Holtz not looking to leave
When Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino was fired Tuesday night for lying about a motorcycle crash involving another employee, the Razorbacks coaching search began immediately, with USF coach Skip Holtzs name mentioned among the potential candidates.
Holtz is considered a candidate because of his ties to the area, having lived in Fayetteville, Ark. the city the University of Arkansas is located in from seventh grade through high school while his father served as head football coach.
Yet Holtz made a scheduled visit with the media Wednesday morning to say that he is happy as USFs coach and has not been contacted by Arkansas in relation to its coaching vacancy.
I have not talked to anybody from Arkansas, he said. Its flattering to hear your name floating around, but we have a job to do here. I cant control what other people think and what other people say and Im not going to sit here and fret over every time a job opens. I am not looking to leave here.
Holtz was rumored to be a candidate for the North Carolina job in the winter after previous coach Butch Davis was fired. Holtz opted to remain in Tampa then and said he plans on doing the same again.
Im not calling anybody, he said. Im not trying to put my name out there. I want to be the head football coach here. I enjoy it here. I like it here. Fayetteville is a great place. I spent a lot of great years there and I have a lot of great memories and still have a lot of friends back in Fayetteville, but that doesnt have anything to do with who theyre going to hire.
While Holtz insists hes not interested, his wife questioned whether hes even qualified to take over a team that ended last season ranked No. 5 in the country.
Last night, we did a dinner down in Sarasota and I walked in the door at about 10:30 p.m. and my wife, as a way of keeping me humble, said, Why would anybody want to hire you? You were 5-7, he said.
More Stories
Here’s how these undrafted USF football players’ careers turned out
Ahead of Thursday’s NFL Draft, many players wait in anticipation to hear their names called in the first round. For some, it’s an instant ticket to stardom. But being selected on the first day of the draft isn’t the only route to a successful career. Fifteen former undrafted NFL players are enshrined in the NFL […]
Column: USF men’s basketball, thanks for the fun season
This is a personal column about assistant sports editor Noah Vinsky’s first-hand experience covering men’s basketball. Sports have always run in my blood. Growing up, ESPN was nearly on a constant loop on my living room television. I came to USF knowing I wanted to be a writer. The Oracle seemed like a great place […]
USF’s Mindy McCord builds culture of “family and love” into lacrosse
At 23 years old, a career in coaching was not what Mindy McCord had envisioned. After a stint playing for one of the top field hockey teams in Australia following a successful college playing career, she returned to America. McCord was on track to earn a master’s degree in counseling at Virginia Tech while coaching […]
USF campus ministers offer perspective on stadium development: ‘Exciting benefit of exposure.’
Take a tranquil stroll down Sycamore Drive. It’s a quieter part of campus, hidden away from the usual hustle and bustle of USF. It’s home to an area colloquially known as “Religious Row,” a collection of on-campus religious organizations. In just a few years – with the construction of an on-campus football stadium – the […]
Here’s why these USF softball players chose their jersey numbers
For athletes, the number they wear is more than the added fabric on the back of their jersey. It often tells a deeper story about the players — who they are and where they come from. Here’s why these three USF softball players chose their respective jersey numbers. Related: USF softball is gaining momentum during […]
USF football head coach Alex Golesh: The man behind the process
Football coach Alex Golesh said USF has been on his mind since his own days as a college student when the program was top five in the country. “I distinctly remember sitting there watching it and thinking ‘What is S Florida and what are they doing in the top five in the country?’” Golesh said. […]