College football coach steps down ahead of 2024 season due to health concerns

Jeff Tedford is stepping down ahead of the 2024 college football season, the Fresno State head coach announced Monday.

Tedford said he made the decision for health reasons.

“It is with sad emotions that following my recent medical check-up, it is clear that due to health concerns, my family and I have made the decision to step aside as Fresno State’s head coach and allow someone else to lead the football program,” Tedford said in a statement released via social media.

Tedford, 62, was in his second stint at Fresno State. He coached the Bulldogs from 2017-19 before stepping away for health reasons, returning in 2022.

He was also head coach at Cal (2002-12) and the BC Lions of the CFL (2015). Tedford has also been an assistant with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders, Fresno State, Oregon and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tedford has a 126-79 record as a college football head coach. His Cal team won the Pac-10 in 2006. Tedford left Cal as the program’s all-time winningest coach with 82 victories. He posted a 44-22 record at Fresno State, guiding the program to three 10-win seasons.

Under Tedford, Fresno State won the Mountain West in 2018 and ’22. Fresno State went 9-4 last season, winning the New Mexico Bowl.

With Tedford stepping aside, Fresno State will turn to Tim Skipper as the interim head coach for the 2024 season. Skipper played linebacker for Fresno State from 1997-2000.

Skipper got into coaching immediately after his college playing career came to a close. He was on staff at Florida for three seasons (2015-17) under Jim McElwain.

Skipper was Florida’s running backs coach for two seasons (2015-16) before moving over to defense, coaching UF linebackers in 2017. Skipper coached linebackers on McElwain’s Colorado State staff (2012-14) and had the same position at Fresno State (2022-23) before the promotion to interim head coach.

Skipper served as Fresno State’s acting head coach for an absent Tedford during the New Mexico Bowl.

Fresno State opens the 2024 season on the road against defending national champion Michigan.

A message from Coach Tedford: pic.twitter.com/BuK5b28rkv

— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) July 15, 2024

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.