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Pitt football coaching search likely coming to an end
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The Pitt coaching search appears to be winding down and things should move quickly now that the school's leading candidate, Florida International head coach Mario Cristobal, officially has finished his season.
The Golden Panthers played Marshall Tuesday in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl. Cristobal, who has not yet been formally offered the job, asked Pitt over the weekend to wait until after the bowl game for further discussions about the position.
Cristobal could be offered the job as early as today, and if he accepts it -- a big if considering reports that the Miami native would like to stay in his hometown -- he could be introduced Thursday.
If things don't work out with Cristobal, it appears as if Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst has moved ahead of Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell as the next guy in line.
Chryst, according to a source, helped his cause greatly with an excellent interview Saturday in Pittsburgh.
He also was a candidate during the search that led Pitt to Todd Graham in January, but his interview did not go well and he was dismissed as a candidate by the committee.
Meanwhile, a newspaper report Tuesday also linked Jim Tomsula, the defensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers, with the Pitt job, but there appears to be no substance to that report. Tomsula is from Homestead and coached at Woodland Hills briefly in the 1990s.
First Published December 21, 2011 12:00 am
