"It's Jerry's to lose."
That was the text I received from one Power Five coach when the topic of Oregon's next head coach came up in conversation.
Less than 24 hours later, that coach was proven right.
Jerry Schumacher, the famed coach of Nike Bowerman Track Club, was hired on July 11 to lead the Oregon men's and women's programs as the team's newest Director of Track & Field and Cross Country.
This move is a massive one.
Schumacher is not only one of the most accomplished distance coaches in the country, but he's considered one of the best in the world, too. Nike's Bowerman Track Club has produced countless World Championship and Olympic qualifiers -- BTC's Grant Fisher, for instance, finished fourth in the men's 10K on Sunday at the World Championships -- as well as numerous global championship medalists and multiple national record holders.
Many of the men and women who are in...