Oregon offensive coordinator addresses head coaching rumor

Oregon offensive coordinator and former Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead, who emerged as the leading candidate for the Akron football head coaching vacancy on Sunday, didn’t quite rule out the possibility of leaving Eugene.

“All I can say is that all of my focus and attention is on doing the things that are necessary to help our offense prepare to play well,” Moorhead said, reiterating that he’s focused on Utah first.

Moorhead spent five seasons with the Zips as an assistant coach from 2004-2008. After Oregon faces Utah in the Pac-12 Championship game, Moorhead said he’ll “deal with anything that happens after that.”

Moorhead, 48, is a Pennsylvania native and started his coaching career in 1998. He joined Akron’s staff as a wide receiver coach and recruiting coordinator in 2004. He was then given Associate head coach and pass game coordinator titles in 2005 and became offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in 2006.

Joe Moorhead has two stints of head coaching experience after his assistant time at Akron, first at Fordham from 2012-2015, then at Mississippi State in 2018 and 2019. Between those stops he served as Penn State’s offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.

Last season, he joined Mario Cristobal’s staff at Oregon in the same role he served at Penn State. Over the course of his career, he has accumulated a 52-25 head coaching record but is 0-2 in bowl games and 2-3 in FCS playoff games.

His resume is more than intriguing for a MAC school like Akron who has struggled to find success over recent seasons. He could bring a familiarity and experience level few can match in the conference.

Joe Moorhead’s path to Oregon

Joe Moorhead spent four years as the head coach of his alma mater, Fordham, from 2012-15 with success. From there he went on to become the offensive coordinator at Penn State before accepting the head coaching position at Mississippi State in 2018, when he emerged as one of the nation’s top candidates.

He led the Bulldogs to an 8-4 finish in his inaugural season. The record tied the school record for most wins by a first-year coach. Then, 10 players received an eight-game suspension at the beginning of 2019 for allowing a tutor to take tests and do homework for them. The suspensions set the team back.

Mississippi State finished that season 6-7 and the school fired Moorhead in favor of former Washington State head coach Mike Leach. He then took the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach job at Oregon shortly after.

Earlier this season, Moorhead missed time after suffering a medical emergency. After traveling with the team for a road game against Stanford, Moorhead was taken to a Bay Area hospital to undergo surgery for a non-COVID related medical issue. He was able to return quickly, helping guide the Oregon offense to a Pac-12 North title and chance at a Rose Bowl berth.