All week, I had heard from a few sources that Mike Locksley refused to be interviewed until after the Rose Bowl. Of course, when most every media outlet reports that he already interviewed, you start to get confused.
Well: Sources 1, Media 0.
One other potential candidate, Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, was reported to have interviewed with West Virginia, but on Thursday vehemently denied that he had talked to anyone.
"That’s crack media at its best,’’ said Locksley, who is in California helping Illinois prepare for the Rose Bowl. "I don’t know where the story came from.’’
This isn't a huge deal. Like I said, Locksley is just postponing an interview until after January 1. At the pace our search is going, that will be plenty of time to get in an interview before the March 1 press conference announcing our coach.
But, at least he's still interested:
Locksley, though, didn’t deny interest in the job if approached.
"I think it’s a great opportunity, a great job being a BCS conference school that’s had success,’’ Locksley said. "It’s a great opportunity for whoever they do hire, but having not been contacted there’s no need for me to even comment on it.’’
We're about 99.9% sure he's been "contacted." Maybe not officially, but all signs point to unofficial contact between WVU and Locksley.
UPDATE: One thing I forgot to mention....
Locksley publicly voicing his interest in the job is a great move on his part. With the groundswell of alumni support behind him, naming a new coach now would be highly unpopular.