Pelini Denies UM Link
MIAMI (CBS4) - University of Miami athletic director Kirby Hocutt has been very quiet since the head coaching job was rejected by former NFL head coach Jon Gruden. But that doesn't mean Hocutt hasn't been busy looking for a new coach.
According to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald, Hocutt is planning to meet with Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Bo Pelini. The Hurskers coach has three straight winning seasons, and two straight appearances in the Big XII championship game. The Herald reported that Pelini given permission to pursue the job.
However, Nebraska athletic director Tom Osbourne told the Lincoln Journal Star that Pelini has not been given permission to speak to Miami about the job and Pelini says he didn't seek permission to interview for another job.
It might be a tough sell to UM though after officials said they didn't want a coach with baggage.
Pelini had a very public meltdown on the sidelines and after a game against Texas A&M this season and has spent the past few weeks in damage control. His Huskers team was later knocked out of the BCS during the Big XII championship game.
That said, he's only 43-years-old and has already won a national championship as a defensive coordinator. He's a tireless coach who has worked at LSU, Oklahoma and Nebraska. He also is directly responsible for the rapid development of Ndamukong Suh into a first-round NFL draft pick last year.
Pelini, according to the Herald, has shown a mixed reaction to the UM job. But if UM wants him, they had better go and get him in a hurry.
UM's recruiting is taking a major hit from the uncertainty at the school. Plus, now that the University of Florida's head coaching job is open, UM is no longer the top destination for a coach.
Pelini, or any coach for that matter, will have to deal with a fickle South Florida fan base and no on-campus stadium. That's a far-cry from the decades of sellouts at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.
It is a non-denial, denial when he was asked about the UM head coaching job by the Omaha World-Herald. Pelini said he would, "not respond to rumors and innuendos."
Pelini and Hocutt have ties to each other. When Hocutt was assistant athletic director at Oklahoma, Pelini was the co-defensive coordinator.
