USC Offensive Coordinator, Norm Chow had a 6+ hour meeting/interview/tour of Stanford yesterday. As near as I can tell, it is now presumed that Coach Walt Harris is Stanford’s top choice because Chow wasn’t offered the job that day.
Harris had some informal talks early in the week with Stanford officials, and is expected to interview at the campus this weekend. It almost appears as if it is a game of chicken between Pitt and Harris as to what will happen in some reports.
Today, though, Harris meets with Pitt AD Jeff Long.
Harris wants to have some answers today so he can begin to plan for his next step, said a source familiar with the situation. But contrary to some reports that he wants to leave, Harris’ preference is to remain with Pitt with a contract extension and a raise so he can complete the rebuilding job he started eight years ago.
The question is, does Pitt want him back. Pitt has to know it can’t just stay with the present contract. Look up in Syracuse at what has been happening with their recruiting as Pasqualoni has just been playing out the length of his contract the last couple of years.
This little note at the end of the article makes me nervous — it says that Defensive Coordinator Paul Rhoads removed himself from contention for the Utah State head coaching job. This is pure speculation, but Rhoads has somehow been spared much criticism the last couple of years for the porous nature of the defense — and the lack of fundamentals — in the media. He is, by all accounts a great guy to talk to, and appears on better terms with the administration than Harris. You don’t suppose…
For what it’s worth, former Pitt RB Curtis Martin, thinks Harris should be kept by the school.
“My philosophy is that you don’t have to fix things that aren’t broken,” Martin said. “Maybe I can’t see it from the outside, but I really believe that he has the potential to take Pitt to higher and higher levels, and he has been doing that. I think when he inherited the team, it was just in a bad situation. He is turning them around, in my opinion. Let him keep his job.”
Hopefully, this will be resolved soon.
