Long-Tenured College Football HC Fired in $900K Decision After 2-6 Start

They say all is fair in love and war. But let’s be real, all’s fair in sports too, especially college sports. College football often makes the ground for the harshest of decisions. Sadly, this time Mike Bloomgren, the Rice Owls HC, became the protagonist of the ugly-plotted fate. The football program did not inch a bit before firing their long-tenured HC after the Owls had hit rock bottom. Well, it looks like the desperation to get rid of Bloomgren got real since this move would leave a hole in Rice’s pocket—$900,000. After all, shelling out such an amount is no joke! Surprisingly, college football does not wait for anyone, and the names for replacements have already started to pour in.    

Finally, Rice has parted ways with their seventh-year HC Bloomgren on Sunday, October 27. Already, the program is in a sticky spot as they are headed toward a not first, not second, not third but TENTH straight losing season. In 2024, they are now 2-6, which might have instigated the officials to make the final call. ESPN analyst Pete Thamel broke the news on the same day: “Associate HC Pete Alamar has accepted the interim head coaching job, per ESPN sources. Rice has four games remaining, including Navy at home this weekend and at Memphis next week. He’s owed nearly $900,000.”

The Owls hired Mike Bloomgren away from Stanford back in 2017. Well, he can be called a man of experience, as he had been on the Cardinal staff plus served as a staffer for the New York Jets. During his time at Rice, Bloomgren was 24-52 and won six games in only one season, which was last year after the program finished 6-7. Even though the longest-tenured FBS HC in the state of Texas got fired in one go, it took him seven years to rebuild the program, which was far from easy.   

Bloomgren was always quick to describe his vision as two-fold and went to raise the floor. And already the HC’s power could be felt as Rice football was ranked No. 1 in the ACC. But what helped? Maybe Bloomgren’s leadership served up as the magic potion. As star defensive back Gabe Taylor pitched in to shower the HC with praise, “He’s not even a coach anymore. He’s like another father figure in Houston.” Looks like, Rice no longer needs their old father anymore. 

Two front-runners to take up Mike Bloomgren’s seat

Now that Bloomgren’s seven-year run has come to an end, the Owls may have already readied the cash. They will now turn to a tall task to find the perfect fit for their old HC. Already, they got Alamar to take care of the coaching duties as the interim until they finalize on the name. Here, Rice is at a plus point since they are near fertile Houston recruiting grounds. The name that has been doing rounds is UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion. What makes him the ideal fit?

Well, too ripe in age to take up the coaching role, at 37 he has had tremendous success in the Lone Star State. Plus, he has the privilege of having the most unique offense in college football at present where elements of spread, triple option, and RPO systems go hand-in-hand. The next up in the line is Clemson Offensive Coordinator Garrett Riley.

His greatest USP is his offensive mind, which helped a struggling Cade Klubnik rise to a level that now he is hailed as the Heisman contender in 2024. Now that the Owls had a tough transfer portal under Mike Bloomgren, Riley comes as a perfect fit since he has spent most of his HC career as a decorated recruiter. Now let’s see who agrees to take up Bloomgren’s hot seat.