Skipper, Dilfer, and Eck: Five Possible Head Coach Candidates for Fresno State

By: Mike Huesmann

With the news that veteran coach and future College Football Hall of Famer Jeff Tedford has to retire permanently due to health reasons, the Bulldogs will be looking for a new head coach. Veteran assistant coach Tim Skipper, will be the interim coach for 2024. More on him later. This search won’t take place until after the season but here are five candidates who could land the job.

Tim Skipper

Interim Head Coach, Fresno State

If he wins, the job is his. It’s that simple. Skipper has a long history as an LB coach and has coached at Fresno in multiple stints, the first starting in 2006. Stops at Colorado State , Florida , UNLV , and Central Michigan . His interview will be on the field this year, but as an alumnus, he’d make sense, and many people would be happy if he succeeds.

Ryan Grubb

Offensive Coordinator, Seattle Seahawks

Grubb had been Kalen DeBoer’s right-hand man since their days in NAIA, and there's no one he trusts more, especially after the job they did with Michael Penix . Stops at FCS power South Dakota State , (then) NAIA power Sioux Falls, Eastern Michigan , and Fresno have all seen offensive increases and a dynamic output with Grubb in charge. In two years with the Huskies they were elite. The 2023 saw them 14-1 and with Penix as a Heisman contender. I think he’s a first call for Fresno State, but I have doubts he wants the job. If he wanted to be a head coach, I expect we’d have heard him in the running for the Washington job that eventually went to Jedd Fisch .

Trent Dilfer

Head Coach, UAB

Right now, Dilfer would have to be on the short list. He is an alumnus, was a Super Bowl-winning QB, and, critically, is an FBS head coach at a lesser known program. If he wins games in 2024, would he want to come home and lead the Bulldogs? I don’t know, but he checks a lot of boxes. I do have my doubts that UAB will be good enough this year — they were 4-8 last year —but wilder things have happened in the G5. If you were making betting odds today, he has too many things going for him to ignore.

Jimmy Rogers

Head Coach, South Dakota State

Rogers has only been head coach for a single season, but the Jackrabbits went 15-0 and won a national title in dominating fashion. In 2022 he was the defensive coordinator here and won another national title. He might like his job and situation too much to leave — his SDSU squads look to remain dominant, but at age 35 an eventual move to the FBS seems inevitable. Hailing from Arizona , he probably knows the landscape well and may see this as a good first FBS job. A former assistant at FAU , he is likely the brightest young star in the FCS.

Jason Eck

Head Coach, Idaho

A second former SDSU assistant on the list, Eck has been the Vandals' boss since 2022. He took over a program that hadn’t had a winning season since 2016 and has led them to back-to-back playoff appearances, including a quarterfinal trip this past fall. Eck has FBS experience at Wisconsin , Colorado , Ball State , and Idaho when they were still a member. He could be a strong candidate if an MWC job opens up, including this one.