Jeff Tedford is returning to Bulldog Stadium.
Reports emerged Tuesday evening revealing the former Fresno State football coach would once again lead the team amid a flurry of tweets from players that included the teddy bear emoji.
Players to celebrate Tedford’s return included running back Jordan Mims and wide receiver Jalen Cropper.
According to a national report from Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, the official announcement from the university is imminent.
Tedford will return to the sideline just two years after stepping down due to health concerns in December 2019.
In January 2020, Tedford had an ablation procedure on his heart, which came six years after he had to have two stents inserted into his heart while he was the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tedford initially joined the Bulldogs before the 2017 season, taking over a 1-11 team that saw then-head coach Tim DeRuyter get canned.
Tedford made an immediate impact on the program, leading the Bulldogs to second place in the Mountain West in 2017 and finishing the season with a 10-4 record.
One year later, the Bulldogs beat Boise State to win the Mountain West championship. The ‘Dogs finished 12-2 after capping off the season with a win over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
But Tedford’s third and final year was did not meet the standard he set when he took over the program. The Bulldogs struggled to a 4-8 record, the second-worst season of Tedford’s career.
Overall, Tedford – a former Fresno State quarterback in the early 1980s – led the Bulldogs to a 26-14 record in his first tenure, including 16-8 in conference games.
