USF Talks to Magee; Holtz Next?

Posted Jan 12, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Jan 12, 2010 at 02:07 AM

A busy day here in Orlando at the American Football Coaches Association’s annual convention. Lots of chatter about the USF opening and the controversial end to Coach Jim Leavitt’s tenure.

I heard plenty of rumors today, but hard to guauge how many are true. I was able to confirm Michigan offensive coordinator Calvin Magee is at least in the mix. He spoke with USF officials Monday.

East Carolina coach Skip Holtz, who has revitalized the Pirates’ program the past five seasons, is emerging as a top candidate. He spent the night at his father Lou’s Orlando-area home Monday night and you can bet the USF opening was a topic.

Lou Holtz raved about the USF job Monday. “What’s there not to like?” Does he recommend Skip pursue the job?

“That’s up to Skip,’’ Lou Holtz said Monday.

Here is the story I filed for Monday’s Tampa Tribune:

Magee talks to USF about coaching job
By SCOTT CARTER | The Tampa Tribune

The USF football team doesn’t know who its next coach will be, but as the Bulls listened to former Bucs coach Tony Dungy offer inspiration during a team meeting Monday afternoon, the job was a hot topic of conversation here at the annual American Football Coaches Association convention.

“South Florida is a great job,” said Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, who competed against USF regularly when he was coach at Big East foe West Virginia. “I thought when they joined the league that this was going to be a program that could be at the top every year.

“I still think that.”

Rodriguez’s offensive coordinator at Michigan, former USF assistant Calvin Magee, spoke with USF officials Monday about the opening. Magee has declined to comment on the job publicly, and USF athletic director Doug Woolard won’t comment on the search until he is ready to name Jim Leavitt’s replacement.

Magee spent six seasons as an assistant under Leavitt before leaving to join Rodriguez’s staff at West Virginia in 2003. He followed Rodriguez to Michigan in 2008. The Wolverines finished third in the Big Ten in scoring (29.5) this season after ranking last (20.2) in 2008.

Another hot candidate linked to USF rumors is East Carolina coach Skip Holtz. Last month, Holtz was considered a candidate for the Cincinnati and Virginia openings before opting to stay put. He is 38-27 in five years at East Carolina and has led the Pirates to back-to-back Conference USA titles.

His father, former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, lives in Orlando and spoke at a clinic here Monday afternoon. Afterward, he said he can understand why his son’s name has been linked to so many jobs recently.

“Now I’m known as Skip’s dad,” Holtz said. “I’m very proud of him. He has done a marvelous job and he’s done it the right way. When you consider the fact they had won three games, lost 22, and won one conference game in two years before he got there, I’d have to say that’s a pretty good job.”

Woolard said Saturday that there were “no boundaries” in the type of coach the school is pursuing.

Magee, Holtz, Florida assistant Dan McCarney, Houston coach Kevin Sumlin and Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora have been the most-mentioned candidates.

Of the veteran coaches on the market, none have more impressive credentials than former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer.

Fulmer, who led Tennessee to the 1998 national title and was 152-52 during 17 seasons in Knoxville, is interested in returning to coaching after a year off. While he had not been contacted by USF officials as of Monday, he has ties to the Tampa Bay area. His wife, Vicky, lived in St. Petersburg growing up. The couple met when Fulmer was on a recruiting trip visiting players as a young assistant at Tennessee in 1980.

“I’ve made it clear that I would coach again if it’s the right kind of opportunity,” Fulmer said Monday. “It’s really hard to emulate anything we had at Tennessee, but if someone is committed to playing for a championship, then I’m going to listen. If they want a coach who has won 152 games, then I’m available.”

USF offensive coordinator Mike Canales drove over from Tampa after the Bulls’ first team meeting since Leavitt was fired Friday. He said assistants have not been updated on the situation since Woolard told them to continue their normal routines Friday. Canales has informed USF officials he is interested in applying for the job.

Meanwhile, while Dungy isn’t considered a candidate, he was asked by Woolard to speak to the team Monday. After interim coach Carl Franks spoke to the players, Dungy talked about 10 minutes, telling the players to remain together, have confidence in USF’s administration to hire an excellent coach, and then reminding them of how the 2002 Bucs went on to win the Super Bowl under Jon Gruden despite Dungy getting fired after the previous season.

“He talked about the 2002 Bucs and how he kept talking to the players even after he was fired,” said USF sports information director Chris Freet, who attended the team meeting on campus. “You bring in a guy like Tony Dungy and everybody’s attention and focus is there immediately.”

Dungy did not return a call Monday, but he is scheduled to be here today to get the 2010 Tuss McLaughry Award for the AFCA’s highest distinction in service to others.