South Florida opening

[Higher Authority]

ESPN says Skip Holtz and Mike Leach have been contacted.

[Ponyx2]

Looks like they're only recruiting pirates

[ponyinNC]

Looks like they're only recruiting pirates

I could make a bad joke there but will act my age...

[smupony94]

Looks like they're only recruiting pirates

I could make a bad joke there but will act my age...

butt pirate?

[SMU 86]

Holtz has already interviewed. Several omterviews will take place over the next few days. Also Leach may be going to UCLA as OC. here is a list of their candidates from a USF message board:

In House



Carl Franks: USF Interim Head Coach. Served as the Bulls running backs coach and recruiting coordinator for the last 6 years. Coached at Florida, and Duke's head coach from 1999-2003, also a stint with the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits. Great recruiter and knows Florida well – Still considered a Long shot



Mike Canales: USF offensive coordinator and QB coach previously served as WR coach and pass game coordinator. Was also on USF’s original staff and developed QB Marquel Blackwell. While at N.C. State he coached current Chargers QB Philip Rivers. Players like him and he can also recruit. – Still a Long shot.



Pro guys

Rich Bisaccia: Tampa Bay Bucs special team’s coordinator – Ultra successful pro coordinator with some college experience with stops in Ole Miss, South Carolina, Clemson, and Mississippi. Has expressed interest in the USF job



Craig Johnson: Tennessee Titans assistant - 10th season and eighth as quarterbacks coach, developed NFL co-MVP (Steve McNair, 2003), an NFL Rookie of the Year (Vince Young, 2006), five QB Pro Bowl invitations during his tenure. Three seasons as the quarterbacks coach at the University of Maryland, and two years as offensive coordinator. - Has expressed interest in the USF job



College Ranks



Skip Holtz East Carolina coach– Skip holtz - East Carolina coach and son of former Notre Dame and South Carolina coach Lou Holtz.. Former Notre Dame offensive coordinator and UConn head coach.
Holtz is 38-26 in five seasons at East Carolina, and stock rose after leading the led the Pirates (9-4) to their second straight Conference USA title and consecutive berths in the Liberty Bowl. Heard he interviewed today and rumors are flying that he’s the top candidate.



Calvin Magee Michigan OC - Magee spent six seasons as an USF assistant under Leavitt from 1996-2003 before leaving to join Rich Rodriguez's staff at West Virginia, and to Michigan in 2008.UM finished third in scoring this season with 29.5 points per game in the Big Ten. Magee spoke with USF officials Monday about the opening



Dan McCarney Florida defensive line coach– Former USF DL coach in 2007, George Selvie’s best year, and was Iowa State head coach from 1995-2006, leading the Cyclones to five bowls, more than any coach in school history. --I heard there’s been no interview, but had contact



I’ve heard through my sources that these coaches expressed interest



Kevin Sumlin Houston coach – Led Houston to a 10-2 record and Top 20 national ranking this season, and is a hot commodity. Sumlin has turned Houston's program around during his two-year stint, and got wins over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech this year. Is regarded as an excellent recruiter. - Heard expressed interest but might have had financial concerns with salaries.



Larry Fedora Southern Mississippi Coach 2nd year 14-12) and was offensive coordinator at Florida under Ron Zook in 2004. Came to SMU in 2008 and installed his uptempo style of offense and proclivity of points learned at Oklahoma State. In 2009, USM (had a total of 5,413 yards and averaged 32.9 points, the second-best total in Conference USA. The Eagles posted a 7-6 record, with a New Orleans Bowl loss. – There’s been nothing official with interest but I’m hearing things.



Tommy Bowden Former Clemson coach– Was fired as Clemson after going 3-3 during the 2008 season after a 72-45 record and eight bowl appearances. Was also Tulane coach with an undefeated season as in 1998. Has big name and son of Bobby Bowden, Florida ties. - Heard conflicting reports on the interest. Some say he is while the other says he’s not.



Other names



Philip Fulmer, Former Tennessee coach and led the Volunteers to the 1998 national title – gave a nice USF review but didn’t say if he was interested or contacted



Tony Dungy former Buccaneers and Colts Head Coach & Current NBC Analyst. Dungy was on the campus of USF this afternoon and spoke at the team meeting in a motivational capacity. He’s be a dream selection, but very unlikely.


Even more interesting names


Butch Davis, Head Coach at North Carolina. Davis an interesting prospect, he’s still the coach at North Carolina, and has done well there, but Football doesn’t compare to Tar-heel baskettball. He loves to recruit Florida, and made his name here. If he came to Tampa he could go against the big three and have the easiest BCS tie in.



Jim McElwain offensive coordinator Alabama - McElwain is the highly successful offensive coordinator at Alabama. In recent years, he's turned around both Fresno State and Alabama's offense. McElwain also has NFL experience as the quarterback coach in Oakland. The downside is McElwain has only three years experience as an offensive coordinator with no head coaching experience



Chris Peterson Boise State HC - Petersen has compiled a 45-4 record in his fourth season at Boise. Petersen is known for his explosive, creative and entertaining offenses as Boise State routinely is among the nation's best offensive teams. Petersen currently makes $850,000 at Boise State, significantly less than Leavitt made at USF. Only lost four career games, two have come in bowl games to ECU and TCU. Downside is since 1987, the California native, has only spent one year of his coaching career away from the west coast (1992 at Pittsburgh). Could he recruit in the southeast, an area that has become vital to USF’s success on the field?



Jeff Jagodzinski Former Boston College HC- Before getting fired at Boston College for interviewing with the New York Jets, Jagodzinski led the Eagles to consecutive ACC championship game appearances. In two years with the Eagles, Jagodzinski went 20-8, with two bowl appearances. Down side is he's been fired twice in the past year by Boston College and Tampa Bay. He'd be a risky hire for USF after a disaster already with the Buc’s for a Bulls program in need of a presence running the program.

[abezontar]

I didn't realize Larry Fedora was currently the head coach at SMU.

[BRStang]

Who wouldn't want to live and coach college football in the Big East in TAMPA, Florida!???? Seems like Tommy Bowden could have this, and should want this.

[Roach]

Hope they hire Sumlin

[Mestengo]

Dan M. Is the perfect guy for that job. And he's not an idiot...
Have been through the recruting thing at his home.

[smupony94]

Report: USF close to hiring Holtz
E-mail this story | Print Bookmark and Share

By Chris Hughes

BHSN.com

TAMPA - The University of South Florida appears to be closing in on its next football coach.

The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer is reporting that USF is close to a deal with East Carolina head coach Skip Holtz. The paper is citing a source close to USF's program that Holtz could be introduced to the media as coach on Friday, and his first interaction with students would be Saturday night at the Sun Dome, when the Bulls men's basketball team hosts Rutgers.

Holtz, the son of former Notre Dame coach and current ESPN analyst Lou Holtz, did express interest in the Bulls head coaching job earlier this week at a coaching conference in Orlando.

Holtz is 38-27 overall, including 1-3 in bowl games, in five seasons leading the Pirates. His teams won the last two Conference USA championships. He also coached Connecticut when the Huskies were a Division I-AA program in the 90's, before joining his father as an assistant coach at South Carolina.

The Bulls are only saying that their search for a coach continues. Former Buccaneers quarterback Doug Williams, who coached at Grambling University for several years, interviewed for the job earlier this week.

Meantime, former USF coach Jim Leavitt is continuing his fight against the university. A day after his post-termination hearing, Leavitt remains hopeful that he will get his job back. Leavitt's lawyers claim that the school's investigation did not conclusively state the head coach grabbed a player by the neck and struck him across the face in the locker room at halftime of the game against Louisville on Nov. 21, 2009.

[Scoops]

FanHouse is reporting that Holtz has quit ECU — heading south.

[PK]

FanHouse is reporting that Holtz has quit ECU — heading south.

Probably doesn't want to face SMU again.

[smupony94]

Now we can speculate on who ECU will hire

[George S. Patton]

Now we can speculate on who ECU will hire

June Jones

[smupony94]

Todd Dodge