Scratch Jeffcoat, but what about Leavitt?
Published: 1/18/2010 11:55 PM
Last Modified: 1/18/2010 11:55 PM
It doesn't sound like Houston defensive line coach Jim Jeffcoat is coming to Oklahoma.
Sooner fans wanted him to replace Chris Wilson as defensive ends coach, if for no other reason than Jeffcoat's son, Jackson, is the second-ranked high school D-end in the nation. Well, Jeffcoat told Houston's FOX 26 Sports that he will remain with Kevin Sumlin and the Cougars in 2010.
Where does that leave young Mr. Jeffcoat? Still trying to decide between OU, Texas, Houston and Arizona State.
"My dad wants me to be happy," Jackson told the FOX outlet. "If I go to Houston he will be happy. If I go somewhere else he will be happy."
"It's not difficult," Jeffcoat said. "My parents did that for me... I want him to make a decision that best suits him, not me, his mother or anyone else."
Jackson says he'll visit OU this week, and might make a decision next week.
Meanwhile, back on the Sooners' staff, Bob Stoops may turn to an old friend to fill Wilson's void. FootballCoachScoop.com reports Stoops has spoken with Jim Leavitt about the job. Leavitt is the coach who was fired at South Florida last month after a USF investigation found him guilty of striking one of his players, and then lying/witness tampering during the inquiry.
Leavitt went the legal route to get his job back, but an undeterred USF hired Skip Holtz away from East Carolina (looks like ECU is going to take Rick Stockstill from Middle Tennessee to replace Holtz, for those trying to keep up).
Anyway, Stoops and Leavitt date back to their days as Bill Snyder's co-defensive coordinators in the early 90s. Stoops is staunchly loyal to old pals, and has no doubt kept in touch with Leavitt since the USF craziness. To the point of offering him OU's D-ends position? Well...
Leavitt could use a year in Norman to sort of bide his time a la Bo Pelini in 2004, after Nebraska chose Bill Callahan over Pelini (nice call, that one) as head coach and Stoops' Youngstown neighborhood buddy needed a place to land.
It's an intriguing idea, a Stoops-Leavitt reunion. At least one blogger, Allen Kenney of The Bleacher Report, thinks it's a bad one.
"If the events of the past few weeks have shown anything, it's that the days when drill sergeants took their cues from football coaches are long gone," Kenney writes. "Kids these days won't take cruel and unusual punishment that is supposedly making them into better football players. Frankly, they shouldn't have to.
"What kind of message would Stoops hiring Leavitt send to recruits? For now, he's toxic."
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
