Holtz impressed USF early in whirlwind coaching search

In the Twitter Age, six days often seem more like six years.

As soon as USF President Judy Genshaft and Athletic Director Doug Woolard announced the firing of Jim Leavitt on Jan.8, Twitter feeds, fan message boards and other tools of modern technology speculated rampantly on who would be the Bulls' next football coach.

"I was in three countries and 50 cities and hired, I think, 21 people," Woolard quipped Friday, shortly after introducing Skip Holtz as the new coach.

In the end, six days after Leavitt was fired, Holtz accepted USF's offer during a telephone call from Genshaft a week ago today. But how exactly did Holtz end up as USF's coach?

The day after Leavitt's dismissal, USF retained NCAA hiring specialist Chuck Neinas to provide names, numbers and other information relevant to a major college coaching search. Connecticut's Randy Edsall came highly recommended, but wasn't interested in leaving UConn.

Holtz also surfaced immediately as a top target provided by Neinas. By the afternoon of Jan. 10 - approximately 48 hours after Leavitt's firing - Woolard made the initial contact with Holtz to gauge his interest. Holtz was intrigued by the opportunity, launching what he calls "a whirlwind" next few days.

On the night of Jan. 11 and into the wee hours of Jan. 12, Woolard, USF associate athletic director Bill McGillis and former Bulls AD Lee Roy Selmon met with Holtz in Orlando, where Holtz had arrived for the American Football Coaches Association annual convention.

The meeting lasted around three hours.

"I was very impressed with every one of them," Holtz said. "It was a very personable approach. I'm walking out of that meeting thinking this is a great situation."

USF had other interviews scheduled for Jan. 12, including one with former NFL quarterback and ex-Grambling coach Doug Williams, a former teammate of Selmon's with the Bucs.

"We had a really talented, really diverse pool," Woolard said.

Still, the search honed in on Holtz the afternoon of Jan. 13, when USF's search committee flew to Greenville, N.C., to meet again with the 45-year-old son of former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz.

When Woolard, McGillis and Selmon returned home last Thursday evening, Holtz and his family were on the plane with them.

"The more time we spent with Skip ... we just felt like this could really be a good fit for USF," Woolard said. "The continued type of conversation that we had was important. I don't think you can do this with a one-time meeting."

Holtz got the call from Genshaft offering him the job last Thursday afternoon while in his East Carolina office discussing the situation with his wife, Jennifer. After accepting the offer, Holtz talked with his ECU players, met with the local media, then headed home to pack.

By around 8:30 that evening, he was holding another team meeting - at USF to introduce himself to the players. Later that evening, he was at one of Selmon's local restaurants meeting boosters and other top USF officials.

Finally, Friday he was introduced to fans at an on-campus news conference that turned into a boisterous pep rally.

All it took was six days and one very difficult decision.

"I could have stayed in Greenville the rest of my career and been extremely happy," Holtz said. "It wasn't a matter of saying no to East Carolina as much as I wanted to say yes to the University of South Florida."

BOGGS HONORED: Former USF soccer player Zak Boggs was named the 2010 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup winner Tuesday in Atlanta. The award is presented annually to a collegiate and professional athlete who has made the greatest positive influence on others.