no reason for him not to listen if they are throwing a lot of cash his way.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3741224
Texas Tech coach Mike Leach has met with Washington officials about the Huskies' soon-to-be vacant head coaching position, according to media reports in Texas and Seattle.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and Seattle Times reported that according to sources, Leach met with Washington officials on Monday in Seattle.
Texas Tech AD Gerald Myers said he's preparing to offer a contract extension and raise to Leach, according to the Avalanche-Journal. Myers would not confirm or deny that Leach had interviewed at Washington, but expected that Leach would tell him if he were a serious candidate for the job, according to the report.
"I think he would if he's serious about it," Myers said, according to the report. "I think he would let me know. So I don't know. He wouldn't have to tell me, but I haven't heard from anybody, the coaches or anybody else about that."
Myers said he's had contract numbers in mind for Leach, but added that Texas Tech's 11-1 record and share of the Big 12 South le had increased what Leach deserves, according to the Avalanche-Journal.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely," Myers said, according to the report. "I think that was part of our reasoning [for waiting until December], to see exactly what the team accomplished, how they did, and I think it will have an impact on the numbers. We've always tried to compensate our coaches on what they accomplish."
Leach did not return calls seeking comment on Tuesday, the newspaper reported.
An Alaska Airlines employee privy to passenger lists confirmed that Leach and his wife arrived in Seattle on Monday afternoon and left Tuesday around noon, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Leach's agent, Gary O'Hagan, would not confirm that Leach interviewed with Washington.
"We're moving along and making some good progress, talking to lots of people, which is what we wanted," university president Mark Emmert said of the search, according to the Seattle Times. "I think we will be able to resolve this in the near future, but I'm not going to tell you what I mean by near future. But I'm really confident we are going to have a coach in place before the LSU game."
The winless Huskies (0-11) are looking for a new head coach to take over for Tyrone Willingham after the current season ends with Saturday's game against Cal.
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How much money would it take to leave an 11-1 program you built yourself to try and resurrect a doormat like U-Dub? One clue: June Jones left Hawaii when SMU gave him five years at 2M per season.
edit: nice move flying him there commercial, Huskies.
no reason for him not to listen if they are throwing a lot of cash his way.
June Jones left Hawaii because the facilities sucked.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colle...-resigns_N.htm
900K annual raise to a state with no income tax and a lower cost of living didn't factor into that at all?
In Washington, Leach will be a god..............because there is nowhere for that program to go but up.
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Would you rather live in Lubbock or Seattle?
Since Leach still needs to negotiate a deal with Tech, it makes sense, if nothing else, to determine his market value while putting some pressure on Tech to worry about whether it will be able to retain his services.
It could be that Leach would seriously entertain the Washington job. UW has a historically significant program that has won consistently in the past and was winning consistently as recently as a few years ago. USC is obviously the 800 pound gorilla of the Pac-10, but as Oregon State proved this year (and Oregon last year before ravaged by injuries; Cal before that; Washington State before that), it is possible for other schools to jump into conference le contention -- something that is going to be difficult, at best, at Texas Tech. The chances to get to the BCS and think about national les improve significantly if you're in a conference that you actually have a realistic shot to win.
At the same time, Leach has built that Tech program into a 2nd tier power -- good enough to beat either UT or OU in most years (but not both) and pretty clearly the 2nd best football program in Texas. Reportedly, he really likes Lubbock and talks regularly about a long-term future there. If Leach stays in Lubbock, he essentially writes his own ticket and can presumably stay at Tech for as long as he'd like. I don't think Leach is the sort of dude who feels much pressure -- he basically is who he is and little will change that -- but he's got less pressure in Lubbock than he'd face in Seattle, too.
I'd like to see Leach stay at Tech and continue to build that program, but I couldn't blame him if he left for UW, either.
I hope he does, I would love some more power in the Pac. Does Washington even bring good recruits, though?
This is exactly what I am thinking. The more he looks around the more money ttek will be willing to pony up to make him stay.
I was in Lubbock last weekend for the game, and I asked a few people around there what they thought of Mike leaving.
They said that he would probably stay for the following reasons-
1. Mike has stamped his iden y on the Raider football team. His love for pirates has become ingrained with the fans in Lubbock. I saw just as many Jolly Roger and Pirate flags as I did "Double T" flags. Not a lot of programs (especially ones that have been historically successful) are going to let a guy stamp his iden y on the program.
2. Mike has things just the way he likes. He has some pressure, but it is not a major market, so he really only has to answer to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal.
3. He love Lubbock (or so he says in interviews)
lol, Seattle. Still, I don't know if he can find as many good player up there in Washington (at least the ones that will sign with him even though he's probably a fun coach to play for).
Hmmmmm......I seem to remember Washington as ALWAYS being in the top 10 in the 90's. They get alot of players out of California and also Samoans.......those dudes are huge!!!!
Most Samoans now now come to USC. USC does the most recruiting in Hawaii than any other school not named Hawaii.
Yeah, but recruiting goes in cycles. Just because its that way now, doesnt mean it will be that way in 2yrs.
You can definitely win at Washington. And Washington has been a historically good program, with several national les and many Pac 10 les. There is some question about whether UW can rebound from the sorts of historical lows that they're now experiencing, but the fluidity of the Pac 10 says to me that it wouldn't be that terribly difficult (other than at Stanford, perhaps) to build a program that can at least win periodically.
I buy the notion that Leach loves Lubbock and that environmentally, he's going to be hard-pressed to match what he's built there. But if he's going to make a jump -- for money or any other reason -- this is the prime time for him to do so. Tech will likely be down next season and back to playing for mid-range bowl games until Leach can put together another group like the one he has now (I'd think Tech's ticketed for something more like 6-7 wins in 2009 and a lower-tier bowl game). Leach's stock won't be this high again for at least a few years, I suspect, and his currently-high profile will aid him in recruiting, whether he's in Lubbock, Seattle, or someplace else.
this year?
I'll take your bet.
you're asking the wrong question.
the question is "would Leach rather live in Lubbock or Seattle?"
I bet ya.................uhhhhhhhhhhhh............Hmmmmm mmmmmmm????
He will leave.
If he leaves I will put "I love and support UTSA roadrunner football" in my sig
Ok DEAL!!! And if he doesnt, I will put "I love and support UTSA roadrunner football" in mine
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I'd be crazy not to take this bet
Personally, Lubbock. Don't like cold, don't like crowded cities.
I think it get colder in Lubbock than it does in Seattle personally.
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