Jim "Teeth" McElwain being floated as possible candidate for Oregon

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OREGON

As USA TODAY Sports reported late Saturday night, Oregon officials were hoping not to have to fire Mark Helfrich but had moved in that direction following a loss to Oregon State and already laid the groundwork for a coaching search that would follow. Oregon’s silence on Sunday complicated the timing and did not reflect well on athletics director Rob Mullens, who showed a stunning lack of leadership by failing to inform Helfrich of his fate Sunday before his staff went on the road recruiting.

If Oregon was truly intent on keeping Helfrich, there is no reason it couldn’t have informed him Sunday rather than wait for Mullens to return from Dallas, where he has duties with the College Football Playoff selection committee.

When/if Oregon opens, the expectation is that Western Michigan’s P.J. Fleck and Boise State’s Bryan Harsin would both be prime candidates. But don’t be surprised if Oregon pursues splashier names such as Penn State’s James Franklin and North Carolina’s Larry Fedora, who are both at Nike-affiliated schools. There also are whispers that Florida’s Jim McElwain could be intrigued by the opportunity to return to the Pacific Northwest, close to where he went to college and started his coaching career at Eastern Washington. Despite winning SEC East titles in his first two years, McElwain has been a bit under-appreciated by the Florida fan base and just got a new athletics director in Gainesville.

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