January is not your typical time for coaching rumors. With the retirement of South Carolina’s Dave Odom, we’ve got one. WSU coach Gregg Marshall’s name naturally came up as a successor. His success for nine years at Winthrop, located in Rock Hill, S.C., makes his a logical name to toss around.
WSU practiced at Southern Illinois on Friday afternoon. After a pretty good practice, Marshall said he was aware of the Odom story and the connections to him. He said he wanted to first focus on Saturday’s game. Monday, he will release a statement after consulting with athletic director Jim Schaus.
My experience with coaches changing jobs is minimal and I wouldn’t presume to know the whole story. I can tell you Gregg’s demeanor was not that of a coach making a life-changing decision or stressing about his future. His tone, regarding the South Carolina opening, was much more “This is a distraction I don’t want to deal with, and I’m going to deal with it Monday once and for all.” I don’t think WSU fans have anything to worry about. He was loose, joking and talkative after practice, even after discussing the South Carolina job. I don’t think that’s the behavior of somebody thinking about ditching WSU after 10 months.
I think the delay is 1) to give Saturday’s game its just due. It wouldn’t feel right for him to be drafting a statement less than 24 hours before a game. 2) Coaches are sensitive about these kind of situations and want their actions to strike the right tone. You don’t want to offend any of the parties. You don’t want to look like you are assuming a candidacy for a job before that candidacy exists. How do you politely turn down a job that may or may not be offered at some time in the future? I suspect the wording needs to be just right.
That’s my gut reaction based on a brief conversation Friday afternoon. Maybe I’m wrong. I guess there could be all kinds of back-room machinations going on right now to bring Gregg Marshall back to South Carolina. If Steve Spurrier shows up at the Hampton Inn in Carbondale, I will really start to wonder.