The Name Game: New Names Surface at Washington

“The Name Game” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on active coaching searches around the country. The latest edition centers on the Washington Huskies…

A number of big coaching opportunities are out there, including at Washington, where Ty Willingham will not return for 2009. Amid scores of early season firings, Petersen is rumored to be the name circling at a number of places, but Pete isn’t buying into it. He is comfortable in Boise, but worries about the recruiting aspect more than anything else, and keeping his guys up to date on what is happening. – KMVT

Tennessee will have competition for Leach, who also will be in the crosshairs at Clemson and Washington. – Rivals.com

The Washington search looks to be secretive, along the lines of the hush-hush search Iowa State A.D. Jamie Pollard did a few years ago before hiring Gene Chizik. Washington president Mark Emmert and A.D. Scott Woodward are working closely together on the identifying candidates, letting few – if any – other people in on the process. A search firm from Los Angeles has been hired to assist Washington in the process. Expect Emmert and Woodward to cast a wide net. Early leaders appear to be Kiffin, Muschamp, Petersen, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and Montana coach Bobby Hauck. – Rivals.com

The Name Game: Mora Out, Pinkel Next at UDub?

“The Name Game” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on active coaching searches around the country. The latest edition centers on the Washington Huskies…

Jim Mora, the favorite of many fans to become the next coach of the Washington Huskies, said Friday he will not be a candidate for the job. There was no formal approach or proposal from Washington, but according to a source with knowledge of the situation, there was an informal inquiry about Mora’s availability through intermediaries and the message was conveyed to UW that Mora would not be a candidate. The Seahawks have signed Mora to be their head coach beginning in 2009. Mora had not previously talked publicly about the UW job since it opened, deferring questions from the media on Thursday. – Seattle Times

With Jim Mora out of the picture, rumors will shift focus to other candidates. One of the leading candidates could be Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, a former UW assistant under Don James. Pinkel declined to comment on the UW job this week when asked by reporters in Missouri. Other possible candidates include Pat Hill of Fresno State, Chris Petersen of Boise State, former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, TCU’s Gary Patterson, California’s Jeff Tedford, Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen, UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker, former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach and Air Force coach Troy Calhoun. – Seattle Times

The Name Game: Mora, Pinkel Top Washington’s List

“The Name Game” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on active coaching searches around the country. The latest edition centers on the Washington Huskies…

Many of the same names are still in contention four years later for the Washington coaching job. Jim Mora was coming off a solid rookie season coaching the Falcons so the timing wasn’t right for him. Gary Pinkel was entrenched at Missouri and Jeff Teford, who likely was the top candidate, decided to stay at California where he received a generous raise in pay. This time around things could be a little different. Facilities still haven’t broken ground at California after almost four years of tree sitting. Jim Mora is now in line to be the next Seattle Seahawks coach but is rumored to have an out clause if he wants the UW job. Pinkel is having an excellent season at Missouri. All three will be willing to listen to what Washington has to say for different reasons. Mora will likely get the first call, and even though he is signed by the Seahawks for 2009 he has always said UW would be his dream job. He lives in the area and he knows how the majority of the fans feel about him. He is going to listen some time this week and decide which way he ultimately wants to go. Pinkel is very secure at Missouri. He has great support and fantastic facilities. Why would he leave that all to rebuild Washington? He loves Seattle and Washington is also his dream job. This will be his last chance to coach the Huskies. Will he take it or retire at Missouri? The Huskies have coveted Jeff Tedford ever since he arrived at California. His work ethic is unquestioned and he runs a clean program. You can count on Washington contacting him if Mora or Pinkel do not come. Word is that Tedford has let UW know that he is curious through back channels… The candidates: Jim Mora Jr. (Seahawks)…Gary Pinkel (Missouri)… Jeff Tedford (California)… Butch Davis (North Carolina)… Les Miles (LSU)… Mike Riley (Oregon St)… Pat Hill (Fresno State)… Chris Petersen (Boise State)… Gary Patterson (TCU)… Todd Graham (Tulsa)… Randy Edsall ((U-Conn)… Brian Kelly (Cincinnati)… Jim Harbaugh (Stanford)… Mike Leach (Texas Tech)… Lane Kiffin… Terry Bowden… Scott Linehan… Mike Tice… Brian Billick. – Examiner

USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian turned down the chance to coach the Oakland Raiders two years ago, saying at the time that he wanted to become a college head coach. With Washington Coach Tyrone Willingham fired, effective at the end of the season, Sarkisian said he would be interested in the Huskies’ job if school representatives contacted him. “I’d look at it and assess it,” Sarkisian said. “It’s obviously been one of the premier jobs not only in the Pac-10 but in the country, so you’d have to look at it.” – Los Angeles Times

In the end, it was about the players. It usually is. Or in Washington’s case, the lack of them recruited on Tyrone Willingham’s watch. Here’s the question that will forever be debated about Willingham, out as UW coach after the season: Why did it work for him at Stanford when it didn’t at Notre Dame or Washington? How did he get to a Rose Bowl with the Cardinal in 1999 and recruit NFL-bound players like Troy Walters, Willie Howard, Tank Williams and Kwame Harris? With less-stringent admission standards at Notre Dame and Washington, where was the commensurate talent haul at those two schools? Part of it, no doubt, was the nature of the Pac-10 then. Stanford caught the Pac-10 at a time before USC had Pete Carroll, and the league was relatively down. My theory on why Willingham later struggled as a recruiter: He appealed to parents more than he did their kids. When a coach sits down in a prospect’s living room, he’s usually dialing into two channels. Parents want to know about the business school, the academic-support system and things like whether athletes will live in the dorms for two years. Kids want to know how soon they might start. Ever button-down, meticulous and proper, Willingham struck parents as a good choice. But my guess with recruits is, most of them have to see the boyish, good-times side of a coach. Somehow, they need to envision him as a guy who, 25 years ago, could have pulled off a senior prank in high school as they might. – Seattle Times

It makes sense for the University of Washington to pursue Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel. He’s succeeded in reviving Mizzou’s dormant program, a Herculean and often thankless task that drove several coaches off the cliff. Washington has fallen on hard times and needs a proven program builder. Add in Pinkel’s UW ties — he was a longtime assistant to Washington icon Don James — and we can understand why the Huskies would want to bring Pinkel home. But here’s the question: is Washington really home? Pinkel is 56. He’s surrounded by family (including grandkids) in Columbia, Mo. He’s been treated very well by an appreciative Missouri administration; director of athletics Mike Alden backed Pinkel with multiple contract extensions at times when impatient fans questioned Pinkel’s ability to lead the Tigers out of the wilderness. That kind of loyalty is increasingly difficult to find in major-college sports. And to me, Pinkel seems like an honorable man man who recognizes that loyalty should work both ways. Pinkel has frequently expressed gratitude for the support he received from MU during those many bleak Saturdays. Pinkel is paid handsomely. And if the MU administration had to, I’m confident that they’d pay him even more. And the facilities at Missouri are superb, as good (if not better) as any that you’ll find at any football program in the nation. He’s set for an extended run of success at Mizzou. – St. Louis Dispatch

The Name Game: Names Aplenty at UDub

“The Name Game” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on active coaching searches around the country. The latest edition centers on the Washington Huskies…

When University of Washington coach Tyrone Willingham was fired Monday, effective at season’s end, speculation on the school’s potential wish list for his replacement naturally included Missouri coach Gary Pinkel and offensive coordinator Dave Christensen. Pinkel played for highly regarded former Washington coach Don James at Kent State and served as his assistant at Washington for 12 years. Christensen played for James at Washington and also worked for him. Asked Monday to comment on the opening and whether there are implications for himself or Christensen, Pinkel declined and added, “To me, that’s just a distraction. I’m going to focus on this football game (against Baylor), and that’s all I’m going to do.” Christensen declined comment. Earlier this month, James told the Post-Dispatch that he would take Pinkel “in a heartbeat” but didn’t expect Pinkel to be enticed by the job because of Missouri’s rise, Washington’s decline and Pinkel’s comfort in Columbia. – St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Ex-Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin has expressed interest in the opening at the University of Washington just hours after the school announced Tyrone Willingham will not return next season. Kiffin spent six years as an assistant in the Pac-10 with Southern California, the last two as the Trojans’ offensive coordinator, before becoming the Raiders coach in January 2007. – San Francisco Chronicle

One thing is certain: Emmert will go as far away from the Willingham-mode as possible. In other words, a dominating personality with a charismatic style and strong coaching credentials who can rally big-money donors at Montlake and get the stadium/facilities renovation accomplished. The wish list: Pat Hill, Fresno State: He will come highly recommended by Saban. When Saban needed an offensive coordinator after Major Applewhite left for Texas, he called Hill, and Hill told him to hire Fresno State’s offensive coordinator Jim McElwain. That move worked out well. Will Muschamp, defensive coordinator Texas: Emmert saw firsthand how Muschamp coached as defensive coordinator at LSU and saw his Saban-esque personality/charisma. It might be too hard to get Muschamp away from the South, where the Clemson job is more appealing because there’s less heavy lifting. Jim Mora, Seattle Seahawks assistant: The former UW player is an obvious choice but already has been named coach-in-waiting with the Seahawks. There’s likely more security in the Huskies’ job, but getting Mora would cost a ton. Gary Pinkel, Missouri: A former UW assistant, Pinkel has accomplished too much at Mizzou — on the field and off it with facilities — to walk away from Columbia. He still has close friends in Seattle, so the possibility always is there. Lane Kiffin, former Oakland Raiders coach: If the priority is recruiting — and it should be — Kiffin is at the top of the list. He doesn’t have the dominating personality of Hill, Muschamp and Mora. – Sporting News

Ten months ago the perfect replacement was coaching just across the lake. Seahawks assistant head coach Jim Mora, a former Huskies player and former Atlanta Falcons head coach, wanted the job. If he had been hired, the turnaround already would have begun. He would have breathed energy into the program. He would have lit a fire under boosters. He would have been in the same living rooms as USC’s Pete Carroll and Oregon’s Mike Belotti and scoring points with blue-chip recruits. But Turner wouldn’t, or couldn’t, do the right thing. It cost him his job, and ultimately it didn’t save Willingham’s. Now Woodward faces his first real challenge, a challenge he almost certainly knew was coming when he took this job last month. Willingham didn’t work. Washington remains a mess. And this new athletic director can’t repeat the mistakes of the past. – Seattle Times

Some names who might be linked to Washington’s coaching vacancy: Dave Christensen, Missouri offensive coordinator, ex-UW player, assistant… Todd Graham, Tulsa coach… Pat Hill, Fresno State coach… Skip Holtz, East Carolina coach… Chip Kelly, Oregon offensive coordinator… Lane Kiffin, former Oakland Raiders coach and USC offensive coordinator… Mike Leach, Texas Tech coach… Jim Mora, Seahawks assistant coach, former UW player, assistant coach… Will Muschamp, Texas defensive coordinator… Gary Patterson, Texas Christian coach… Chris Petersen, Boise State coach… Gary Pinkel, Missouri coach, former Huskies assistant… Mike Riley, Oregon State coach… Jeff Tedford, California coach… Mike Tice, former Minnesota Vikings coach, Seahawks tight end… DeWayne Walker, UCLA defensive coordinator – Tacoma News Tribune

Among the names thought to be on atheletic director Scott Woodward’s short list are Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen and former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin. Boise State coach Chris Petersen and Fresno State coach Pat Hill also could be on it. Fans continue to clamor over Seahawks assistant head coach and former Huskies player Jim Mora, who signed a contract in January to take over the NFL team after Mike Holmgren resigns at the end of the season. – Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The program needs to make a bold, indisputable hire. It needs a winner and a charmer. It needs someone who can inspire and rejuvenate the fan base. Just don’t expect it to be Jim Mora. Despite all the pro-Mora chatter, he’s tied to a deal to succeed Mike Holmgren as the Seahawks’ coach. No matter how much of a Dawg he is, it’s asking too much to request that Mora take half the money to coach on the college level, where he’s spent only one of his 25 years as a clipboard-wielder. And that was as a graduate assistant. Let Mora be happy as a pro coach. He’s an excellent fit for the Seahawks. If the Huskies truly wanted him, they would’ve dumped Willingham a year ago to make room. When I asked about Mora on Monday, Emmert said: “First of all, we’re going to leave all the fun and interesting speculation about the next coach to your readers and to you pundits. Obviously, people think a lot of Jim Mora. I’ve never had the chance to meet the man. But he’s a favorite son of Washington. But we’re not going to comment at all about who we might pursue.” – Seattle Times

BREAKING NEWS VIDEO: Willingham Out at Washington

BREAKING NEWS: Willingham Resigns

Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said Monday he will step down at the end of the 2008 season. The embattled Washington coach fell to 0-7 on Saturday after a 33-7 loss to Notre Dame. Willingham and athletics director Scott Woodward made the announcement at a news conference.

Willingham has been under fire for being unable to turn around the Washington program. He is 11-32 overall in his four seasons with the Huskies. Washington currently has a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season, tied with North Texas for the longest in the country.

Woodward has said he did not want to change coaches during the middle of the season. But he said Monday’s announcement ends speculation of what is going to happen with Willingham and lets the team focus on the final five games. – AP

The Firing Line: Willingham Out of Time at UDub

“The Firing Line” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on coaches around the country who are in serious jeopardy. The latest edition centers on Washington Coach Tyrone Willingham…

The Fighting Irish don’t want Willingham. It seems only a matter of when before Washington’s administration reaches the same decision, especially after Saturday’s 33-7 loss to Notre Dame. “Right now the thing we’ve got to draw on is basic pride,” Willingham said. “We’ve got to step up, coaches and players and all of us have to step up and be better than what we did because this was not a good performance.” But Willingham very well could be gone at any time. Athletic director Scott Woodward has stated many times that he does not believe that an in-season coaching change is a prudent move, yet the Huskies have dropped nine straight, dating to last season, and are assured of not going to a bowl game for the sixth consecutive year. Willingham is 11-32 in his four seasons, and the Huskies are 0-7 for only the second time in school history. Their losing streak is the longest in the country, tied with North Texas. Woodward surely couldn’t help but notice the exodus of fans from the stadium at halftime. Many of the 70,437 that stayed through Saturday’s rout were Notre Dame fans more than willing to celebrate Willingham’s demise after his three lackluster seasons with the Irish earlier this decade. – Sporting News

If, as many speculated, there was a lot going on behind the scenes, it was being kept well hidden. What is out in the open now, however, is that Willingham will soon be gone as UW’s coach, the Huskies falling to 0-7 with Saturday’s 33-7 loss at Notre Dame, dropping his Washington record to 11-32. Saturday’s loss meant that even the last remaining vestige of hope this season — running the table in the last six games to get to the postseason — is no more as the defeat mathematically eliminated UW from bowl contention. There has been much speculation that once that bridge was crossed, a change could happen at any point, and even before halftime of Saturday’s game the rumor mill began churning wildly. UW athletic director Scott Woodward has said he doesn’t foresee making an in-season change. But he hasn’t ruled it out, and there is also the possibility of a negotiated resignation in which Willingham could end up coaching the team for the rest of the season. If a change were to be made — whether it’s this week or later in the season — it would likely happen on a Monday, before Willingham’s weekly news conference and before the staff begins to put together a game plan for that Saturday’s contest. – Seattle Times

But now it is official. Now we know that Willingham’s fourth season at Washington will end like his first three: with a losing record. Only this one will almost certainly be worse than the last three. It’s hard now to look at the schedule and see any wins for the Huskies save the Apple Cup in late November. And given the unpredictable nature of the rivalry game, a win over Washington State is no gimme either. Two-and-10, 1-11, 0-12, does it even matter at this point? The only intriguing story lines left for this fall and winter are trying to figure out when Tyrone Willingham will be fired and who will replace him.
No matter how this season ends, it’s safe to say that Washington football is a mess. Still.
For the fifth time since Don James retired in 1993, the Huskies will be looking for a new coach this offseason. – HeraldNet

The Huskies lost 33-7 tonight to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It was more than a loss, though. Quitting occurred. Uh-oh, the “Q” word. After last season, many well-vindicated Husky fans asked for the dismissal of Head Coach Tyrone Willingham. Many of us that thought that it was OK for Willingham to stay around for another season were asking for his head several weeks ago when the 2008 season started to fall apart. When we asked for Willingham’s head, UW AD Scott Woodward said that we were crazy and that he was going to keep him until the end of the season. We groaned. Some fans said that firing Willingham wouldn’t accomplish anything. Now, some of those fans are changing course and saying that he should be fired on Monday (or before). Nope. Don’t do it. Woodward wanted this situation. He got it. Don’t let Woodward or Willingham off the hook now. Woodward made his decision and he needs to live with the consequences. If he gets roasted by the local media, so be it. We all make decisions that have rough consequences. Most importantly, I want Tyrone Willingham to live through the next several weeks of misery. I don’t want him off playing golf in North Carolina while we get shellacked by eight touchdowns at USC. If the fans have to look down the barrel of a loaded gun, Willingham needs to be right there with us. – thedawgblawg.com

The Firing Line: Focus on Tyrone Willingham

“The Firing Line” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on coaches around the country who are in serious jeopardy. The latest edition centers on Washington Coach Tyrone Willingham…

Willingham was fired, replaced by Charlie Weis. For many national media members, still recalling the magic of Willingham’s first few months on the job, the firing seemed unjust, and they expressed that in no uncertain terms. Four years have now passed, however, and Willingham again sits on one of college football’s most uncomfortable hot seats. In fact, barring a stunning turnaround over the second half of this season, it is difficult to envision a scenario that still has Willingham coaching at Washington come 2009. Again, things have come tumbling down after the program seemed to be on the cusp of a turnaround. – South Bend Tribune

Washington could turn the page early on Tyrone Willingham, regardless of the conjecture and rhetoric you hear from the school’s brass about letting the coach finish the year. – Rivals.com

Expect Washington president Mark Emmert to put in a call to Nick Saban when the Huskies begin their coaching search. No, not to offer the job but rather to solicit information; Emmert was chancellor at LSU when Saban was hired there and values his input. In addition to Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, other names that would crop up for Washington include Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, Boise State coach Chris Petersen, Fresno State coach Pat Hill, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall and Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen. – Rivals.com

The Firing Line: Huskies Focus on Willingham; Not ND

“The Firing Line” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on coaches around the country who are in serious jeopardy. The latest edition centers on Washington Coach Tyrone Willingham…

Ty Willingham on why he hasn’t had success with the Huskies: “We just haven’t made the things happen that we need to have happen. At the wrong times, we’ve made mistakes. We’ve had some wonderful efforts along the way, but effort is not what it’s about. It’s about finishing the task. That’s what we’ve got to do.” – Chicago Tribune

As much as he’d prefer not to be, Tyrone Willingham is the center of attention as Washington prepares to host Notre Dame this weekend. Truth be told, Willingham is a story this week and every other week regardless of who is on the schedule. The Huskies are 0-6 this season and are 11-31 under Willingham, who is in his fourth — and many people are assuming — last season at Washington. A coaching change seems inevitable at this point, so Willingham is a story every week. But factor in the opponent, a program with more history and tradition than just about any other in the country, a program that, oh by the way, fired Willingham four years ago, and whether he tries to downplay it or not, the spotlight this week is going to fall on Willingham. – HeraldNet

Such as continuing to rehash the team’s 0-6 start, UW’s worst in 39 years, and eight-game losing streak, tied with North Texas for the longest in the nation? Given UW’s dire straits, the Willingham-Notre Dame angle will at least give media and fans something else to focus on this weekend, even if the coach doesn’t quite see it that way… But given Willingham’s seemingly tenuous hold on his job at UW, a win over Notre Dame could serve as a momentary respite, something a few players said they recognize. “Every game you want to win for coach Willingham since he is taking all this negativity,” running back Terrance Dailey said. “So this would be a big game especially to win for him. But we are just trying to get the win and not really paying attention to all that other stuff.” – Seattle Times

The Firing Line: Time Running Out for Willingham

“The Firing Line” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on coaches around the country who are in serious jeopardy. The latest edition centers on Washington Coach Tyrone Willingham…

It appears now just a matter of when and how, not if, Willingham loses his job. And while UW athletic director Scott Woodward has said publicly that he doesn’t foresee making an in-season coaching change, many close to the program wonder if one still could happen, possibly by resignation instead of firing. The slim thread to which Willingham can cling to is that with six games left, the Huskies still have a mathematical chance at running the table and getting to a bowl game, though the odds of that are probably similar to that of Keith Olbermann giving the keynote address at the next Republican National Convention. Once that thread is gone, however, anything could be possible. – Seattle Times

The Washington coach is going down after this season. That isn’t debatable. – Seattle Times

One measure of how a program laden with potential has been so bungled lately: In the 30 years before Willingham took over, Washington posted a .669 winning percentage. The Pac-10 Conference’s untouchables, the USC Trojans, registered a .671 winning percentage over the same span. “It’s tough,” Washington athletic director Scott Woodward said. “Like I’ve told numerous people, I’m not happy. I’m not happy with where the program is right now.” – Chicago Tribune

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