Louisville's Charlie Strong might be the betting favorite to become Texas 's head coach, but Gainesville Sun reporter Pat Dooley tweeted Tuesday that that's not a bet he would take.
From Dooley's account:
Vegas has Charlie strong as top candidate at Texas. Talked to him yesterday and he had no interest.
— Pat Dooley (@pat_dooley) December 17, 2013
It's worth noting that despite the "Vegas" shorthand, the odds Dooley references are set at offshore sportsbooks.
As Urban Meyer's highly popular -- and highly successful -- defensive coordinator during his Florida tenure, Strong still maintains a high profile in Gainesville, and would be considered a favorite should the Gator head coaching job come open at any point in the near future. But it still might be a surprise if he had no interest in a job with Texas's stature and salary.
From the Longhorns' end, Strong's appeal would be obvious; the Arkansas native took over a Cardinal program reeling from the Steve Kragthorpe era and through shrewd defensive coaching and charismatic recruiting -- the sort that landed Teddy Bridgewater -- built a team that won the 2013 Sugar Bowl and came within one victory of a second successive BCS berth in 2013.
Still, "no interest" doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room. Strong could always be bluffing, but at this point, we'd join Dooley in expecting the 'Horns to look elsewhere.