The guest coaches for April 26’s spring football game have been revealed. On Monday, the Oregon Ducks football team announced on social media that former head coach Mike Bellotti and New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez will face off against Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving and former head coach Rich Brooks.

Oregon’s spring game is an annual tradition, but until recently, guest coach appearances were few and far between. However, since the debut of head coach Dan Lanning in 2022, former Oregon players returning as guest coaches has become a new tradition. 

This year’s returning players, Gonzalez and Irving, both transferred to Oregon in 2022. Gonzalez was a junior who’d started two years for Colorado, while Irving had seen solid rotational use as a true freshman at Minnesota.

Gonzalez and Irving both made instant impacts during the 2022 season. Gonzalez earned first team All-Pac-12 honors after recording 51 tackles, seven passes defensed and four interceptions, while Irving tallied 1,357 scrimmage yards and eight total touchdowns.

Gonzalez was drafted 17th overall by the Patriots in 2023. His promising rookie season was cut short by injury, but Gonzalez rebounded in 2024. He recorded 59 tackles, 11 passes defended and two interceptions, a performance which earned him second-team All-Pro honors.

Meanwhile, Irving stayed with the Ducks in 2023. His 1,593 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns earned him second-team All-Pac-12 honors and a spot on the Buccaneers, who drafted him in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Though initially seen as a rotational piece, Irving found great success in Tampa Bay. He finished his rookie season with 1,514 scrimmage yards and eight rushing touchdowns, ultimately earning a spot on the Pro Football Writers of America (PWFA) All-Rookie team.

Irving and Gonzalez will be partnered up with legendary Oregon head coaches Brooks and Bellotti, respectively. This will be the first spring game under Lanning to feature former Oregon coaches.

Brooks coached at Oregon from 1977 to 1994 and is widely credited with building the foundation that resulted in later program success. Though his career record with the Ducks was a modest 91-109-4, Brooks departed for the Los Angeles Rams with the most wins and postseason appearances in school history.

Bellotti, who took over for Brooks in 1995 after five seasons as offensive coordinator, broke both of those records. After going 116-55 and winning two Pac-10 titles across 14 seasons with the Ducks, Bellotti became the school’s athletic director in 2009, making way for yet another legendary coordinator-turned-coach in Chip Kelly. Bellotti was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

The rosters for April 26’s 1 p.m. spring clash haven’t been announced yet, so we don’t know exactly who the two player-coach pairings will be calling plays for. However, Oregon’s roster is full of talent, so fans will be expecting some competitive fun when the 2025 Spring Game kicks off inside Autzen Stadium.