Larry Fedora, Head Coach of the New Orleans Breakers this past season, announced that he is stepping down from his position effective immediately. He informed league officials last week of his decision.
Fedora was quoted in saying “The USFL is a great professional league, and it was an awesome experience to be part of the history-making inaugural season” .
With talented players and coaches who are getting a well-deserved opportunity to showcase their abilities, we proved the USFL is here to stay. I’m proud that we coached the Breakers to the 2022 playoffs and that we started something special for New Orleans fans”
Fedora finished with a 6-4 record and playoff loss in his lone season as Head Coach. With that being said, the Breakers are without a Head Coach. Let’s take a look at some candidates I personally think the Breakers should look into. Follow along below!
5. Noel Mazzone, New Orleans Breakers OC
If the Breakers want to keep what Fedora had in place and hire from within then Mazzone may be a very viable option.
Mazzone was the lead signal caller for the Breakers. Under Mazzone, the Breakers were a top 3 offense in the league and one of the most balanced as well. Mazzone has no prior Head Coaching experience so if hired it may be a learning curve.
4. Mike Neu, Ball State Head Coach
Mike Neu is currently the Head Coach of Ball State, which is his alma mater, so it may take a lot of convincing to get him to leave. It has been a struggle for Neu to consistently win at Ball State but then again it is Ball State after all.
Recently, Neu has coached Ball State to two bowl games, winning one in 2020 as well as winning the MAC Championship. Many may recognize or remember Neu from his days coaching the New Orleans VooDoo in the Arena Football League from 2004-2008, winning AFL COTY honors in his first season with the VooDoo.
He has also had assistant coaching jobs, which were very brief, with Tulane and the Saints. I think Neu would be a better fit for something like the USFL over college. Neu is a very intriguing candidate.
3. Ed Orgeron, Former LSU Tigers Head Coach
It isn’t realistic but boy I know many of us would not mind seeing Coach O coach the New Orleans Breakers.
Coach O’s last two years as a Head Coach were very let’s say subpar, but maybe he can redeem himself in a league like the USFL.
O has a very long coaching resume with the highlight of course being the 2019 title win. It would be very interesting to see O on the sidelines again coaching, especially in the USFL. Why not, right? Someone with an overall record of 67-47 can’t be all that bad.
2. Hal Mumme, Former TSL Lineman Head Coach
Hal Mumme might be the most realistic option yet for the Breakers. Mumme is one of the founders of the Air Raid offense.
He’s most known for his time as Head Coach at Kentucky where he helped turn Tim Couch into a Heisman Trophy winner.
What can be said about Mumme that hasn’t already been said? His overall record in college was 142–152–1, but he recently won the The Spring League Mega Bowl in 2021. Someone like Mumme could transform the Breakers offense into something that was balanced into something of a high powering aerial attack. Mumme has coached offenses into record breakers in years past. Could he do the same for the Breakers?
1. Nick Rolovich, Former Wash St and Hawaii HC
Nick Rolovich is my absolute favorite candidate and I feel he is absolutely perfect for the job. Before becoming the Head Coach at Hawaii he served as their OC from 2010-11 before leaving for the same role at Nevada from 2012 to 2015.
He previously played under June Junes and you can see that in his offensive coaching philosophy.
When hired as Hawaii’s Head Coach in 2016 he switched their offense from a Spread offense after two seasons to a modern Run and Shoot offense, which is the same scheme he played in under June Jones, and after the switch Hawaii found major success.
Rolovich was hired as Washington St’s Head Coach in 2020, but was fired after 7 games in 2021 after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Here is why I feel he is the perfect candidate; For starters he is on the younger side in terms of coaching. He can implement his Run and Shoot style and take this Breakers offense to new heights. He can also resurrect his career and get back to college football should he want to. I can only imagine how high flying his offense would be in the USFL. Will the Breakers consider him? Anything is possible, but we shall see.
Who would you like to see fill Coach Fedora’s role for the New Orleans Breakers? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
