Fresno State posts football job opening. What does that mean for interim coach Tim Skipper?
Fresno State has posted a position for a head football coach with two games remaining in the regular season, less than one month before the next NCAA transfer portal window opens and about five weeks before the early national letter of intent signing period for high school recruits and mid-year junior college transfers.
The timing is consequential, though not necessarily a driver in the decision to post the job. It also is not a reflection on interim coach Tim Skipper, with the Bulldogs sitting at 5-5 and 3-3 in the Mountain West Conference with consecutive losses to Hawaii and at Air Force when favored by 12 and 9.5 points.
“We just want to be nimble, when that time comes. Even if it’s Skip, we have to post it. We just didn’t want to wait,” athletics director Garrett Klassy told The Bee on Tuesday.
“I don’t want to sit there and on Dec. 1 post and have to wait 14 days. We want to make that decision whenever the timing is right. I wanted to get this thing posted so we can wait the necessary period and make the decision whenever we make that decision.”
Fresno State posts football coach job
The position must be posted for 14 days and the job description says it will be open until filled, though Fresno State potentially could use an emergency hire as it did in 2019 when Kalen DeBoer replaced Jeff Tedford, who stepped away from his alma mater for the first time due to heart-related health issues.
That hiring process was completed in 11 days, though DeBoer had been away from the Bulldogs program for only one year. Tedford had hired DeBoer as Fresno State’s offensive coordinator in 2017, and he had helped engineer a historic turnaround, becoming the first program to win 10 or more games in back-to-back years after a one-win season.
Applications received by Nov. 24 will be evaluated by a search committee, according to the posting. The salary range is competitive, and negotiable depending on a candidate’s qualifications.
Tim Skipper interim contract at Fresno State
Skipper as interim coach is under contract through the end of January, the deal worth $700,000 with another $100,000 still available through a dwindling list of performance bonuses.
He could earn a $50,000 bonus with one more victory to qualify for a conference-affiliated or at-large bowl or $75,000 for winning that bowl; and a $25,000 bonus if the Bulldogs win out and finish the regular season with seven victories.
The contract also includes performance bonuses for participating in and winning the conference championship game, participating in a College Football Playoff game and participating in and winning the CFP national championship.
“Skip and I have been in lock step through this whole thing. He knows that it had to be posted in order for him to get the job,” Klassy said. “He knows we have to have an open search.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2024 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Fresno State posts football job opening. What does that mean for interim coach Tim Skipper?."