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It is not yet official but a USA TODAY report says that Oregon is preparing to part ways with Mark Helfrich after the Ducks went just 4-8 this year, and the breaking point was losing to rival Oregon State, 34-24.
The Ducks will have to pay out $11.6 million but that will not stop Oregon from finding a new coach.
One of the name that is already being brought from the USA TODAY article is Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin and also Western Michigan’s P.J. Fleck.
Harsin has has success at both of his head coaching gigs which started in Arkansas State where he won the Sun Belt title in his first and only year in 2013 and then in his first year with Boise State he led them to a Fiesta Bowl victory in 2014. His overall record is also impressive at 38-13 through four years as a head coach.
Money can be a motivating factor and of course the of moving up to the next level. To the former, Harsin is currently making $1.3 million in base annual salary, and Oregon is paying Helfrich just over $3.3 million per year.
Harsin was born in Boise, played quarterback at Boise State and coached with the Broncos for 10 years before he came back as a head coach in 2014. That loyalty could keep him at Boise State for years to come, but the challenge of coaching in the Pac-12 and making nearly three times the salary is also enticing.