Former Oregon Ducks Coach Mark Helfrich Will Be On-Air Analyst for UCLA Game

With the Oregon Ducks kicking off an evening game this Saturday, Sept. 28, in Pasadena, California vs. the UCLA Bruins, a familiar face for Ducks fans will be helping to break down the game and provide commentary.

Sep 3, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich walks on the field before the game against the UC Davis Aggies at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-Imagn Images / Scott Olmos-Imagn Images

The University of Oregon is only a few days away from opening up their official Big Ten Conference Season against UCLA. This is a game many Duck fans have been looking forward to since Oregon announced they were leaving the PAC-12 Conference and finalizing their deal with the Big Ten in August of last year.

To many, Oregon joining the Big Ten feels like a new era; a time that brings with it a more challenging schedule, being amongst historic new rivals, a secure media future, and maybe the chance at further legitimizing a Western football brand superpower for the whole nation.

In an ironic twist of fate, a former face for Oregon will be commentating on this historic game for the program.

Former Oregon Ducks coach Mark Helfrich will be an analyst for FOX Sports during Oregon’s game against UCLA on Saturday, Sept. 28. Helfrich served as head coach for four seasons at Oregon from 2013 to 2016. Before becoming the head coach for the Ducks, Helfrich spent 2009 - 2012 as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under former Oregon coach Chip Kelly.

Dec 31, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Florida State Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher (left) and Oregon Ducks coach Mark Helfrich pose with the Leishman Trophy at press conference at the L.A. Hotel Downtown in advance of the 2015 Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Helfrich’s journey to FOX Sports has been marked by returns to coaching. After being fired by Oregon in 2016 after the worst season the Ducks had in 25 years and first losing season since 2004 (4-8 overall, 2-7 in the PAC-12), Helfrich joined the FOX Sports team as a football analyst for a year. In January of 2018, Helfrich joined the Chicago Bears as their offensive coordinator. He was let go at the end of the following season after the Bears went 8-8.

After his tenure with the Bears ended, Helfrich was picked up by FOX Sports as an analyst once again for college football. This isn’t the first time the former coach has been in the broadcast booth on his prior team. Last year, Helfrich was on the call for Oregon’s game against the Texas Tech Raiders in Lubbock, Texas.

Though Helfrich is quite often criticized for the past two years of his tenure (specifically 2016), he was a coach that achieved quite a bit with the Ducks. The Coos Bay native was on five different teams to win 11 or more games, something a Duck crew hadn’t achieved since 2001 at the time, and never before that.

Nov 26, 2016; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich talks with Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Jake Hanson (55) in the first half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-Imagn Images / Scott Olmos-Imagn Images

Helfrich became the second ever coach in Oregon history to lead a team to the National Championship Game in 2014 after a school record-breaking 13 wins and 8-1 in PAC-12 play. After defeating the Florida State Seminoles in the Rose Bowl 59-20 (anyone remember that famous Jameis Winston fumble?) the Ducks went on to lose to coach Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes for the National Championship 20-42.

After star quarterback Marcus Mariota was drafted second pick, first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Helfrich coached quarterback Vernon Adams, who missed spring and summer practices and didn’t get acquainted with the offense until five days into fall camp. Adams broke his finger during his Oregon debut against his former squad in Eastern Washington, and that was a premonition to a season littered with injuries for the quarterback, which continually threw off Helfrich’s high flying offense.

The 2016 season saw a major rebuild, with a young Justin Herbert taking the helm for the starting quarterback job after graduate transfer Dakota Prukop was benched four games in. Oregon’s Chip Kelly offense was becoming more and more opaque to read for teams. Furthermore, Oregon’s defense struggled heavily under a newly appointed defensive coordinator. After the season, which included a loss to TCU in the Alamo Bowl and a loss to Oregon State in the regular season, Helfrich was let go.

Helfrich was the first native Oregonian in 71 years to be the head coach of the Oregon Football program.

You can catch Oregon take on UCLA on Saturday at 8 P.M. PT on FOX.

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