Reports: FAU offers coaching job to former Arizona coach Mike Stoops
By Marcus Nelson
UPDATED AT 11:19 a.m. - Last week, OwlAccess.com reported exclusively that Florida Atlantic Athletic Director Craig Angelos was flying to Arizona to interview Former Arizona coach Mike Stoops in person.
That meeting may have gone extremely well, with FAU extending an offer for Stoops to become the Owls’ next coach, according to two internet sites that reported the news late Friday night and early Saturday morning.
Angelos denied the report to OwlAccess.com on Saturday morning.
"There have been no decisions made with regard to any of the candidates," Angelos said in a text message.
Stoops was 41-50 as the Wildcats' coach from 2004 until being fired this season after a 1-5 start. Stoops was 27-38 in Pac-10 play but led the Wildcats to three bowl games in his tenure.
The site that first reported the news that Stoops had been offered the job, coachingsearch.com, also said Stoops "may soon also have the opportunity to join Urban Meyer's staff at Ohio State as the defensive coordinator."
Another web site which follows coaching moves and is well-read among coaches and others in the industry, Footballscoop.com, also reported the offer and then followed with this response on Twitter, perhaps giving an indication that an agent (possibly Stoops') is using the leak of the offer for possible leverage.
Re: Mike Stoops to FAU, we aren't saying he's accepted yet, we're told he has an offer. #agentssaythingsforareason
Sources have told OwlAccess.com that Angelos is asking candidates to make a decision in time to hold a December 5 press conference to announce them as the Owls' new coach.