Toronto Argonauts: Will Corey Chamblin become their next head coach?

As the Toronto Argonauts look for their next head coach, can they entice Corey Chamblin to return to Southern Ontario?

Even Toronto Argonauts fans will admit last season’s Grey Cup win was unexpected. However, the same could be said for what turned out to be a disastrous 2018 campaign.

Even if a repeat of the Argos’ championship success was unlikely, no one could have predicted how spectacular their fall from grace would be. By the end of the regular season they had the worst record in the league, at 4-14.

As a result, Marc Trestman was fired less than 12 months after leading the Double Blue to their 17th championship. Since then, there has been a lot of talk about the manner in which Trestman was let go and if he even should have been fired.

Regardless of your opinion, the fact remains that the Argonauts are now searching for their next head coach. And if the speculation shared by the Toronto Sun‘s Frank Zicarelli is true, one of the prime targets is a familiar face to fans.

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Zicarelli reported last week the word around the CFL is that the Argos are being connected with a move for Corey Chamblin. If true, this makes a lot of sense.

For all the issues the Argonauts had this past season on offense, the defence was even worse. In fact, they finished the regular season giving up the most points in the CFL, with an average of 31.1 per contest.

There was little denying Toronto missed the influence of Chamblin, who played a significant role during his one year with the team. He was the defensive coordinator, defensive backs coach and assistant head coach.

The Argos allowed the fourth-fewest points during the regular season in 2017, just one year after allowing the most. However, it was in the playoffs when Chamblin and the defence really stepped up, to help lead the team to ultimate glory.

Their defining moment came during the 105th Grey Cup courtesy of a 109-yard fumble return. As a result, the momentum was dramatically turned around in a seemingly lost game, and the Argonauts went on to clinch a 27-24 win over the Calgary Stampeders.

There is no denying the 41-year-old has the required experience to lead a revival in Toronto, with a résumé that includes a decade in the CFL. And he knows what it takes to win as a head coach in the league, having achieved just that in 2013, while in charge of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. (He was also named CFL coach of the year.)

There is, however, one major potential problem. Does Chamblin even want to return to Southern Ontario, to coach the Argos?

It was widely known the Birmingham, Alabama native was focused on finding a job in the United States, to be closer to his family. That opportunity arose in June, when he accepted a position with the University of Arkansas.

Would Chamblin really be willing to return to the CFL, so soon after starting a new job? Certainly, Zicarelli believes the situation in Toronto would have to be extremely enticing, for him to even contemplate taking over as head coach.

For what it’s worth, Chamblin’s wife is from Canada, albeit Calgary. Whether this holds enough sway to convince him to return to the Toronto Argonauts, is another matter entirely.

Either way, we’ll start to get a clearer picture later on this week, when the Argos are officially allowed to contact candidates. At that point we will find out if Chamblin is one of the candidates and, more importantly, if he will at least fly to Toronto for an interview.

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What’s your position on the speculation surrounding Chamblin? How realistic is it to expect him to return to the Toronto Argonauts? And if you don’t see him coming back to Southern Ontario, who do you predict will be the next head coach for the Double Blue? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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