Stanford offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren is expected to officially be named the next head coach at Rice, according to Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel.
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Source: Mike Bloomgren is expected to be the next coach at Rice. A deal is being finalized.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 5, 2017
Thamel's initial report was confirmed by Sports Illustrated's Bruce Feldman shortly after.
SOURCE: #Stanford OC Mike Bloomgren is expected to become the new head coach at #Rice. Pete Thamel first reported.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 5, 2017
Bloomgren has spent the past seven seasons working as an assistant at Stanford, beginning as an offensive line coach, before adding the offensive coordinator position to his job responsibilities in 2013, as well being named assistant head coach in 2014. Stanford has won 10 games or more in five of the seven seasons that Bloomgren has been with the school, which includes three Pac-12 championships.
The Cardinal ranked third among Pac-12 teams in rushing offense with an average of 205.85 yards per game and sixth in scoring offense with 32.0 points per game this past season.
Bloomgren also worked as an assistant for the New York Jets from 2009-10 and had previously served as an offensive coordinator for Catawba (2002-04) and Delta State (2005-06) after beginning his career as a graduate assistant at Alabama.
Rice fired former head coach David Baliff in November following a disappointing 1-11 season in 2017. The Owls have seen a decline since their 8-5 finish in 2014, posting a 5-7 record in 2015 and a 3-9 finish in 2016.
