December 2, 2008

Mike Leach flies to Seattle to meet with UDub

Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times passes on this note regarding Mike Leach's recent flight to Seattle.

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach , wearing a baseball hat, T-shirt, and tennis shoes, flew to Seattle yesterday afternoon from Las Vegas on Alaska Flight 601, according to a fellow passenger.

"I'm positive it was him,'' said Dave Christophersen, who said he immediately recognized Leach and had it reinforced when Leach's wife, Sharon, was called to the counter to upgrade to first class. Flight 601 is scheduled to leave each day at 11:20 a.m. and arrive in Seattle at 2:03 p.m.

The implication is that Leach is interviewing with the Huskies, something that Texas Tech will not confirm or deny.

Texas Tech sports information director Chris Cook said he couldn't confirm or deny if Leach flew to Seattle saying he didn't know where Leach was today --- Texas Tech has concluded its regular season.

TT athletic director Gerald Myers could not be reached for comment, and UW officials have said they will not comment on prospective candidates.

As far as rumors go, I'm going to put this at a HIGH PROBABILITY of truthfulness. After all, Dave Christophersen was positive, Leach has expressed his appreciation for the Pacfic Northwest and his stock has never been higher after the Red Raiders amazing ride in 2008.

And... Leach kinda looks like the guy on the guy on the Alaska Airlines planes, no?

     

Stay tuned, as "they" say.

UPDATE 12/3/08

Did I tell you to trust in Alaska Airline passenger Dave Christophersen? Yeah... I did. Turns out that Leach did interview with Washington over the holiday weekend.

Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach was in Seattle on Tuesday to discuss with University of Washington officials that school's soon-vacant head coaching job, The Avalanche-Journal has confirmed.

"As of now, he hasn’t been offered the job," a source told The A-J on Tuesday night.

The same source said although Washington is 0-11 with one game left, if UW officials decide to zero in on Tech's coach, their potential to hire Leach away shouldn't be underestimated.

"I don't care if they are 0-11," the source said. "They're the state university; he would bring a national flair to the state, and he'd be able to recruit there at a level he's not able to recruit in Texas. He's still the third or fourth level of recruitment in Texas. At Washington, he'll be the first. All that's true, and a man of vision such as Mike Leach considers these things."

...

On Monday, Leach told The Associated Press that he "absolutely" wants to stay at Tech.

"I mean it's an interesting question," he said. "I've been there nine years, which is longer than most marriages or jobs, you know."

...

Myers said he would expect Leach to tell him if he's a legitimate candidate for another job.

"I think he would if he's serious about it," Myers said. "I think he would let me know. So I don't know. He wouldn’t have to tell me, but I haven't heard from anybody, the coaches or anybody else about that."

So... there you have. Mike Leach flew to Seattle and interviewed for the Washington job for one of two reasons:

a) He's working over Leach to get a bigger contract than the $2.65 million he'll earn at Tech next season, or
b) Mike Leach is seriously interested in the Huskies head coaching job.

At this point... I'm going with B and I think Leach and UW get something done within the next seven days. The Huskies have already interviewed Pat Hill and USC OC Steve Sarkisian, which means they want an offensive coach. Of the three, Leach has proven that he can sling the ball around, proven his ability as a head coach at the BCS level, and shown that he can recruit players who can win under his direction.

If Leach wants the job, it's his.

UPDATE 12/4/08

Remember me saying, "If Leach wants the job, it's his"?

Well, Leach doesn't want it. Fresno State's Pat Hill has also withdrawn his name.

I would presume that means USC OC Steve Sarkisian, Seahawks coach Jim Mora Jr, and... Tommy Tuberville are the leading candidates.

Comments:

Mike Leach flies to Seattle to meet with UDub
Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times passes on this note regarding Mike Leach's recent flight to Seattle.

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach , wearing a baseball hat, T-shirt, and tennis shoes, flew to Seattle yesterday afternoon from Las Vegas on Alaska Flight 601, according to a fellow passenger. "I'm positive it was him,'' said Dave Christophersen, who said he immediately recognized Leach and had it reinforced when Leach's wife, Sharon, was called to the counter to upgrade to first class. Flight 601 is scheduled to leave each day at 11:20 a.m. and arrive in Seattle at 2:03 p.m.

The implication is that Leach is interviewing with the Huskies, something that Texas Tech will not confirm or deny.

Texas Tech sports information director Chris Cook said he couldn't confirm or deny if Leach flew to Seattle saying he didn't know where Leach was today --- Texas Tech has concluded its regular season. TT athletic director Gerald Myers could not be reached for comment, and UW officials have said they will not comment on prospective candidates.

As far as rumors go, I'm going to put this at a HIGH PROBABILITY of truthfulness. After all, Dave Christophersen was positive, Leach has expressed his appreciation for the Pacfic Northwest and his stock has never been higher after the Red Raiders amazing ride in 2008. And... Leach kinda looks like the guy on the guy on the Alaska Airlines planes, no?       Stay tuned, as "they" say.

UPDATE 12/3/08

Did I tell you to trust in Alaska Airline passenger Dave Christophersen? Yeah... I did. Turns out that Leach did interview with Washington over the holiday weekend.

Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach was in Seattle on Tuesday to discuss with University of Washington officials that school's soon-vacant head coaching job, The Avalanche-Journal has confirmed. "As of now, he hasn’t been offered the job," a source told The A-J on Tuesday night. The same source said although Washington is 0-11 with one game left, if UW officials decide to zero in on Tech's coach, their potential to hire Leach away shouldn't be underestimated. "I don't care if they are 0-11," the source said. "They're the state university; he would bring a national flair to the state, and he'd be able to recruit there at a level he's not able to recruit in Texas. He's still the third or fourth level of recruitment in Texas. At Washington, he'll be the first. All that's true, and a man of vision such as Mike Leach considers these things." ... On Monday, Leach told The Associated Press that he "absolutely" wants to stay at Tech. "I mean it's an interesting question," he said. "I've been there nine years, which is longer than most marriages or jobs, you know." ... Myers said he would expect Leach to tell him if he's a legitimate candidate for another job. "I think he would if he's serious about it," Myers said. "I think he would let me know. So I don't know. He wouldn’t have to tell me, but I haven't heard from anybody, the coaches or anybody else about that."

So... there you have. Mike Leach flew to Seattle and interviewed for the Washington job for one of two reasons: a) He's working over Leach to get a bigger contract than the $2.65 million he'll earn at Tech next season, or b) Mike Leach is seriously interested in the Huskies head coaching job. At this point... I'm going with B and I think Leach and UW get something done within the next seven days. The Huskies have already interviewed Pat Hill and USC OC Steve Sarkisian, which means they want an offensive coach. Of the three, Leach has proven that he can sling the ball around, proven his ability as a head coach at the BCS level, and shown that he can recruit players who can win under his direction. If Leach wants the job, it's his.

UPDATE 12/4/08

Remember me saying, "If Leach wants the job, it's his"? Well, Leach doesn't want it. Fresno State's Pat Hill has also withdrawn his name. I would presume that means USC OC Steve Sarkisian, Seahawks coach Jim Mora Jr, and... Tommy Tuberville are the leading candidates.