Report: Jeff Tedford stepping down as Fresno State head coach due to health reasons
Jeff Tedford’s tenure at Fresno State is not lasting long.
The Bulldogs have called a press conference for Friday where they will announce that Tedford is stepping down after three seasons.
Yahoo’s Pete Thamel says Fresno State coaches were pulled off the road to return for staff and player meetings Friday prior to the press conference.
Sources: A head coach transition announcement is expected at Fresno State tomorrow at a press conference called to "discuss the state of the program moving forward." Staff has been called off the road. Early morning staff and player meetings have been called prior to presser.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 6, 2019
The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman says Tedford is stepping down due to health reasons. He adds that Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer to be a leading candidate for the job.
BREAKING #FresnoState head coach Jeff Tedford is expected to step down due to health reasons, per sources. More details to come.. He went 26-14 in three seasons there and FSU was ranked No. 18 in the country last season.…Expect #Indiana OC Kalen DeBoer to be a leading candidate.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 6, 2019
Tedford did incredible work turning around Fresno State. The program went 1-11 in 2016 before he turned them into a 10-4 team in his first season. Then in 2018, Tedford went 12-2 and finished ranked No. 18 in the country. The program won bowl games in both of his first two years. But they slipped to 4-8 after losing quarterback Marcus McMaryion, and now Tedford is stepping down.
Tedford is known for being a workaholic and has had health issues over the past several years. He reportedly had walking pneumonia in 2012, his final season at Cal. He took a leave of absence from the Bucs in 2014 because of a heart surgery. And now in 2019, he’s stepping down at Fresno State.
Between him and Chris Petersen, we are seeing evidence of just how much of a toll coaching a college football program at a high level can take on someone.
