Head coach Mario Cristobal and newly hired offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead spoke to the media on National Signing Day Wednesday morning. This was the first time Cristobal had addressed the media since Moorhead’s hire on Jan. 21 as well as Moorhead’s first press conference as an Oregon Duck.

Cristobal had nothing but good things to say about the former Mississippi State head coach, who was fired on Jan. 3 of 2020 after compiling a 14-12 record in two seasons as head coach of the Bulldogs. 

While he’s only been with the program for three weeks, Moorhead is already making his presence felt.

“He has the right DNA and he’s a perfect fit for Oregon, and he’s ready to bring it,” Cristobal said. “He’s got a lot of juice, a lot of energy, had a chance to meet the players and he brought it right away in the team meeting. We’re thrilled to have him here and he’s excited to get to work.”

As far as personalities go, Cristobal and Moorhead seem to be a good match. Cristobal has a blue-collar toughness to his coaching style, yet understands the importance of building relationships with his players, being a family man himself. Moorhead doesn’t take anything for granted. He grew up in Pittsburgh, where his father worked for 35 years in a steel mill and even picked up jobs as a bartender or janitor to support his family. 

“Everything I’ve learned about persistence, about work ethic, about toughness, really all comes from my mom and my dad,” Moorhead said. 

He’s passing that on to his own three children, and now, he’ll be passing it on to the Oregon football program. When he was fired from Mississippi State, he suggested to his family that he might take a year off. 

“You’re not a ‘take a year off’ kind of guy,” they said. 

Moorhead gets the pleasure of jumping into a Rose Bowl winning offense, but he won’t have Justin Herbert under center when  fall comes around. However, quarterback Tyler Shough has already been in the program for two years and the Ducks are adding two quarterbacks through the 2020 recruiting class, one of which Moorhead has a history with. 

Robby Ashford, a 6-foot-2, 204-pound quarterback out of Hoover, Alabama was ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in Alabama by ESPN and 247Composite last season. When Moorhead was the coach at Mississippi State, he offered Ashford when he was a freshman in high school. As they both find themselves coming to Oregon in 2020, they have a sound relationship that will ease the transition for both of them. 

Moorhead’s ties to Oregon’s Alabama recruits run strong. Sophomore cornerback DJ James, who hails from Mobile, Alabama, was committed to Mississippi State under Moorhead before switching his decision to Oregon. Moorhead won’t be working with James as an OC, but it’s another hint of familiarity.

The other recruit at quarterback is Jay Butterfield, who has an impressive resume of his own. He’s got Herbert-like size at 6-foot-6, 202 lbs, and was ranked a top-six pro-style quarterback in the 2020 class by Rivals and 247Sports. Oregon certainly has options to fill Herbert’s shoes, but someone needs to step up. 

“Competition cannot be a threatening type of situation,” Cristobal said. “It has to be something that’s embraced because it makes everybody better.”

As signing day continues, Cristobal is hopeful for another addition and possibly someone from the transfer portal further down the road. For now, he’s extremely happy with the new signing class so far and how they’ve gelled with the program.

“The early enrollees have been outstanding,” Cristobal said. “It’s a compliment to our players for embracing these guys the way they have.”
For a program that lost its All-American quarterback and their offensive coordinator, things aren’t looking too bad.