Duke Football

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach and New York Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is reportedly interested in the Duke Blue Devils' head coaching job, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.

This comes one day after Steve Wiseman of The News & Observer reported Garrett was on Duke's "radar" for the vacancy.

According to Wiseman, however, "Duke's focus is trained on assistants, led by Clemson's Tony Elliott and Texas A&M's Mike Elko."

Other names who have reportedly been explored by the Durham, North Carolina, university include Indianapolis Colts running backs coach Scottie Montgomery, Dallas Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards, Mississippi State wide receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. and Duke interim head coach Trooper Taylor, per that report.

Duke is looking to replace David Cutcliffe after the school and former head coach mutually parted ways in late November. He spent 14 years leading the program, leading the Blue Devils to a 77-97 record and six bowl appearances. 

It was a solid run for a school traditionally thought of as a basketball powerhouse and where football has often been perceived as an afterthought.

Hiring Garrett would bring with him an extensive resume that includes an eight-year NFL career as a backup quarterback, parts of six seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator with the Cowboys (2007-10) and Giants (2020-21) and parts of 10 seasons as an NFL head coach with Dallas. 

The 55-year-old's tenure leading the Cowboys was up and down, as he went 85-67 but just 2-3 in three playoff appearances. And his tenure with the Giants was downright poor, as the offense finished 24th in yards and 28th in points last season and was 26th in yards and 28th in points this season before he was fired in November. 

The Princeton graduate doesn't have coaching experience at the college level, but his NFL pedigree would make him a major hire for Duke. 

Former New York Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is on the radar for Duke's head coaching vacancy, per Steve Wiseman of the News & Observer. 

Garrett is among a handful of candidates, per Wiseman, including Clemson's Tony Elliott and Texas A&M's Mike Elko, to replace David Cutcliffe. 

Duke and Cutcliffe mutually agreed to part ways on Nov. 28, ending his 14-year run as head coach of the Blue Devils. He departed the school with a 77-97 career record.

During his 14 seasons at the helm, Cutcliffe led the Blue Devils to six bowl games, going 3-3 in those games. His best season came in 2014 when he led Duke to a 10-4 record and a berth in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

After winning eight games in 2018, Duke has compiled a 10-25 record over the last three seasons and finished the 2021 campaign with an eight-game losing streak. So, the school's decision to search for a new head coach doesn't necessarily come as a surprise.

Garrett was recently fired as the Giants' offensive coordinator on Nov. 23. The 2021 season was just his second in New York.

The 55-year-old began his coaching career as a quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins in 2005. He served in that role through 2006 before joining the Dallas Cowboys as the team's offensive coordinator in 2007.

Garrett served as Dallas' offensive coordinator through 2010 and also served as assistant head coach before being named interim head coach in 2010.

Garrett took over as head coach of the Cowboys in 2011 and served in that role until 2019. He went 85-67 as head coach of The Boys and 2-3 in the playoffs. Dallas only made the postseason in three of Garrett's nine full seasons at the helm. However, he was named Coach of the Year in 2016 after leading the Cowboys to a 13-3 record.

Garrett has never coached at the collegiate level.