Fresno State Football: Jeff Tedford Is MWwire’s 2022 Preseason Head Coach Of The Year
The Bulldogs head coach is back to lead after two years away and is our staff’s pick as the Mountain West’s top head coach ahead of 2022.
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It’s as if he barely left.
Mountain West Wire’s 2022 preseason honors:
All-Conference Teams | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Special Teams Player of the Year | Freshman of the Year | Newcomer of the Year | Coach of the Year | Coordinator of the Year
Health concerns are never a fun thing to deal with, especially if you happen to be in the middle of leading a college football program through perhaps its most successful stretch of the 21st century. Such was the case for Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford, who chose to step away for two seasons before deciding to return to the helm back in December.
That comeback, coupled with a talent-rich Bulldogs roster fresh off of winning ten games in 2021, are just two reasons why our staff selected Tedford as its pick for preseason head coach of the year.
It may also have to do with the fact that, back in 2017, he coached the single biggest turnaround from one season to the next in college football history, then won 12 games the year after that, peaking at 16th by overall SP+. Now, he inherits a team currently projected as a top-50 team, one with serious aspirations of claiming an elusive New Year’s Six bowl bid.
Expectations haven’t been this high in the Central Valley for quite a while, but the Red Wave has confidence that Tedford will shepherd the ‘Dogs to a new breakthrough.
Also received votes: Blake Anderson, Utah State; Andy Avalos, Boise State; Troy Calhoun, Air Force; Brady Hoke, San Diego State
Previous preseason HCotY honorees: 2021: Andy Avalos, Boise State | 2020: Craig Bohl, Wyoming | 2019: Bryan Harsin, Boise State; Nick Rolovich, Hawaii
