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There's some sad news for fans of the football team this morning. Longtime offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery has accepted the position of head coach at the University of Tulsa. Rumors surfaced on Tuesday morning that Coach Montgomery was the prime target for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane head coaching position. FootballScoop, a site known for its coverage of the annual "coaching carousel," tweeted the following late Thursday morning:
At Tulsa, sources tell FootballScoop Balyor OC Philip Montgomery is expected to be named head coach today http://t.co/sNnVtz3C1h
— FootballScoop Staff (@FootballScoop) December 11, 2014
National CFB writer Bryan Fischer had this to say about the rumors:
Expectation is that Montgomery would eventually leave Briles and Baylor for a regional HC job. Sounds like this is the year.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) December 11, 2014
The news comes as a bit of a blow to Baylor fans, who are preparing to face off against Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl on January 1. We have no information on who the likely replacement will be for the Offensive Coordinator position, or whether they will promote from within or hire an outside candidate. My suspicion is that we will see some promotion from within, with an external hiring for the vacancy left by the promotion. That's pure speculation on my part; I have no information.
Montgomery joined the Baylor coaching staff when Briles took Baylor's head coaching job back in 2008 and has been offensive coordinator since that time. He held the same position under Briles in Houston, where he held that same position from 2006 to 2008. The connection between Montgomery and Briles goes deeper than that, however. Montgomery served for six years as the quarterbacks and backfield coach for Briles at Stephenville High School in the late 1990s. There's no question that Coach Montgomery will be missed, but we wish him nothing but the best.
We'll keep you updated once we receive confirmation of this story and update you with any additional news as it comes in. Keep tuned to ODB for all the latest.