A lot of quack today, including some honest to goodness on the field football talk. Let's get to it:
- The Oregon coaching search will apparently have very little cost limit, as the Ducks are reportedly going to take a shot at Florida coach Billy Donovan, who currently makes $3.3 million per year, third highest in NCAA basketball. Other coaching targets Jamie Dixon and Mark Turgeon both make over a million per year. Though Donovan is a long shot, whoever Oregon gets, it's clear he will be making a hefty salary.
- On top of the cost of a new coach, Oregon still owes over $2 million to it's former basketball coaches. Cue more Oregonian articles about the finances of the Athletic Department falling apart.
- Oh wait, they already have an article about that, as they shed a bit of light on the Mike Bellotti golden parachute. Only $600,000 of the sum will be up front, and Bellotti will receive $25,000 per month after May 1st. This will hopefully lessen the strain on the Athletic Department.
- The Oregon women continue their season tonight as they take on New Mexico at Mac Court in the second of the NIT. New Mexico will be a tough challenge for the Ducks, so they'll need all the support they can get from the home crowd.
- Chip Kelly held a teleconference yesterday and Rob Moseley, as always, has the scoop. Of note, LaMichael James will be practicing during spring, so he's academically eligible, a very good sign after he was kept off campus for almost a month. In position moves, Eddie Pleasant has been moved to Rover and Dion Jordan and Brandon Hanna will be playing DE. Apparently the coaching staff is not worried at all about LB depth in 2010, another good sign. The status of Jeremiah Masoli and Kiko Alonso has not been finalized, and Kelly will be meeting with Masoli on Monday, March 29th. Also, Dior Mathis, James Scales, and Terrance Mitchell will be early admits for school, and participate in spring practices, which should help add a bit of depth to the secondary.
- The talk of spring practice is sure to be the QB competition between Nate Costa and Darron Thomas. Kelly won't push for a QB that can make the big plays, but he's looking for someone that can efficiently distribute the ball to Oregon's many playmakers. Costa is more limited physically than Thomas, so if Thomas can show that he has adequate decision making, he should win the job.
How ya feeling about the Ducks headed into spring practice? Leave your thoughts below.