The Boise St. Broncos have lost a number of coaches over the last few years, the biggest one being offensive coordinator Brent Pease to the Florida Gators a few weeks ago. But head coach Chris Petersen has stayed loyal to the program even while big-time programs like UCLA and Penn State have come calling for him. But now, reports peg Petersen as a candidate for the Oregon Ducks job if Chip Kelly leaves for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kelly has emerged as the leading candidate for the head coaching position with the Buccaneers. Adam Jude of the Register-Guard tweeted this about Petersen and the potential opening:
If Chip leaves, source close to Oregon says Ducks will immediately target Boise State's Chris Petersen.
Jude also mentions that TCU's Gary Patterson and current Ducks offensive Mark Helfrich are strong candidates for the position if it becomes open. Petersen might find his loyalty tested if Kelly leaves and he is courted by the school. The Mountain West Connections believes that Petersen would take the job but that there is also a potential issue going forward:
For some reason I get the feeling that Petersen would take this job, but there is still the possibility of Oregon being hit with NCAA sanctions from the Willie Lyles investigation and depending what Oregon tells Petersen about that could be the difference if he takes the job or not.
Petersen would have a team that potentially is going to be a top 25 team every year and will be able to have better recruiting abilities with a bigger school. And there's the whole Phil Knight/Nike angle to consider.
Still, at this point, these are all rumors and they might not come to fruition.
For more on the Broncos, visit One Bronco Nation Under God and Mountain West Connection. Head over to SB Nation NFL and SB Nation NCAA Football for more on these possible moves.