West Virginia football coach Dana Holgorsen has been spending time in Texas of late, but expects to return to the Mountain State and fill at least one of the two open assistant positions soon.
Holgorsen then hired Oklahoma State assistant Joe DeForest and New York Jets assistant Mike Smith last month before Smith returned to the NFL team. (Football Scoop, by the way, reported that DeForest recently received a total of $81,666 in bonus money from Oklahoma State. As an assistant to Mike Gundy, he received $66,667 for the Cowboys' BCS appearance, $10,000 for the Big 12 title and $5,000 for finishing in the Top 10.)
Holgorsen said he's looking forward to returning to the Mountain State and watching the WVU basketball team. Some junior football recruiting prospects are scheduled to visit the Morgantown campus this weekend and take in the Louisville game.
Reach Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827, mitchvin...@wvgazette.com or follow him at twitter.com/MitchVingle.
West Virginia football coach Dana Holgorsen has been spending time in Texas of late, but expects to return to the Mountain State and fill at least one of the two open assistant positions soon.
"I want to do something this week," Holgorsen said.
The Mountaineer coach downplayed rumors connecting New York Giants assistant Al Holcomb to the openings. He then outlined his strategy.
"What I want to make sure of is the right fit," Holgorsen said. "I want to have a united staff. I don't want one divided like when I first got there.
"We want the best fit and the best coaches. People might not understand. They always want some big splash. But with me it's always about the best you can get."
Holgorsen chuckled over the intense interest of the search.
"Just put in there we're only going to coach with seven, and half are going to coach on both sides of the ball," he joked. "Hey, it works on the small-college level."
Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich and defensive backs coach David Lockwood joined Rich Rodriguez's staff at Arizona last month.
Holgorsen then hired Oklahoma State assistant Joe DeForest and New York Jets assistant Mike Smith last month before Smith returned to the NFL team. (Football Scoop, by the way, reported that DeForest recently received a total of $81,666 in bonus money from Oklahoma State. As an assistant to Mike Gundy, he received $66,667 for the Cowboys' BCS appearance, $10,000 for the Big 12 title and $5,000 for finishing in the Top 10.)
Holgorsen said he's looking forward to returning to the Mountain State and watching the WVU basketball team. Some junior football recruiting prospects are scheduled to visit the Morgantown campus this weekend and take in the Louisville game.
Reach Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827, mitchvin...@wvgazette.com or follow him at twitter.com/MitchVingle.
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