Quote:
Originally Posted by ChinoCoug
Do you have a source for this policy aside from another message board?
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No. And maybe it's not true. However, when looking at what is happening with this process I think the evidence tends to point in a certain direction. It's clear they've already interviewed two people, and at least one more -- Anderson from Stanford -- has hinted to the media that he's been contacted and is waiting for BYU to take the next step, which one can assume means a formal interview. We also know something else about Lance Anderson. He has a formal offer to join the staff at Michigan but he has not yet accepted it and has also not affirmed yet that he's staying at Stanford. Unless he's waiting to see how other possibilities pan out, it wouldn't seem like he would just sit quietly. So either he or KW is the third. There is no reason for BYU not to pull the trigger now unless they're not done interviewing.
I think the most logical conclusion is that they're waiting for their top choice, Coach Whittingham, to be ready to interview and negotiate. Will he actually come? I don't know. But I don't think Tom Holmoe would wait unless he had some good reasons to think he could get him.
Consider the following:
1. Tom Holmoe has confirmed that Bronco was pursuing other options at least as long ago as last year but that they didn't pan out until now with the Virginia job.
2. We also know that the media reported last year that Bronco was close to leaving for Oregon State. In light of what Holmoe has now confirmed, this appears to have been true. It's just that at the last minute OSU was able to get Gary Andersen from Wisconsin, which no one saw coming.
3. When the Bronco to OSU rumors were going around, the Utah media also reported that Whittingham was going to leave Utah to take Bronco's place. They took a lot of crap for saying it when it didn't happen, but knowing what we do know now to be the case with Bronco and Oregon State, this actually seems at least plausible now.
4. It's not a secret that KW doesn't have the best relationship with his boss, the good doctor up on the hill. And from remembering how Whitt got the job in the first place after the Urban legend suddenly bolted for Florida right before Utah's at the time biggest game in school history after crashing the BCS, I really don't think Whitt was really who Hill wanted for the job in the first place. He just had no choice due the the circumstances. As soon as Meyer announced he was leaving, the entire staff started scattering left and right and there was the very real possibility that Utah would have to go into their biggest game ever at the time without coaches. At the same time, BYU was talking with KW about its own coaching vacancy. To keep from going into the Fiesta Bowl without a coaching staff, "dr" Hill had to win a bidding war with BYU. He couldn't afford to lose it no matter how outrageous the price tag got. Eventually BYU decided to give it up and go with Bronco. Given how utah fans talked about KWhitt before they knew that Meyer for sure was leaving, I don't think anyone including Whittingham really thought Hill wanted him were Meyer to leave. Under different circumstances I strongly believe Hill would have conducted a national search and brought in someone else.
5. Finally, Kyle Whittingham and Tom Holmoe were teammates at BYU and have ever since remained good friends. Sometimes coaches just need a change. Kyle himself has said he was open to talking about the BYU job after the Las Vegas bowl. He could have just said he wasn't interested. BYU wouldn't be the worst change in the world for him. It' s a world he grew up in and knows. His dad coached there and he played there. The cynical internet crowd can easily chalk that up to KW just hoping to get more money out of Utah, and that may be what it is, but it's not the only possible explanation. Many people have left successful jobs before because they weren't totally happy with the boss, the environment, or just wanted a change, or whatever.
IMO, what will happen is this:
As soon as the game is over, Holmoe will try to make a strong pitch to Whittingham. If that doesn't work out and assuming Coach Ken hasn't taken himself out of the running, he will then try to lay out the red carpet for Niumatalolo. If he's no longer an option, they offer it to Kalani Sitake who everyone believes will gladly accept. I'd be comfortable with any of the three.