Report: Walker stays if Neuheisel hired

Columnist Tom Dienhart of the Sporting News wrote this morning that UCLA interim head coach DeWayne Walker "would remain at UCLA as defensive coordinator if Rick Neuheisel gets the head coaching job, according to a source close to Walker. [Washington coach Tyrone] Willingham is also talking to Walker about his opening as defensive coordinator at Washington.

"Neuheisel remains the most logical choice to take over in Westwood. He has been humbled by his experienced at Colorado and Washington. And he told me a few months ago he is eager to return to the college ranks. Plus, UCLA is his alma mater. Neuheisel has a magnetic personality, which would help the program battle the big persona of USC's Pete Carroll.

"And, maybe even the most vital: Neuheisel will come relatively cheap.

"It all makes too much sense."

Comment: Two aspects of the situation in favor of Walker staying in Westwood are (1) Walker's son, a wide receiver, is committed to attending UCLA and (2) if he stays at UCLA, Walker can keep his defensive coachins staff in place, especially line coach Todd Howard and linebackers coach Chuck Bullough. Even if Washington is willing to pay Walker a lot of money, he'll be asking what they can pay Howand and Bullough and possibly others and that combination may be too much for the Huskies to handle.

Comments

[Brian]

Hey Mr. G the A.D. Did you get my resume I faxed? I haver never been on Probation (at least from the NCAA). I promise to yell and scream at the cameras everytime we fumble!

[Bill Baldwin, Jr.]

Considering I am a graduate of USC, I promise not to make this a habit. Figure it's just a one time event ( as the color Powder Blue frankly makes me puke), but isn't this whole fiasco of finding a replacement for Karl Dorrell truly becoming a farce? And isn't it fairly obvious that UCLA really has or should have two jobs to fill instead of just one --- Head Football Coach AND Athletic Director?

Bill Plaschke of the Times can be a bit of a drama queen at times, but he's right in the case of Dan Guerrero's fumbling around ( ah, I could say something, but I'm a guest here so....) trying to find SOMEONE who'll take the football job at The Southern Branch ?

Before Mike Garrett was hired as AD at USC, where as a student he was the first of seven Trojans so far to have won the Heisman, we had a guy named Mike McGee, who was supposed to be this great judge of talent. He wasn't and after a painful tenure ( highlighted by the Larry Smith era ), McGee was sent packing. Garrett made a few mistakes at the start, but by and large he has done a fantastic job as AD- hell, we just won the Women's Soccer National Championship for the first time.

In contrast, it apears the only person in LA who didn't know Karl Dorrell was going to get the axe was Dan Guerrero. That''s what it looks like from this end of town anyway, as we prepare for yet another Rose Bowl - the game, not the stadium.

Rick Neuheisel got jobbed at Washington by an AD who was herself not up to the gig ( she was once Assistant AD at USC) and would be a heck of a coach, but you may have lost him thanks to Guerrero. And as Plaschke notes, DeWayne Walker also would be a fine coach, as he's proven over the past two years by running the only part of the your football team that consistently got it done.

Terry Donahue, one of the original Gutty Little Bruins, and a guy I played baseball with as a kid, must be fuming like most other Bruin alums at the process underway at present. And if that isn't bad enough for you, here you have a Trojan feeling sorry for your collective plight and sending you this Sympathy-gram.

If that doesn't make YOU puke, then you deserve your lot, not LOTT, in life. Isn't it bad enough you selected UCLA in the first place?

Bill Baldwin, Jr.
USC Class of 1967

[Brad]

I don't buy it. If he doesn't get the Head Coaching job, he's gone. Stay here and work under that cheater Neuhisel? Can't see that happening. At some point pride comes into play also. Would you stay if they hired a cheater with no integrity over you? And then you have to coach under him?

Heres a question, if Walker was so willing to stay, why not tell Willingham. Thanks for the opportunity, but no thanks?

Also if his ultimate goal is to be a Head Coach, what helps you more? Going and turning another defense around? Or staying where you are? Heres your answer. ask Gene Chizik. Help turn Auburn's defense around as DC and went to Texas to be their DC and after one Season, he was the Head Coach at Iowa State. Or better yet ask Bo Pelini. He went Oklahome to Nebraska to LSU and now is the HC at Nebraska.

[Dawglb]

Walker stays only because his son is on the team.

[cv]

Brad is exactly right!

[JoeBruin]

I think Guerrero should be given a break since, afterall, he hired Ben Howland and Dorrell ran a clean and classy program producing 25 Pac-10 All-Acadmenic players this season. Where do we stand on the Reggie Bush story by the way?

[pk-in-the-mesa]

Wow they found out that Guerrero was also paying the Bush family, he wanted Reggie to transfer but he couldn't get the handicap parking permits to seal the deal.

[Shane]

This search is turning into a joke. It's obvious there was NO thought put into what would be done if Dorrell was fired. Just hire Walker so we can move forward.

[Jon K.]

Fire Guerrero!

This is ridiculous.

Angry.

GO BRUINS!