Willie Taggart has not had the smoothest of transitions as Oregon’s new head coach and it appears the program is back in the news for yet another issue with the strength program.
A CBSSports.com report came out on Friday examining the world of college football strength coaches and their various certifications for the job. Headlining the piece is not surprisingly Ducks strength coach Irele Oderinde, who was suspended a month without pay after three players were sent to the hospital in January after going through an extra strenuous workout.
Oderinde apparently met NCAA requirements through a track and field coaches association certification as part of a 21-hour course. His bachelor’s and master’s degrees were also not in an “exercise science” field like many others in the industry. All that leads to this from the story:While in compliance with the letter of the NCAA bylaw, Oderinde is among a handful of those coaches who, experts say, are underqualified.
“I’m not sure why they suspended [Oderinde],” said Hoffman, a former NSCA president. “Is he going to get smarter a month from now? Either he’s qualified -- then he shouldn’t be suspended -- or he’s not qualified and he should be fired.”
The Ducks did change up their staff structure as a result of the incident involving three players and added more oversight beyond just the head coach. The school also told the site that Oderinde and his staff may seek “additional certifications.”
Oregon certainly is under pressure to make sure everything is on the up-and-up but the CBSSports piece clearly illustrates that the issue is one not limited to the Pacific Northwest and is a concern across college athletics.
Will anything change in the future as a result of the increased attention? Things seem to be in Eugene but not without another issue early in the tenure of the team’s new head coach.