October 17, 2005
Neuheisel to Temple rumors won't go away
One of those rumors that just won't go away.
Last week, not long after Bobby Wallace's announcement, Jeff here at Fanblogs mentioned that former Colorado and Washington head coach Rick Neuheisel was an early name being thrown about as a possible replacement at Temple.
Well, rumors continue to bounce around, and the latest one from the Philly Inquirer has "influential" Temple alumni pushing hard for the administration to hire Neuheisel, currently the QB coach for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.
The same folks who have supported Temple football for decade after dismal decade think Neuheisel is their savior. And insist the midseason announcement that Bobby Wallace would leave after the season was part of the deal to assure Neuheisel of Temple's sincerity.If this is true, it's a major coup for the Owls, who need a big name to get back into the Division I recruiting game. Neuheisel was Troy Aikman's quarterback coach at UCLA and the head coach at Colorado and at Washington, where he won the 2000 Rose Bowl.
Neuheisel did an interview the week before the Temple job came open with Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter Ted Miller, reflecting a bit on Rick's role in shaping the state of Washington football. In that interview they talk about unnamed potential job openings, to which Neuheisel responded with this.
"I don't have a goal in that regard because I don't want to be disappointed," he said. "I'd be lying, though, if I said I didn't miss college football."He's reached out to the NCAA and has been assured by officials that they will not interfere or discourage a program from pursuing him. His slate is clean.
That likely means his name will start bouncing around in November, when embattled coaches start to walk the plank. It will be a horserace between him and Dennis Erickson to see whose name swirls more prominently in the rumor mill, though that certainly doesn't mean a job offer will be forthcoming. He knows some athletic directors will shy away.
His NFL experience should help, though. Familiarity with the league is a selling point with recruits -- see the Pete Carroll-Charlie Weis model.
Only time will tell if these rumors turn out to be true.
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Jeff Quinton said:
posted on October 22, 2005 1:30 PM — link — abuse?The name George Welsh was just mentioned by the Clemson announcers during the Clemson-Temple game as one of the names rumored to be in the mix.