Two-year Oregon defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt will not coach for the Ducks next season, according to 247Sports.
The reasoning behind the departure is unclear as of Wednesday evening, but the opening comes after Oregon completed a 9-4 season, beat Michigan State in the Redbox Bowl and recruited 247Sports‘ No. 7 class in the country.
The good news: The gem of the 2019 group isn’t perturbed by Leavitt’s departure.
Defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, the No. 1 player in the Chosen 25 and ALL-USA Defensive Player of the Year, tweeted that he does not plan to leave the school. He enrolled at Oregon after playing for Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.)
The transfer portal hasn’t even crossed my universe . Stop askin’
— kayvon thibodeaux (@kayvonT8) February 14, 2019
Four-star linebacker Ge’mon Eaford tweeted teary-eyed emojis. He was the only other defensive recruit to tweet about Leavitt as of an hour after the initial report was published on 247Sports on Wednesday night.
— G5 (@Gemon_J_Wilson) February 14, 2019
Keeping Thibodeaux content is key. The NCAA transfer portal has been filled with action over the last few weeks, including from Chosen 25 WR Bru McCoy, who transferred to Texas almost immediately after enrolling at USC when the Trojans lost offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to the Arizona Cardinals.
Luckily for Oregon, there are other factors keeping Thibodeaux as a Duck.
He emphatically announced he will stay.
