Mike Bellotti emerges as front runner for Arizona job?
Nov 3, 2011, 6:36 PM | Updated: Nov 4, 2011, 1:44 am
Arizona’s search for a football coach may have turned up a
front runner.
According to Arizona Sports 620’s Mark Asher,
Arizona’s next coach may be Oregon’s previous one.
Hearing it is Bellotti to UofA. Justin Wilcox could be the
Defensive Coordinator
Bellotti, who knows Arizona AD Greg Byrne from his time in
Oregon, would be an interesting hire for the school.
However, Bellotti, speaking with OregonLive.com, denied the rumor.
“There is nothing to this,” Bellotti said when reached by
phone. “That is the easiest thing I can say.”
Bellotti added that it’s nice to be associated with job
openings but that he’s not sure if he even wants to get
back into coaching.
The 60-year-old compiled a 116-55 record with the Ducks,
winning the conference twice. He left after the 2008
season (which saw his team go 10-3) to become the school’s
athletic director.
He left that gig in March of 2010, and has been a college
football analyst on ESPN ever since.
The question with Bellotti isn’t so much his ability to
coach as it is his desire to. At his age one would have to
wonder how many years he plans on roaming the sideline,
which is exactly where Wilcox, the current defensive
coordinator at Tennessee, could come into play.
One of the rising prospects in the coaching ranks, Wilcox
was the defensive coordinator at Boise St. before heading
to Tennessee in 2010. He may make the move to Arizona with
plans on being Bellotti’s successor.
