Alex Golesh had apparently dealt with it. With his name popping up in connection with coaching vacancies across the country, the South Florida coach attempted to put everyone at ease.
“I have not,” Golesh stated before this week’s game against Rice when asked if he had engaged in talks with Oklahoma State about the opening there. “I addressed this a couple weeks ago,” the South Florida coach continued.
“I’m so focused and locked in on this program, this team; we’ve got so much work to do, but I have not,” Golesh emphasized. “For me, and I said it a couple weeks ago, it’s humbling that people bring your name up.
“But it’s because these guys (his players) have done an elite job of building this place to where people are taking notice. It’s a credit to our kids, a credit to our staff. But I have not,” Golish insisted in regard to any talks with Oklahoma State.
It’s doubtful that Golesh ever was directly involved with Oklahoma State, since the Cowboys just announced that North Texas’ Eric Morris has accepted the job.
Still, it was always difficult to ascertain just where Golesh stood in relation to USF, although he seemed to be committed to rebuilding the program.
“I came here to build something really special,” Golesh said before all the rumors started circulating. “I see this place as a really cool spot where you can build it the way you want to build it.
“They’ve (USF) invested greatly as they promised they would,” Golesh continued. “They’ve kept every promise that they’ve ever made to us. I’ve never in my career, outside of coming here, chased a job and I don’t intend to.
“I’ve got more than I’ve ever dreamed of. We’re super happy here, my family is incredibly happy here,” Golesh said. “To me, that’s more important than any conference affiliation.
“I’ve never, just never thought of it in the sense of ‘I’ve got to go chase a job,’ just never have and certainly this profession is getting crazier by the minute,” Golesh remarked.
“But when you have good people working for you and you feel like there’s a ceiling that you’re nowhere near achieving; I’m just not ready to say ‘well, what else is out there?’ That’s just me,” Golesh said.
“I’m sure some people will call BS on it but hopefully, when you look at my career, however long it is, when you look at what I’ve done in terms of I’ve never ever chased a job and I’m not intending to do so, if people are talking about us that’s a huge credit to our players, to our staff and to our university,” Golesh declared.
With the early signing date approaching, high school recruits can sign on Dec. 3rd, USF and Golesh needed to get his status settled as soon as possible.
“I tell guys the same exact thing I said here at the podium a few weeks ago,” Golesh commented. “We’re working incredibly hard to go finish the season the right way.
“We have chased nothing. We’ve had no conversations. All we care about right now is building on today. And as guys ask, as they should, they’re coming here to play for our staff, I get that, I’ve been as honest with them as I have with you guys (the media),” Golesh remarked. “I understand the concern.”
Off his remarks, Golesh seems to be a guy motivated more by making the College Football Playoff than making more money. But the way he has approached this always left you uneasy.
That’s because he really didn’t commit himself to anything beyond this year. He never said definitively that he wouldn’t listen to offers after this season.
And USF seemed to think he was on board. “Coach Golesh’s representatives and I continue to have a lot of great conversations and both they and Coach Golesh know how fully invested we are in his long term future at USF,” South Florida Athletic Director Rob Higgins said a few days ago.
“We won’t discuss the details of those conversations publicly and we appreciate how totally locked in Coach Golesh has stayed to our program and student athletes throughout the season despite what a lot of false reports that continue to circulate on line suggest,” Higgins concluded.
P.S. – Unconfirmed report: Alex Golesh has accepted an offer to become the next coach at Arkansas.
