This would be quite the gamble by Oregon, but this man is quite the gambler himself, so it might be a perfect fit.
According to Travis Haney of 247Sports, Oregon plans to meet with Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck after his team was victorious in Friday night's MAC Championship Game against Ohio.
South Florida coach Willie Taggart and Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano were not ruled out the Ducks' hunt by some industry sources, though Fleck's name kept popping up more often.
Related: Lane Kiffin reportedly to pick between two job offers following SEC title game
Haney notes that Western Michigan is also preparing a lucrative offer for Fleck if he decides to stay in Kalamazoo. While Fleck has been a rising name in this year's coaching carousel, there haven't been many jobs available that have really matched him: LSU and Texas seemed too big, while jobs like Purdue and Houston might not be exactly what Fleck is looking for.
Fleck has pulled off quite the turnaround at Western Michigan. The Broncos were 1-11 in Fleck's first season as head coach, but just three years later, they are 13-0 with a potential trip to the Cotton Bowl ahead of them. The 36-year old Fleck has proven to be one of the most energetic and quirky coaches in college football, and his influence would bring a big culture change to any program that hires him.
Oregon is searching for a new head coach after they fired Mark Helfrich on Tuesday. Helfrich was very successful in his first three seasons at Oregon, but the program was clearly going in the wrong direction after a 4-8 season that featured one of the worst defenses in all of college football.
