- Stream: You can watch this game on DIRECTV (free trial), or with Fubo (free trial). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.
