West Virginia's coaching search took an abrupt turn yesterday: Florida State offensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher suddenly came into view as a candidate to replace new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.

It's a delicate situation, because Fisher, a native of Clarksburg, W.Va., cannot even interview or have any personal contact whatsoever with West Virginia officials. If there were, under his Florida State deal announced four days ago, Fisher would be subject to personally paying his $2.5 million buyout to Florida State. He joked about it to Tallahassee-area reporters when the contract, an extension through 2011, was unveiled this week that he could interview elsewhere so long as "somebody wants to pay $2.5 million. ..."

As it is, that buyout could present a hefty problem for Mountaineers administrators, who already have alienated a handful of deep-pockets donors who could pick up such a tab.

Fisher is an offensive coordinator with a pedigree, having served in that capacity on national-champion LSU before he went to Tallahassee as the heir to the Seminoles' head-coaching job once Bobby Bowden retires, as the new contracts strictly stipulate.

Because of those contracts, any negotiations are tricky and handled through back channels, which could last through the weekend. That also means Mountaineers officials were willing to deal with an agent/lawyer, after all.

Fisher is represented by powerful coaching agent Jimmy Sexton, who counts as his clients Alabama's Nick Saban of Monongah, W.Va., among others. Reached last night, Sexton declined comment.

West Virginia administrators settled on Florida assistant head coach Doc Holliday, a former Mountaineers linebacker and assistant along with a Hurricane, W.Va., native, who seemed ready to bring along a close Fisher friend and colleague, Florida State assistant head coach Rick Trickett. However, officials cooled on that ticket -- one source pinned it to the involvement of Gov. Joe Manchin -- and the search process continued, amid calls from boosters and even Bobby Bowden supporting candidate Terry Bowden of ESPN/ABC.

Holliday, Trickett, Bowden and Central Michigan first-year coach Butch Jones apparently remain the only candidates to receive true interviews.