Former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead reportedly is a contender to be the next offensive coordinator for Pac-12 and Rose Bowl champion Oregon. (Joe Hermitt/PennLive.com via AP)
Joe Moorhead isn’t going to be out of work long, you’d think.
He might even get to stretch his reputation to the west coast.
According to a report from the Oregonian, Moorhead is emerging as “a leading candidate” for the vacant offensive coordinator’s post at Oregon.
Reports: LSU analyst Jorge Munoz, former Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead emerge in Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator search | Things are heating uphttps://t.co/L4ADcmCFTl pic.twitter.com/Nukx6EUAaU
— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) January 8, 2020
Moorhead was fired at Mississippi State after the Bulldogs looked sloppy against Louisville in the Music City Bowl late last month, but after the success he had at Penn State, it’s difficult not to associate him with the big-time openings around the game. Oregon’s job opened after Marcus Arroyo left Mario Cristobal’s staff to become head coach at UNLV.
Not certain where Moorhead will wind up, obviously — would have been interesting to see if he became a candidate at Penn State, assuming he was fired a few weeks earlier — but Oregon would be a good landing spot. They’re a bona fide contender in the Pac-12, and Moorhead has no fingerprints as of yet on the West coast. It could only help to resurrect his chances of being a FBS head coach again by having success in another major conference.
Moorhead’s next step will be interesting to follow over the next few days. Here’s a thought, though, if he’s maybe interested in branching out further: If they fail to lure Jason Garrett to New York, perhaps there’s a fit between Moorhead and the Giants. They’re looking for an OC, and Moorhead has obviously done great work with their best offensive player, Saquon Barkley.
Donnie Collins has been a member of The Times-Tribune sports staff for nearly 20 years and has been the Penn State football beat writer for Times-Shamrock Newspapers since 2004. The Penn State Football Blog covers Nittany Lions, Big Ten and big-time college football news from Beaver Stadium to the practice field, the bowl game to National Letter of Intent Signing Day. Contact: dcollins@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5368; @DonnieCollinsTT
