Posted by  Brett McMurphy,  on 03/23  at  01:45 PM

Geoff, that’s a valid question. The State in S.C. spoke to Marshall; the St. Pete paper just used the quotes. With that said, there are not many coaches (if any) who will publicly say they turned down an offer from another school. You don’t want to embarrass or burn a bridge with another school/AD. Did Marshall have a written contract offer when Woolard left his house? No. What he did have, however, was a verbal contract offer. A promise from Woolard that if he came to Tampa he would receive a written contract (six years, at least $700,000 a year). So I guess it depends on your definition of “contract” whether Marshall received one. It’s all semantics, but the job was Marshall’s if he wanted it. Sounds like a contract offer to me.

Posted by  Geoff Holland, Tampa on 03/23  at  09:29 AM

Brett—

What do you make of the reports from the St. Pete Times and The State in SC quoting Marshall that USF has not even made an offer?  Is Marshall just being evasive, or what?

Posted by  Karl Lyles, Rock Hill, SC on 03/22  at  10:46 PM

Marshall has done well at Winthrop and we’d love to see him stay put. Let’s see if the school and community can pony up to keep him here.

Posted by  Larry Goodman, Temple Terrace on 03/22  at  09:10 PM

Gregg Marshall would be great if Doug Woolard can sell him the VISION of what USF can be:  1) potential crowd support is there, 2) Bulls have knocked off a few “Top 25’s”; 3) football spirit is soaring 4) we are now one of the major metropolitan universities in all of the Big East and still growing, poised for even greater things. Maybe President Judy Genshaft should get in on this such as when we joined the Big East.
  There was a time when the Bulls beat the Gators, Noles, Louisville, Cincinnati, all in one season and twice made the “Big Dance” in Bobby Paschal days. Former Louisville coach, Denny Crum, said the Sun Dome was one of the very toughest places to play!

Posted by  MARION BUSBY, PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. on 03/22  at  02:56 PM

HIRING MARSHALL WOULD BE REALLY GOOD FOR SF.  MARSHALL WAS THE ASSISTANT COACH AT THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON WHEN I PLAYED THERE.  HE WAS THE REASON WHY I PICKED CHARLESTON OVER USC, CLEMSON & JACKSONVILLE.  IF HE GOES TO SF, I’M SURE HE CAN RECRUIT WITH BILLY DONOVAN.  I DON’T KNOW IF HE WANTS TO LEAVE A MID-MAJOR FOR BIG EAST SCHOOL. BUT MONEY DOES TALK AND $800K WOULD CHANGE ALOT OF PEOPLE’S MIND.  SOUTH FLORIDA WOULD BE IN THE NIT OR NCAA IN 2 YEARS.

Posted by  Curtiss Gibson, Tampa, FL on 03/22  at  02:37 PM

Kentucky just opened up, don’t wait on the edge of your seats.

Posted by  Miles Lamoureux, BULLS COUNTRY, FL on 03/22  at  01:07 PM

I am 150% for the MARSHALL PLAN!!! He has been my top candidate since the regular season ended (before McCullum was fired). I knew that Woolard would not make the mistake again and keep coach Mac. I think Marshall is an outstanding coach and could definitely keep his recruiting from the southern part of the U.S. Please get him Woolard, before someone else does.

Posted by  Geoff Holland, tampa on 03/22  at  12:50 PM

Marshall would be a great hire for USF.  I am a Winthrop alum and have followed the Eagles for years.  He completely transformed the program up there,  I think he’ll do the same type of thing for USF.  I’d love him to stay at Winthrop, but if he comes down here, I’ll root for him all the same.

Posted by  Perry Lerner, Lake Worth, Florida on 03/22  at  11:23 AM

Well I am all for the Marshall Plan as well.  I think we need to get him signed as soon as possible as his name continues to pop up everytime an opening does.  The latest one was Utah. Let’s make sure he signs the contract though before we introduce him.

And if we don’t get him I understand we spoke with Fran Fraschilla.

Posted by  Brian Gruber, Tampa on 03/22  at  10:48 AM

This is a great pick out of the short list of true possibilities.  Ammaker would be good, and some good points were made about Jarvis.  Majereus took the USC job but then stayed with ESPN.  With the right offer I think he would come out.  Marshall seems like a good fit

Posted by  Gary Stephen, Omaha, Nebraska on 03/22  at  09:05 AM

Marshall would be a great hire. I hope Woolard can land him.

Posted by  Dale Gibson, New Jersey on 03/22  at  09:01 AM

I think Gregg Marshall is a great coach and he would be a good fit for USF. But I also believe Karl Hobbs out of George Washington would be a better fit because of his coaching and recruiting ability.

Posted by  Wayne Jacobus, edison nj on 03/22  at  08:43 AM

Marshall would be a great addition to USF.

Posted by  Rob Nolan, Palm Harbor on 03/22  at  08:31 AM

I like Pelphrey for the job, although he might not like the idea of competing with Donovan for in-state recruits.  Marshall does have a very good track record.  The key is if he can recruit the Big East caliber player.  The bottom line is we have to rely on Woolard to make the right choice, he knows college hoops so I think he’ll make a good choice. 

Has he talked to Amaker?  He did a decent job at Michigan, even beat Tom Izzo for some good recruits, which isn’t easy to do.

Posted by  Dave Weber, USF on 03/22  at  08:01 AM

Marshall is certainly a great fit. Southern roots will help recruiting and he knows what “offense” is. Also, he seems to have a good knowledge of how to get overseas players (the big man they have from N.Z.)

Posted by  Ryan Roark, Richmond, VA on 03/22  at  07:58 AM

I would have loved to see Anthony Grant at the helm, but Marshall would most definitely be a solid hire, in my opinion.

Posted by  Greg Budzban, Carbondale, IL on 03/22  at  07:56 AM

As a program for rebuilding an area devasted by a war of attrition and neglect, I am all for the Marshall Plan.

An enlightened investment.

Posted by  Jay Paules, Brandon on 03/22  at  06:58 AM

I think so.  He has a great track record with his mid-major program.  Don’t know that he has any Florida ties which would help him recruit.  Think Woolard would want that.  But we certainly do seem to be willing to step up to the plate with salary.  Am glad to see that.  With all the jobs that are popping open all of a sudden, a good qualified candidate that we can afford may be increasingly hard to come by.  Crossing my fingers.

Posted by  Steve Campbell, Tampa on 03/22  at  06:10 AM

Brett,

This would be a Great hire, in my opinion probably the best in years. Marshall would not only bring some class to the program but some much needed Basketball fundamentals as well. Hopefully he decides to give USF a chance.

Steve

Posted by  James R. Wilson, Spring Hill on 03/22  at  04:52 AM

I looks good to me.  I just hope we can pry him out of South Carolina.