The buzz on Twitter is growing that Todd Graham is going to leave Tulsa for Pitt. At least from Tulsa media people. Naturally the caveat is that he is reportedly giving Tulsa a chance to offer him a new deal. Whether that means matching or coming close to Pitt’s offer, or something else is unknown.
For those of you looking to get back to your life, this means at least the Graham side of this could end by today.
Monitoring…
UPDATE (1:02): This article summarizes all that has been floating to this point.
Sources say that the Pitt deal is on the table to Graham and he is ready to accept, but has gone back to TU to give the school a chance to counter-offer.
All of TU’s assistants are at the Coaches Convention in Dallas. Graham will hold conference call with them some time this afternoon to inform them of his decision.
As one source told FOX23 Analyst Kenyatta Wright this morning, I think Graham to Pitt is “a done deal.”
The last hope for TU is the fact that Graham’s wife, Penni, loves Tulsa and may not want to go. And TU gets to make a counter offer to keep Graham.
Looks like it will be at least a little longer. Especially if he gives Tulsa time to put an offer together (assuming they want to).
UPDATE (1:40): According the Eric Bailey of the Tulsa World, the football team is having another team meeting at 4:30 eastern. They were supposed to have noon meeting about the OC, but pushed back.
Pitt and Tulsa head coach Todd Graham are close to a deal that would make him the school’s next head football coach, but talks are continuing today, sources told the Post-Gazette.
If the two sides agree on money issues, Graham could be named the new coach as early as Tuesday. If a deal is not done today, it is expected that Graham would pull out and the search would continue.
Or it could be this, according to Bob Pompeani of KDKA:
just confirmed Graham does have an offer AND a deadline he must decided by sometime tonight otherwise, Pitt will move on w/o him
It’s all coming a little fast and furious. Seems to be a lot of spin on both sides about who would be to blame if this falls through.
UPDATE (2:25): One station in Tulsa is now calling it. Saying that Graham is taking the Pitt job. They don’t cite anything new. They are just calling it for Pitt.
NewsChannel 8 has learned University of Tulsa head coach Todd Graham is taking the head coaching vacancy at Pittsburgh and a team meeting is scheduled for this afternoon.
So, there is that.
UPDATE (4:20): Lot of circle jerking in the media reports between Pittsburgh and Tulsa, but here’s one that offers a little more.
Sources within the TU athletic department said Monday afternoon:
“Todd has just left the building and gone home to pray about this with his wife Penni. But Pittsburgh already has a plane in the air headed to Tulsa to pick him up.”
Okay, who wants to track some private jets?
UPDATE (4:27): Thanks to twitter follower @WGroom for the info. A plane left Pittsburgh at 4pm for Tulsa.
Justinian, Graham’s got 6 kids…and a wife.
Curious to know how many candidates Nordenberg actually met with though.
Nice job on the coverage. You have done a great job! Thanks
H2P
Graham will be a good change of pace hire, the downside being he immediately carries with him a question of how committed to the future he will be.
I still feel like this is SP trying to cover his own ass, but given the circumstances, he could have screwed up MUCH worse. He’ll be gone soon, but he will leave us with a decent HC.
I’m looking forward to a qb competition next year. I’m not even dismissing Tino as the starter, but he will have to get a whole hell of a lot better. Competition brings out the best.
HTscriptP
– To be introduced tomorrow.-
Read more: link to post-gazette.com
Hail To Pitt!
His DC will be coming with him.
Keep up the great work!
HAIL TO PITT!
Now lets turn our sights on getting back OUR Big East Championship.
Let the countdown begin!
In addition to Penni Graham’s volunteer and charity work is her commitment to supporting her husband and TU’s football program. “It’s my priority mission,” she says. “We have 120 boys to be influenced and shaped in a positive way. We want them winning every day, in every way, as players, as people, as future husbands and dads.”
Here are the 2010 Salaries in the BE
Greg Schiano, Rutgers: $2 million
Skip Holtz, South Florida: $1.7 million
Charlie Strong, Louisville: $1.6 million
Randy Edsall, Connecticut: $1.55 million
Butch Jones, Cincinnati: $1.015 million
Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh: $1.01 million
Bill Stewart, West Virginia: $933,000
Looks like he will come in at or around Greg Schiano at Rutgers. for those complaining about PITT going cheap I guess you got what you wanted. Just remember that paying more money doesn’t mean you got what you paid for… we shall see.
Anyways, done deal so let’s move on. Good luck to Coach Graham and his future staff. I hope that he is calling potential recruits from the airplane. Not a lot of time to sip the champagne. He has a lot of catching up to do.
On a very positive note. It was refreshing to see the emotion shown by PITT fans. Clearly PITT has a passionate following that feels vested in PITT athletics.
My guess is that coach Grahams news conference will have less morality built into it and more comments about WINNING A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
We shall see. The news conference will show you how much confidence he has in himself. PITT fans want to here him say NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. Especially after what we had to endure this last few weeks.
H2P
Pennywise, Pound foolish
That should be the new Pitt slogan
DaveD
As so frequently pointed out, Pederson was not going to hire Bradley.
I hope this works out. The worst thing that could happen is that Todd Graham is a regurgitation of Mike Gottfried. Gottfried was considered to be a great offensive mind and a coach that could turn a program around (after going 5-6 at Cincinnati). We all know how that turned out. Pitt underachieved, Gottfried was fired, and the downward spiral under Paul Hackett began.
At any rate, Steve Pederson needs to be fired, the sooner the better, and of Nordenberg won’t fire him, then they both need to go. Pederson is an arrogant, smug ****. Pitt needs an AD who can mend fences with the alumni and advance the image and status of all Pitt athletics (as well as add varsity hockey, my unfounded hope).
Good luck and best wishes to Coach Todd Graham and his staff.
Maybe we can pick up Morris Watts to run the offense.
Will we have enough players left to field a team in 2011?? We have about a handful of recruits, several current players bolting for the draft and I would expect several others to start the transfer process.
Cant wait to finish fifth in the BE next year and it only cost Pitt $10 mil !!!! Yay!!!
