Flock Talk: Family Affair

One thing most people have noticed is the significant investment being made within the university and the community by the new staff and their spouses. The spousal involvement is one of the more critical aspects of what this staff wants to accomplish long term.

Earlier this year, when we talked about the preparedness with which Mario Cristobal approached his interview – the think binders with long term strategy – we mentioned just how thorough his plan was for the program. He was trying to bring ‘The Process’ to Oregon. While we focus mostly on the recruiting and game planning, there was another level of preparedness that we only briefly touched on in an earlier article.

When a coach commits to coaching a school, there is a lot that is involved with that job. Mostly it has to be a labor of love because he spends an inordinate amount of time away from the house at the office. Mario Cristobal leaves his house at 4:30 every morning to go to work. Even when he is at home, work comes with him in the form of phone calls, texts, direct messages on social media and even game film or practice film. Being the best as a coach is a lot more than just recruiting well.

Oftentimes, spouses sort of become a part of the background. They raise their familes, take care of those things which the coach cannot do while at work and are a somewhat invisible backbone. But Cristobal recognized early on that there needed to be more than his commitment; the entire families need to be truly committed to this program.

If they want to sell the program as family – then it needs to be a family and that includes spouses. It’s why I mentioned Jessica Cristobal exploring the state and how much she truly loves her new state. But it’s not just Cristobal’s wife who is invested. The entire staff that stayed on are invested. Part of the interview process which Cristobal goes through is family involvement and community involvement. While he accepts that the good assistants are going to leave at some point, he does not want to create the feeling that a team is just full of job hoppers.

For what it is worth, this is one of those things by which Rob Mullens and the rest of the senior athletic department administrators were impressed. They view Oregon football as a destination not a layover location. It was important that they created the same kind of stability with their new hire as they had become known for. That never meant that the ‘rushed’ into hiring Cristobal or were ‘pressured’ by the reality of having been jilted after a single season by his predecessor. It’s what they thought they had with Taggart; and now they know that Cristobal has truly returned Oregon football to a family affair.

2019 PLAYER TO WATCH

Earlier this week, Oregon made an offer to three-star wide defensive back Javin Wright. The 6-3, 190 pound defender from Arizona comes from a place with which many football fans are familiar – Chandler, Arizona.

While the Ducks are in on many prospects rated higher, there are no guarantees in recruiting and the staff recognizes the potential for the rangy cornerback prospect. He has 10 offers, including Washington and UCLA, but also has an offer from Yale and Air Force; usually a good sign that his academics are in great shape.

Wright made it to Eugene for the Spring Game but had not yet been offered. Now he has and the Ducks are standing out as he told Rivals following the game. “They [Oregon] are building something great there not with facilities and uniforms but with the team. I’m confident that Oregon will rise even more as one of the top in the nation.”