Jim Leavitt Fired from USF
 

Apparently slapped a kid twice, which he denies - but it must have been a quick investigation because only the investigation, not the firing, was mentioned in the local paper


http://www.seattlepi.com/scorecard/c...ticleID=272493

I think they probably want Mike Leach. Perfect school for Leach I would think.

This sounds like something ou of Hoosiers doesn't it? I thought Leavitt did a pretty good job building South Florida up.

It's just another coffin nail in the Big East's automatic BCS bid. The conference continues to decline in it's quality, and even the bright spots (adding USF and Louisville) are diminished. The schools involved simply will not pay what other schools are willing to pay for quality coaching talent, which translates into better players and greater competition. Used to be perennial schools like Miami, Va Tech, West Virginia, Syracuse and Pitt while may not have dominated the standings, were always forces to be reckoned with and not looked past.

He's now going after the University - says the investigation was BS and will fight them to restore his name.

http://www.wtsp.com/sports/story.asp...122277&catid=4

Now it comes out that a senior who thought he was going to lose his scholarship, then didn't, which he says cost him a double major, fed the whole incident to a Tampa Trib beat reporter that has always harbored a grudge against Leavitt:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3...eavitt-to-quit

Will be bad news for the program if the investigation was botched and the University threw him under the bus - good luck getting anyone decent to take the job.

On the bright side, Leavitt would look great in blue and gold - and he can smack whomever he wants as long as he wins in Morgantown.

You really think they wont get a good coach? I think they will have plenty of guys to choose from. Leavitt built an excellent program and the home base right in the middle of FL as well as soft Big East competition makes this attractive. One thing about the school messing up is they most likely wont make the same mistake. It may not be a top destination job but a final step to a big job for an up and comer.

Phil Fulmer is the latest rumor.

skip holtz. IMO holtz is dumb to leave ecu. he's built a nice program again.

S FL is a much better job in a BCS conference.

In the ironies of all ironies, it is reported that USF actually talked to the Mike Leach camp. No interview, but contact.

Tennesse may snatch Holtz from the jaws of USF.

The rumors down here are hilarious. Tony Dungy spoke to the team on Monday afternoon, sent the message boards into a Vic Stauffer-like tizzy.

That's the problem - It's not a top destination, along with every other school on the conference. The Big East is turning into the Pittsburgh Pirates of NCAA football. And it never used to be until VA Tech, BC and Miami bailed to the ACC.

The last thing any team in this conference needs is another "up and comer" who cuts his teeth then cuts and runs to the next sexier opportunity in 1-2 years.

And with regard to whether they can draw a quality pool of candidates? Well, if it comes out that the entire story is trumped up because a couple of disaffected fringe players had a hard on for the guy, and they knew they had an ally at the Tribune, AND the university- and fully endorsed, card carrying politically correctness supporting institution (hell, they tenure professors with ties to Al Quada) decided it was simply more expedient to toss a guy who developed the program out on his asz rather than deal with the heatburn they most assuredly would feel supporting him in the wake of the Leach scandal - ALL which are viable scenarios, and Leavitt has said so through his attorneys in this fight -
Then no, it is not an attractive opportunity for any qualified candidate because the inmates run the asylum and it is impossible to succeed in that type of environment.
Like I said, It is crap like this that will cause the BCS to withdraw the auto-bid when the current contract expires in 2013.

If that happens, the Big East will cease to exist as we know it. Possibly a merge with the ACC (ala SEC) with an ACC North and ACC South...

It's not good.

They aren't going to pay him what he needs. As long as the mill is spinning, I heard from a friend with someone close to the Athletics Dept. that Doug Williams is an all but done deal.

I heard the same and he's going to have Batman Woods as his DC.

Wake me when they announce an actual hiring.

he did an OK job at Grambling.
just heard will muschamp turned down tenn.

think about this. Texas Tech is putting together a staff. tenn needs a HC and staff. usf needs a HC and some staff. UGa needs a DC and some defensive staff. (Bama's kirby smart turned them down.) ecu MIGHT be looking for staff and HC......... 4 weeks until national signing day!

There isnt much chance the Big East loses its BCS status especially with the BCS facing scrutiny for its exclusionary practices and them wanting a prescence in the Northeast.

There arent that many really destination jobs. You need a big school with a winning tradition and big booster money that is a football school that can stomach a huge contract and will pay big money to assistants as well. FL, Alabama, LSU, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State....

S FL doesnt have a long tradition nor does it have a big base of boosters but its location is a major plus as well as the possibility of winning in a BCS conference makes it still an attractive job despite the blundering of the administration.

here is something else to consider for the big east, rutgers to the big10.
big10 is in expansion mode. rutgers would get them into the nj-ny, new england tv market.

Holtz takes the usf job.

Loui's boy will do a good job at USF.