GAINESVILLE, FLA. — With the recruiting season about to resume, Florida moved closer Sunday to an important deadline to hire a new coach, and Bob Stoops of Oklahoma was still the leading candidate.
Citing sources, The Gainesville Sun and Orlando Sentinel reported athletics director Jeremy Foley offered the Oklahoma coach the job and a raise of between $400,000 and $1 million from the $2 million a year he makes with the Sooners.
A source close to the football program, however, told The Associated Press on Sunday that no offer had been made. A day earlier, the same source told AP that Stoops was the top candidate.
Also Sunday, Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, a good friend of Foley's and long considered one of his favorite coaches, said he'd be willing to talk about the opening, although he said he has not been contacted.
"We always teased each other that if the job were open, he'd talk to me," Shanahan said. "Obviously, he's a friend of mine and I would talk to him about it. I'm very happy here. I've got a contract and I intend on keeping that contract, but that doesn't mean I won't sit down and talk with Jeremy."
Shanahan's contract pays about $4 million a year and he would almost certainly take a pay cut. He has a new house in Denver, and his reputation is still strong, even though the Broncos have had three straight disappointing seasons on the heels of two straight Super Bowl titles.
Asked about the search Sunday, Foley refused comment. He is essentially a one-man search committee in charge of replacing Steve Spurrier, the man who took Florida from decades of mediocrity to one of the top programs in the country in his 12 seasons.
There is something of a deadline to meet. The dead period for recruiting ends Saturday. Foley would like to have somebody in place by then.
Stoops was defensive coordinator here for three seasons and ran Spurrier's defense during the 1996 national-title year.
Shanahan was offensive coordinator at Florida from 1980-83.
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