Kalen DeBoer has traded his red-and-blue Bulldog collar for a purple-and-gold Husky one, and Fresno State is fast at work finding his replacement.
Sources told FootballScoop on Tuesday that Jeff Tedford is a strong candidate to return to Fresno State's head coaching position.
California State University System hiring laws could slow the hiring process, but due to unique circumstances a deal could be reached sooner rather than later.
Tedford was Fresno State's head coach from 2017-19. His first two teams went 22-6 with one Mountain West title, one MW West Division championship, and a No. 18 AP poll finish in 2018. The team bottomed out quickly, going 4-8 in 2019, and Tedford stepped down as head coach that December citing health reasons.
That led to DeBoer, who went 12-6 and nearly won the MW West in his one full season on the job.
The 60-year-old has technically remained employed at Fresno State during the past two years however. This technicality could enable Fresno State leadership to move faster than most expected; and research is being done on this front we're told.
A former Fresno State quarterback, Tedford coached at Fresno State from 1992-97. He left to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon. In 2001, he helped the Ducks win the Pac-10 and nearly reach the BCS national title game.
That success spurred him to Cal, where he went 82-57 in 11 seasons. Tedford led the Golden Bears into the AP Top 5 in the 2004 and 2007 seasons, and won a share of the Pac-10 in 2006.
We will keep you posted as more becomes clear on this one.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.