College Football | With UW, Pat Hill says he had "great" talk

Washington's monthlong search for a successor for football coach Tyrone Willingham appears to be intensifying as the regular season closes, as sitting coaches are now available to interview.

And Sunday, Pat Hill recorded a milestone in the search, becoming the first candidate to publicly acknowledge speaking with the Huskies.

Hill, who has been the coach at Fresno State for 12 years, confirmed before entering FSU's season-ending team banquet on Sunday that he interviewed with UW officials on Saturday.

Hill, in a 54-second interview with Fresno reporters, called his meeting with UW officials "a great conversation."

"They talked about their goals, their expectations, the facilities they're going to build and the things they're going to do to put Washington back on the map amongst the best teams in America," Hill said in comments reported by The Fresno Bee and TV station KPGE. "That's what they want to do.

"They asked me about what my blueprint for success was, what my expectations and goals were. And in the end, I'll say this — whoever accepts that job is going to have a great challenge but a great opportunity to be successful," said Hill, who is 92-60 at Fresno State.

Hill's interview with UW indicates that he is a serious candidate for the job. But others remain in the mix, according to sources.

One said that Cincinnati's Brian Kelly has already had conversations with UW officials, and another said Kelly might interview with Washington this week. However, one source said Sunday an interview this week might be difficult to squeeze in because Cincinnati is due to leave Wednesday for a game at Hawaii.

Kelly is 21-5 in two seasons at Cincinnati, leading the Bearcats to the Big East title this season.

While Hill would come with apparently few financial complications — his contract does not include any penalty for leaving — Kelly could be a little more involved. He is reported to have a $2 million buyout if he leaves for another school before Jan. 15, 2009.

Kelly, however, is also thought to be a prime candidate for the Notre Dame job, should it come open, and one source said he would favor that position over Washington's.

One source also said that the Huskies are expected this week to reach out to Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, who apparently said he didn't want to entertain any discussions of other jobs until after his team's regular season. Leach is widely believed interested in looking at other options but has not said publicly whether he would be interested in UW.

Another source said Utah's Kyle Wittingham remains high on UW's list.

The only other candidate confirmed to have interviewed is Notre Dame offensive coordinator Michael Haywood.

One coach once rumored as a candidate, Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen, is apparently off the market with reports coming that he will become the new coach at Wyoming. Christensen, a native of Everett, was a walk-on at UW from 1980-82. Sources said UW never contacted him.

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com