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Players show support for Rhoads
The group wanted to grab the attention of athletic director Jeff Long, who met with the media to discuss Harris' move to Stanford and the search to find his replacement.
Rhoads officially threw his hat into the ring for Harris' job after Long identified him as a candidate yesterday afternoon.
"I'm excited about the opportunity, and in my ability to lead the University of Pittsburgh to heights I know I can achieve," Rhoads said.
Long was asked if the players would yield much influence in this process.
"Our student-athletes are at the heart of this search, and they are at the forefront of my mind as we search for a leader of this program,'' Long said. "But I won't comment on something that an athlete has said to me as an endorsement of one candidate or another.''
Long added, "Coach Rhoads has expressed his interest in leading the program, and I would have expected that. And I think that Paul is a quality man.''
When Ben Howland left for UCLA two years ago, Pitt hired top assistant Jamie Dixon, who was named Big East Coach of the Year as a rookie in 2003-04. Dixon, though, was not the first choice. Pitt had hoped to land Skip Prosser.
As for Rhoads, 37, he is seen as an up-and-comer with an ability to relate to players and recruits. His defenses were among the best in the nation until a falloff last season. The son of a coach, Rhoads was the valedictorian of his high school senior class and was a high honors student during his college playing days at Missouri Western.
Current Pitt verbal commitments Bryan Williams, a cornerback from Akron Buchtel High, and John Brown, a lineman from Burrell, said yesterday Rhoads would be a solid choice.
In fact, Williams said he got the impression that Rhoads would take over after speaking with Panthers assistant Bob Junko. Still, Williams said he plans to take more visits until the Pitt situation is settled.
"(Junko) was talking like Coach Rhoads is going to get the job," Williams said, although he did not receive a guarantee from Junko. "If coach Rhoads gets the job, they'll be at the top of my list."
"I would really hope it would be coach Rhoads or Coach (J.D.) Brookhart," Brown said. Brookhart is a former offensive coordinator at Pitt and current head coach at Akron. "If it wasn't either one of those two, I'd like it to be a Pitt guy or somebody associated with Western Pennsylvania."
Other potential candidates are former Miami Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt, a former Pitt player and assistant, Carolina Panthers defensive line coach Sal Sunseri, a former Pitt player and coach, Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, and Oklahoma defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, among others. Long said he has a short list of candidates.
