WVU coach says he was not offered Crimson Tide job
Posted: Wednesday December 6, 2006 12:25PM; Updated: Wednesday December 6, 2006 9:42PM
In recent weeks, Rich Rodriguez has repeatedly said that he plans on being with West Virginia for the rest of his career.
James Lang/US PRESSWIRE
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Alabama athletic director Mal Moore returned to campus Wednesday, declining to say whether he had offered the football coaching job to West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez.
Moore met with Rodriguez in New York on Tuesday, but the Mountaineers' coach said he was not offered the Crimson Tide coaching job during that 90-minute session, also attended by his wife, Rita.
"I don't have anything for you guys yet," Moore told reporters after his plane landed at the Tuscaloosa County Regional Airport.
Asked if he had made an offer to Rodriguez, he declined comment. Moore's comments, and his return, were reported on the Web sites of
The Tuscaloosa News and
The Birmingham News.
He had planned to attend Alabama's men's basketball game at Notre Dame Thursday night, but returned to Tuscaloosa instead.
Rodriguez said after the 90-minute meeting Tuesday that he and Moore "just talked a little bit" at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, site of that evening's College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
"We really didn't go into any particulars, and we really didn't discuss my candidacy or Alabama's interest," Rodriguez told
The Birmingham News in a story Wednesday. "We learned a lot about each other."
He characterized the meeting as "informal" and told the
Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette that no offer was made. Rodriguez attended the West Virginia-North Carolina State basketball game Wednesday night, and declined comment.
The Birmingham newspaper reported that Alabama was prepared to offer Rodriguez the job and he could be hired as early as Wednesday or Thursday.
The
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Tuesday that Rodriguez would give Alabama a "48-hour window" to make an offer.
Moore declined comment on the meeting or the Tide's search.
He also held meetings involving other candidates while in New York,
The Tuscaloosa News reported, but the paper didn't know if those were with the coaches or their agents or both.
Rodriguez has a 49-24 record in six seasons at West Virginia. He has six years left on his contract, worth about $1.1 million annually with performance bonuses potentially worth more than $400,000.
Wake Forest's Jim Grobe and Navy's Paul Johnson have also been mentioned as possible candidates.
Grobe has repeatedly said he isn't leaving Wake Forest.
"I'm a Wake Forest guy," he said Tuesday. "All I can say is I have no interest. I am not after a job. I'm not looking for a job. I'm perfectly happy and satisfied at Wake Forest."
The Tuscaloosa paper also reported that Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban remains in the picture. Saban has denied interest in the job, and Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga said he expects the coach to return next season.
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