Former Oregon football stars expressed concern over program’s direction

A group of former Oregon football stars – including quarterbacks Akili Smith, Marcus Mariota and Justin Herbert – penned a letter to athletic director Rob Mullens with concerns over the direction of the program, according to OregonLive’s John Canzano.

In addition, Joey Harrington, Royce Freeman, Tyrell Crosby, Devon Allen, Hroniss Grasu, Jordan Kent, George Wrighster, Justin Peelle, Wes Mallard, Reuben Droughns and Dino Philyaw signed the letter about the Oregon program.

The letter, acquired by OregonLive, expressed concern over Mario Cristobal’s departure and a possible break from what made the Ducks a college football staple. Behind the scenes, these players feared the program could lose its connection with the past.

“Over the last 48 hours I have been contacted by numerous teammates, and reach out myself, to Oregon player who came after me. All of us voiced a similar frustration. This feeling comes not from wins and losses, but rather, the idea that in the attempt to chase a national championship, we are losing what made us great in the first place,” the letter read. “This is not a Blue Blood program. Our success was built on the continuity and hard work of the players and coaches in the 30 years prior to 2016 and we, as players, feel we are dangerously close to losing our identity.”

Oregon players wanted Justin Wilcox

While the letter did not mention any coaching candidates by name, two players who signed it confirmed to Canzano that California head coach Justin Wilcox is the candidate they wanted to receive an interview.

“This letter is not an attempt to harp on the loss of the coaching tradition and he connection it brought between generations of players and families both in Eugene and the larger Oregon Duck community. That ship has sailed,” the letter continued. “But rather, this letter is to suggest that after two attempts to find a coach outside the ‘Oregon Box’ we believe it may be time again to look within the Oregon family. Returning to the successful foundation upon which the program was built, or chasing a national championship don’t have to be mutually exclusive.”

Wilcox is a former Oregon football player and Eugene native. He has established his footprint in the area as a coach too, spending time in the Mountain West and Pac-12 at multiple schools before landing his first head coaching job. Despite his 26-28 record, many still believe him to be a great candidate for west coast jobs.

The Oregon Ducks ended up interviewing both Justin Wilcox and former Oregon coach Chip Kelly for the position, eventually offering the job to the former. However, reports indicate that Wilcox turned down the opportunity and led Oregon to hire Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning, who has no direct connection to the school.