I guess this was inevitable, with USC firing Henry Bibby as basketball coach:

Among the coaches believed to be interested in the position are former Utah coach Rick Majerus, who is currently a commentator for ESPN and lives in Milwaukee.
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Others interested include Manhattan coach Bobby Gonzalez, Pepperdine coach and former USC player Paul Westphal, and former Clippers coach Alvin Gentry. Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon, who is from North Hollywood, is also expected to be a candidate.

I’m not too worried yet. Nothing will happen until the end of the season. Andy Katz at ESPN.com writes that his name will come up because of his success and where he is from, but also says, “Dixon did get a long-term deal at Pittsburgh, and it would take a hefty sum to pry him away from the Panthers.” I’m not naive enough to think that Dixon wouldn’t entertain an offer, but I don’t think he will actively pursue the job. It’s not that USC doesn’t have or won’t spend the money, but USC has neglected its facilities for some time. Those will also need a big upgrade.

Well, now for the Coach Walt Harris and Pitt part of the rumors and reports. Apparently Harris has met with people from Stanford.

Walt Harris met with Stanford officials earlier this week, and his future at Pitt is becoming cloudier by the day.

He and Southern Cal offensive coordinator Norm Chow are considered the top candidates for the Cardinal job, but Harris might have an inside track now that both parties have shown interest. Chow is scheduled to meet with Stanford officials today.

Stanford athletic director Ted Leland, who hired Harris for the head coaching job at Pacific in 1989, has been “out of the office,” the past five days, according to a member of the Stanford athletic department, and he was believed to be meeting with Harris, possibly on Monday.

Pitt has not formally given Stanford permission to talk with Harris, who is under contract through the 2006 season, but Panthers officials did not attempt to quash Stanford’s efforts, despite knowing that Harris and Leland were expected to meet.

Unbelievable. It seems as if Pitt won’t even bother to pretend it wants Harris to stay. You almost have to believe that there is some personal animosity between Harris and someone important in the Pitt administration to have it go down like this.

Pitt better be damn sure about who it wants to hire and that it can get him. With ND and Washington both struggling to find their next new coach, there is lots of added competition.

Notre Dame received permission from the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday to speak to offensive coordinator Tom Clements about the Irish’s head-coaching vacancy, according to a source close to the situation.
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Clements has a solid Notre Dame pedigree–he quarterbacked the 1973 Irish to the national title, was an All-American in 1974 and graduated magna cum laude from the Notre Dame school of law in 1986.

Although he has no head-coaching experience, he played professionally for 12 years in Canada, spent four seasons as Lou Holtz’s quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame and is in his eighth year coaching in the NFL.
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The Irish, however, may not be his only suitors. Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris is expected to interview later this week at Stanford. Harris also is believed to be on Washington’s list of candidates for its head-coaching vacancy.

Pitt representatives, according to a source, already have indicated Clements would be among their top candidates if Harris goes.

There would be something funny about a ND guy, choosing to be head coach at Pitt rather than go back to his alma mater. Clements was the Steelers QB coach from 2001-03. I suppose the Rooney family might be amused to see Pitt poach someone from the Bills at this point.

I’m really stunned by what is happening at Washington, though. It would seem that Ty Willingham would be a slam dunk pick to be head coach. Yet they seem to be looking all around and willing to get crazy.

As for who is left, former Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham and Boston College’s Tom O’Brien remain the two coaches known that Washington has approached who are apparently still available.

Turner tried to hire Willingham as coach at Vanderbilt in 2001. Mississippi chancellor Robert Khayat was quoted by The Associated Press as saying that Willingham was no longer a candidate at Ole Miss because he is “interested in another job” — apparently UW.

O’Brien has also apparently emerged as a serious candidate — he and Turner got to know each other when each was employed at Virginia in the 1980s. O’Brien had been thought to also be a candidate at Notre Dame, but a source told the Boston Globe yesterday that the Irish are likely not interested in O’Brien, which would leave UW as his primary suitor.

Mike Leach of Texas Tech also remains in the mix, with several reports indicating that he is interested in the job.

There also continue to be rumors about LSU’s Nick Saban, who seems unlikely on the surface. But Saban was hired at LSU by Mark Emmert, who has since become president at UW, and has called Emmert the best boss he has ever had.

Walt Harris of Pittsburgh also remains in the running, though he is thought to be more interested in Stanford.

Among coaches who have been on the rumor mill but who sources said yesterday had not yet been contacted include Fresno State’s Pat Hill, Minnesota’s Glen Mason and former Nebraska coach Frank Solich.

I don’t think it is me, but Tom O’Brien has not impressed me with his work at BC. Not just because of the gak against Syracuse. He has been consistently outcoached when I’ve seen BC play.

I don’t know what to think anymore.