With the 2015-16 college coaching carousel in full swing, a familiar name has come back from north of the border and tossed his résumé back into the mix.
Jeff Tedford announced Wednesday that he has decided to resign his position as the head coach of the CFL’s BC Lions. Tedford, who played in the CFL for six years in the eighties and who began his coaching career in the same league, had been the Lions’ head coach for just one season that finished with a 7-11 record.
In a statement, Tedford claimed that he was stepping down so that he may return to the college game.
“After much consideration,” a portion of the statement read, “I have elected to exercise an option in my contract and will resign as head coach of the B.C. Lions in order to pursue other opportunities in college football.”
Late last month it was reported that search firms had been in contact to gauge Tedford’s interest in returning to the college game. Just where that opportunity might be -- and how high up the coaching food chain -- remains to be seen.
Tedford has spent his entire collegiate coaching career west of the Rocky Mountains, most notably as the head coach at Cal from 2002-12 prior to his firing. Prior to that, he was an assistant at Oregon (1998-2001) and his alma mater Fresno State (1992-97). His only coaching experience in another part of the country came as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014, but that short stint was marred by a health issue that actually kept him from performing his duties during that one season with the NFL club.
Right now there are nine head-coaching openings at the FBS levels, including five with Power Five programs. Of those nine, just two are west of the Mississippi River, and both of those, Missouri and Louisiana-Monroe, are in states that border the river. Whether geography would be an issue for either the coach or a potential employer remains to be seen.
If the 54-year-old Tedford were to get back into the collegiate game in the FBS, it appears he’ll have to do so as a coordinator and, potentially, work his way back to taking over his own program. At the FCS level, the Montana State head-coaching job is open, so that very well could be an option as well.
Or maybe, just maybe, Tedford would return “home” again if the Sonny Dykes-to-Missouri speculation comes to fruition. Or the Dykes-to-Virginia speculation for that matter.