Slow Start

OK, so a quick round-up of the latest rumors (both 4th and 5th hand) on the coaching search. Take each with a gain of salt and the understanding that all of this could end up on it's head in a week or two.

Chris Peterson isn't interested in UCLA. This shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone who has followed Peterson's career. He is a Northwest guy, his roots and family are there. He was in LA this week for a recruiting trip, but swore up and down that he wasn't coming for an interview. This might be posturing since he still has a bowl game with Boise State playing Virginia. Who knows.

UCLA isn't interested in Mike Leach. Like a lot of bloggers and fans, I'm left scratching my head on this one. I'm not a big fan of Leach but for Guerrero to just flat out turn him down is baffling. He is an innovative offensive coach, he's had nothing but winning seasons in Lubbick (though no conference titles), and money apparently isn't a stumbling block. Leach reportedly would even go under market value to take the job. To me that sounds like a guaranteed interview at the very least. For Geurrero... not so much. I guess Leach's slightly quirky personality isn't a "fit" in Westwood.

Mariucci is interested in UCLA's money. He was quick out the gate as a candidate but the rumors circulating is that the Mooch wants a lot of money (at least by UCLA standards). Somewhere north of $2 million. That might be too high for Dan and the Bruins don't have a history of paying anywhere close to that for a coach.

So, with all of that said, we've moved into a second round of names. Jim Mora Jr, the DB coach for the Seattle Seahawks, has come up a lot. Apparently Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen is said to have some interest. Montana coach Bobby Hauck, who was a graduate assistant at UCLA during the early 90's has been seen his named come up in a few conversations. Even former Bruins' offensive coordinator, Tom Cable, who is the OL coach for the Oakland Raiders, has also been mentioned.

Norm Chow is also getting a lot of attention these days. His history as a great offensive mind is definitely attractive after watching the Bruins play into the 96th best offense in country this season. Norm has been rumored to want the job, but then again, his name gets mentioned for a lot of coaching positions. The Bruins might have to wait until after the NFL season to get Chow.

The only person, who for sure is a candidate, is DeWayne Walker. He has an interview scheduled with Guerrero for this week or next. Walker only has two years of defensive coordinator experience and no time as a head coach. Guerrero said that experience was a big plus, but not a necessity for the job, but I think most fans (myself included) would like someone who has been there before. I really hope Walker stays on the staff, even if he isn't given the head coaching gig, because he has done a good job with the defense and his recruiting prowess is phenomenal.

The only other big head scratcher during the week is that Guerrero is just now hiring a firm to help in the search. I assumed that he would have done that months ago, or at least picked out a firm before Dorrell was fired so they could start their search the next day. Apparently, Dan wasn't kidding when he said he was still evaluating Dorrell's performance. As in, he decided to fire Dorrell and then started thinking about a new coach. I guess all of us were already looking for a new guy after the Notre Dame game. It's kind of disheartening to see things take off so slowly. I just hope this isn't indicative of the entire search process.

Guerrero has a Favorite

The Los Angeles Times reported last night that UCLA and Dan Guerrero already have a short list of candidates for the head coaching job. The man on top of that list is Boise State's Chris Peterson. The other two big names are Leach and Mariucci.

It is good to hear that Dan is on the same page as many UCLA football fans. I would be OK with any of the three names mentioned and Peterson would also be my favorite. The only concern with these choices is how much UCLA would pay. The University is notorious for not playing well and picking up coaches on the cheap. That's probably one of the main reasons why Dorrell ended up on the short list last time... he was affordable. But a source for the LA Times said that

financial hurdles are not believed to be a problem for Guerrero, as "the money will be there for the coach who is the right guy," a source familiar with the situation said.

Another good piece of information is that Guerrero is looking to retain DeWayne Walker. Walker has been contacted about the head coaching job up at WSU and his name has been brought up for a few other positions as well. If the Bruins can keep Walker then the bulk of the 2008 recruiting class would probably stick. I strongly believe that Walker will continue to develop into a great defense coordinator and his dedication and success on the recruiting trail make him an extremely valuable asset to UCLA. I don't think he is quite ready, at this time, to be the head coach.

All of this is very good news and I'm glad to see that Dan Guerrero and the administration are in sync with what the fans have been saying for months. Make an investment in a good coach and put football as a top priority. It is a cash cow and this investment will reap dividends in the future.

(photo credit: AP)