Pitt assistant coach, Tom Herrion decided the Marist job wasn’t the gig he wanted. He pulled out of consideration.

“I informed Tim Murray earlier today that I was withdrawing my name as a candidate for the vacant position,” Herrion said in an e-mail to the Poughkeepsie Journal on Monday night. “I enjoyed the opportunity to meet some excellent people at Marist and I appreciate their interest and wish them the best. I am sure they will find an excellent candidate.”

Marist apparently targeted 4 assistants and St. Benedict’s Prep Coach Danny Hurley for the possibly hiring. It now looks like Memphis assistant Chuck Martin is the only guy who still has his name in the pot.
For the first time in a couple years, Pitt won’t have to replace an assistant (so far).

I really thought Pitt basketball would get through this off-season without having to replace another assistant coach. Heck, it now may be that Pitt may not have Assistant Coach Tom Herrion by the opening of the late signing period (Wednesday, April 16).

Either way, there are still other positions to be filled, even if they aren’t getting national headlines. One of them is in MAAC, where Marist continues to search for Matt Brady’s replacement.

According to sources, the leading candidate is Pittsburgh assistant Tom Herrion.

If so, Marist would be wise to close the deal ASAP.

Just remember, Clyde Vaughan would be eager to join.

The Stanford job is open, but seriously, that’s not a job Dixon would take at this point. Aside from, at best being a lateral move, Stanford AD Bowlsby was an idiot. He put off Trent Johnson’s contract talk all season — then wasted two weeks after the season without making an offer (Johnson was in the last year of his contract). What? He thought no one would be interested in a classy, clean coach who won at Nevada and Stanford?

Besides, how eager would Stanford be to hire a Pitt coach after what happened with Walt Harris?

That said, expect rumors and reports that Jamie Dixon is in California. Because he is.

Pittsburgh basketball Coach Jamie Dixon is returning to the Southland Saturday to be honored by his alma mater, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, at the school’s annual Knights of Honor dinner-auction gala at the Universal Sheraton.

…

UCLA Coach Ben Howland, a close family friend, will introduce Dixon. Jimmy Kimmel is the master of ceremonies at the event.

Yes, Jimmy Kimmel is the MC of a HS alumni event.

Bob Smizik puts himself into an interesting little corner in his chat.

SDWC: Hi Bob, I noticed in your column this morning a line stating “It’s nice to see a coach with his eye on the real target “. Was that meant to be a quiet dig at Jamie Dixon and the Pitt BB philosophy?

Bob Smizik: Yes, it was a reflection on how Pitt proceeds in the post-season. It was refreshing to see Therrien have his eye on the big prize and not the conference title.

There’s a few other Pitt basketball questions after that, and then this.

Baxter: Who has had the more successful basketball program over the past several years? WVU with two sweet 16 appearances and one elite 8 appearance with an NIT title in between or Pitt and its early exits from the NCAA tourney.

Bob Smizik: Pitt, with its Big East TOURNAMENT championship, probably feels it has been more successful. I also think it has the better record, although I don’t have those numbers in front of me. But based on NCAA play, the big prize, I’d say West Virginia has the more successful program.

By recent years, that is then limited to just the past 4 because WVU hadn’t been in the NCAA Tournament since 1998, prior to 2005. Then by that logic, John Brady and LSU is a more successful program in recent years. A lot of good that did the new coach at Arkansas -Little Rock State.

Sorry, I can’t buy into that. There’s no question that the NCAA Tournament matters. That it is the big prize. But to be outright dismissive of the regular season and the Big East regular season and the Big East Tournament is beyond moronic. No, I take that back. It speaks of someone who just doesn’t care about college basketball beyond the NCAA Tournament at best. Arguably, it is one of the worst things about being a college team in a pro town. The mindset.

It’s that reasoning which allows the BCS to survive, as proponents point to the claim that at least with the BCS, the regular season matters. That every game counts and it isn’t just to get to the playoffs.

Hopefully this will take care of anymore “Dixon will leave for Cal” rumors.

Multiple sources told ESPN.com that Cal made an attempt to hire Dixon within 24 hours of firing Ben Braun. Dixon told the Bears he wanted to stay at Pitt.

Arizona State also tried to hire Dixon before Herb Sendek took the job in the spring of 2006.

There is a perception that Dixon wants to move back to the West Coast because he is from Santa Barbara and his wife is from Hawaii. In truth, he is not looking to get back there as his family thoroughly enjoys living in Pittsburgh.

That’s not to say he won’t still get a new extension and raise from Pitt.

UPDATE (11:29): Oh, and not that it was really an issue but TCU (Dixon’s alma mater) has apparently hired Jim Christian from Kent State.

‘Tis the season. The coaching carousel is in motion and it is time for speculation, wishlists and rumors. In a sign of both the job Jamie Dixon has done at Pitt and the increased reputation of the program, there are only a couple places where Dixon’s name is being bandied about.

West Coast roots issue seem to be the driving thing for any Cal rumors.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, who’s from Southern California and might feel like he has taken the Panthers as far as they can go (which is the Sweet 16 — that’s be OK with Old Blues).

Telling is that there is not even a hint that the whole West Coast thing would be enough to even pretend that would be enough to get him to look at Oregon State. Really, the Cal thing seems very unlikely since it wouldn’t even be a lateral move. I don’t take that one very seriously. And really, Randy Bennett at St. Mary’s seems like the best choice there.
The one that has to be watched, though, is Indiana.

But the best job available is still Indiana, where the names most regularly mentioned as potential replacements are Washington State’s Tony Bennett, Xavier’s Sean Miller and Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl.

Two other names making the rounds here at the East Regional: Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and Texas’ Rick Barnes.

Tony Bennett seems like the best fit, but I could also see Miller being their guy. Rick Barnes has no incentive to leave Texas. Fertile recruiting, lots of money and not as much pressure. I don’t see Dixon as their pick, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they sought him out to talk.
Understand, though, that while Indiana fans are more polite and not nearly as outwardly insane, they have similar delusions like Kentucky. IU fans are setting their fantasies on getting Billy Donovan from Florida.

This will be going on for a while — unfortunately.

UPDATE (3:15): For what it’s worth, Andy Katz at ESPN.com (Insider subs) doubts Dixon would leave.

Pitt’s Jamie Dixon will be mentioned for jobs at Cal and Indiana, but all indications are that Dixon enjoys living in Pittsburgh and has a strong fondness for the school and all that it has done for him. I don’t expect him to leave.

So, there’s that.

Billy Donovan is a graduate of Providence and a legend there. Of course, even if Providence could somehow match the money he makes as coach at Florida, he’s not taking their vacant coaching job.

Just as Ohio State coach Thad Matta left his alma mater, Butler for the Xavier job, alumni ties only matter when the gig is better than the one you have. If the jobs are equal, then then money has to be better.

I mention this because the TCU job is now open. It’s not a particularly good job to take. It’s in the Mountain West. It’s behind everyone in the Big 12 and the school doesn’t put a lot into the program.

That doesn’t stop the silly talk.

He needs to go June Jones on Pitt coach Jamie Dixon.

Full-court press him. Money-whip him. Beg him. Make him an offer he finds himself unable to refuse because he has never seen that big of a number in front of that many zeroes. You know and I know you can afford it, Danny.

Of course, you are probably thinking: Why would Dixon leave Pitt, currently a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, for TCU, even with a truckload of cash for an incentive?

He is an alum, for starters. And he’s a beloved alum at that, responsible for “The Shot Heard Around The Southwest Conference.”

Dixon also wanted this job back when former AD Eric Hyman hired Dougherty. Oops. Yes, even from South Carolina, Hyman has to want a mulligan on what ultimately has to be chalked up as a monumental screw up.

The other thing is there is something a bit fishy about the whole Pitt situation because word always seems to be leaking about how unhappy this coach or that coach is there.

This is not to say Dixon is unhappy or eagerly awaiting a call from his former school. To get him to listen, to get him to consider jumping from a Big East power into an obvious rebuilding situation is going to take a lot of selling. And a lot of money.

I always love that. The presumption that a program that hasn’t really cared in quite some time, and has never spent the money will just change it’s mind and it happens.

Beyond that silliness is a simple reality of contingency planning from Dixon’s side of things. As the columnist points out, Dixon is a “beloved alum.” Dixon has also established himself as a top coach. To go completely cynical, if things were to suddenly go completely wrong and downhill over the next several years and Dixon found himself unemployed. Don’t you think TCU would still be happy to get him? A proven coach with a trackrecord of success and an alum from one of their best teams in the past 30 years?
Even if TCU found themselves with a successful coach in the intervening years, the nature of the business means that one would be moving on anyways. TCU is merely vital fallback/insurance for Dixon.

So anyways, family was in town over the weekend to keep me away from the computer.

Pitt has a new Linebackers Coach and I’m guessing the guy who will be doing recruiting in Florida: Joe Tumpkin.

Tumpkin also coached the linebackers while with the Mustangs (2005-07), serving under then-SMU head coach Phil Bennett, who is now Pitt’s defensive coordinator.

“The addition of Joe to our coaching staff fills three important needs for us,” Wannstedt said. “Number one, Joe is a seasoned linebacker coach. Secondly, he has worked extensively with special teams. Finally, as a Miami native, he is very familiar with the state of Florida and has recruited there the last several years. We’re excited about him joining us.”

Tumpkin, like the now departed, Aubrey Hill, also received a minority NFL fellowship. Tumpkin spent his last summer with the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Apparently Rivals.com — despite putting Pitt at #28 in the national recruiting rankings, which is actually a place higher than right after signing day — likes Pitt’s recruiters. Greg Gattuso was named Big East recruiter of the year and Matt Cavanaugh made the list of top Big East recruiters.

Rivals.com highlighted an assistant coach for their recruiting prowess from seven conferences, including each of the six BCS leagues. Gattuso was lauded by the website for “(pulling) off a huge upset when he reeled in cousins Cameron Saddler and Shayne Hale from Gateway.”

Gattuso “was a huge part of Pitt’s success in Western Pennsylvania,” Rivals added, also mentioning his role in helping to recruit quarterback Tino Sunseri (Central Catholic), linebacker Manny Williams (Clairton), defensive back Antwuan Reed (Greater Johnstown) and tight end Mike Cruz (Bishop McCort).

…

Rivals also lauded Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh on its Big East Top 10 Recruiters list, crediting him with helping the Panthers attract standout wide receivers Jonathan Baldwin (Aliquippa) and Mike Shanahan (Norwin) as well as running back Chris Burns (Wilmington Area).

Rivals.com also produced a Big East signing day dream team (only HS players). Pitt had the most players on the roster with 5: Jared Holley, Shayne Hale, Lucas Nix, Jonathan Baldwin and Cameron Saddler. Louisville and ‘Cuse placed 4 each, WVU and Rutgers with 3 a piece, Cinci and UConn 2 each and USF with 1.

Marcel Pestano — who it was already known that he was leaving Pitt — and Greg Webster have transferred to D-II California (PA) University.

Phil Bennett made SI.com’s Stuart Mandel’s list of impact coordinators hired.

The recently deposed SMU coach made a name for himself under Bill Snyder at Kansas State, where his defenses ranked in the top five nationally all three seasons (1999-2001). At Pittsburgh, he inherits another that ranked fifth in the country last season, trailing only Ohio State, USC, LSU and Virginia Tech.

Led by star LB Scott McKillop, the Panthers return 18 of 22 players on the defensive two-deep that bottled up West Virginia in their memorable season-ending upset. That defense is a major reason many prognosticators (myself included) expect Pitt to make the leap from 5-7 to top-25 contender next season, but it will require a successful transition from Paul Rhoads (now at Auburn) to Bennett.

He, who I would rather not mention, was not on the list.

It was officially announced that Bryan Bossard was hired as the WR coach.

Bossard coached the Terps receivers for the past three seasons and prior to that he coached receivers at Delaware from 2002-04. He has previously worked under Wannstedt — as a summer intern with the Chicago Bears in 1996 and 1997 — and he was a standout defensive back at Delaware from 1985-88.

This had been known for a while, but was just made official. Bossard was fired from his gig at Maryland shortly after losing the Emerald Bowl. In the game, several passes were dropped by receivers.

“Surprised? Probably not,” Bossard said yesterday.

“It’s part of the business. Whenever things don’t go as planned, someone’s always got to take the fall. I think we made plays, too. I would hope it’s not just off of one game. But again, who knows? You’re asking the wrong person why this happened.”

Bossard said Friedgen started scrutinizing the wide receiving corps during a three-game slide during this season.

Meantime, injuries took their toll. Danny Oquendo and LaQuan Williams suffered injuries that knocked them out of action toward the end of the season, forcing the team to use younger players such as redshirt freshman Emani Lee-Odai.

No strong feelings one way or the other on this. He’s a Delaware grad and I’m amused that his two sons are named Xen and Xyon. The hope is that he will help with inroads into Maryland and Virginia for recruiting.

There was also the hiring of a couple graduate assistants.

Wannstedt also announced the additional of graduate assistants Scott Turner and Greg Williams. Turner, the son of San Diego Chargers coach Norv Turnrer, will focus on the offense, while Williams works with the defense.

The bigger news is that Pitt had yet another assistant leave for a new job.

Pitt special teams coordinator Charlie Partridge has resigned to become the defensive line coach and will work with specialists at Wisconsin. Partridge has been with the Panthers since the 2003 season in various capacities.

“Charlie is an excellent young coach and I am very appreciative of the contributions he made to our program,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “We certainly wish him and his family the very best in his new opportunity.”

He is the fifth Pitt assistant to leave Wannstedt’s staff since the end of the season.

You would think Pitt had played in a BCS bowl the way the staff has been picked apart this off-season.

Partridge was offered the job a couple years ago when Bret Bielema took over as head coach at Wisconsin.

Partridge came to Pitt under Walt Harris in 2003 and was retained when Wannstedt took over before the 2005 season. That’s why Partridge didn’t feel comfortable leaving a year later to join Bielema’s first staff.

“Essentially, I was out of a job,” Partridge said after Harris left for Stanford. “Coach Wannstedt came in, to make a long story short, he had the trust and faith to keep me on staff. I built a good relationship with him, but I couldn’t leave Pitt after one year, do that to him.”

Partridge’s wife’s family lives only a couple hours from Madison and Partridge was a college roommate of Wisconsin’s Defensive Coordinator, Dave Doeren. It is expected that Partridge will take over a lot of Florida recruiting from Doerento allow him to focus more on coordinator duties.

As for who Pitt will hire to take the job, there are a couple of internal possibilities. Sam Clancy is being mentioned — he came back to Pittsburgh a couple years ago to finish his degree and help as a volunteer assistant coach with the D-line. Bob Junko might be brought out of administrative duties to handle special teams. Gattuso might move to coach linebackers from the D-line.

I have to believe Pitt has to hire someone, though. The loss of Partridge and Hill means there are no assistant coaches with ties or connections to Florida. Pitt may not have focused too hard on Florida this past recruiting season, but it is too vital a state with too much talent to ignore.

As for the loss of Partridge, well, you hate to lose a top recruiter. That was his best quality as a coach. He was considered one of Pitt’s best recruiters on the staff.

The coaching acumen, I’m not exactly sure Pitt is losing too much. Pitt’s special teams haven’t been too impressive (think about the USF fake punts), and Pitt actually uses some starters on special teams. D-lien wasn’t exactly a strength when he was working with them. The linebacking corp that he and the departed Rhoads worked, didn’t exactly develop beyond MLB Scott McKillop.

The papers are reporting the hiring of former Southern Methodist head coach Phil Bennett to fill the defensive coordinator position that was vacated Paul Rhoads. Bennett and Dave Wannstedt have known each other for years but the hiring comes as a bit of a surprise. It seemed the leading candidate had to be Greg Gattuso.

The past experience (Post-Gazette):

Bennett was the head coach of the Mustangs from 2001 until this past season, when he was fired after a 1-11 season. Prior to that he was the defensive coordinator for three seasons at Kansas State and had stops as an assistant at Oklahoma (secondary, 1999), TCU (defensive coordinator, 1998) and Texas A&M (defensive coordinator, 1996-98).

He was fired from SMU and they (somehow) managed to upgrade to ex-Hawaii coach June Jones.

Wannstedt says:

“In Phil Bennett we are getting an immensely knowledgeable and talented coach. Phil is not only going to be a major asset for us defensively, but his tremendous experience will benefit our entire program.”

A friend who lives in Dallas and has seen a fair share of SMU games tells me his schemes are aggressive and utilize the blitz very well. That should fit well with what it seems Wannstedt wants to do with the defense — which I believe is everything we saw starting with the Cincinnati game and culminating with the great performance against WVU. That is, different blitzing packages and schemes and less of the “read and react” garbage. If DW and Bennett mesh well together, Bennett could end up be a very good addition to the staff.

Mr. Bennett, at this point the shoes you are filling are not very big. I find it hard for you to do much worse than Rhoads did. Again, thanks to Auburn for taking him.

Tony Wise, now a former New York Jets employee, was the favorite and front-runner to get the offensive line coaching job. He’s coached with Dave Wannstedt in the past, and today he was hired.

“Tony Wise brings to Pitt an outstanding record of teaching offensive line play at the highest level,'’ Wannstedt said. “We started our coaching careers at Pitt together, and I was always continually impressed by both his coaching style and teaching ability. I know he is going to be an immediate asset for our players on and off the field.'’

Obviously as a coach, he knows what to do to get players to be successful in the NFL. He coached for so long in the pros that he knows what the good players have and can teach it to his linemen at Pitt. Not only is it good for current players but it should help attract new recruits in the future.

He’s saying all the right things and appears to be enthusiastic about returning to Pitt and the college game. I’m already expecting better results than those of Paul Dunn.