Say what you will about Skip Holtz‘s tenure at South Florida, but the guy has at least continued the program’s annual tradition of not meeting expectations which started with Jim Leavitt. In fairness, I’ve done my part to make sure those expectations were set high -- if not unreasonably high -- before a down of football was played.
So with the season halfway over, it’s only natural for USF fans to feel disappointed in a 2-4 start that has the Bulls at the bottom of the Big East. After going 8-5 in Holtz’s first year in 2010, USF fell to 5-7 last year. That record mat be a reach this season.
That has, indirectly or not, caused USF athletic director Doug Woolard to release a statement on the future of the program. Below is the statement in its entirety, courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times. It’s not a vote of confidence, nor is it a promise of change. It just sort of... is. That’s probably not a good thing either considering it’s being released mid-season.“I know Skip, his staff and the players are working diligently to get that next win, and to find sustained success. Certainly, the results, in terms of wins and losses to date, are disappointing to everyone involved with our program -- the coaches, the players, athletic administration and our passionate fans. Our expectations for this program are very high. I also know this team has a lot of football left to play and great opportunities in front of it. We’re only six games into a 12-game regular season.”
“We are going to provide all the support possible for our football program, including employment contracts that reflect our commitment to success. Many factors come into play when considering contract terms, including conditions in the national coaching marketplace. In Skip’s case, multiple BCS schools sought his coaching services at the end of both the 2010 and 2011 seasons. As a result, we felt it was important to maintain the stability and continuity of leadership in our football program and extended Skip’s contract.
“As has been our practice in the past, we will evaluate the status of each of our 19 programs at the conclusion of their respective seasons. We’ll identify where we are as a football program at that time and continue to build from there.”Holtz received an extension over the summer that keeps him in Tampa through 2017. But, as Woolard’s statement says, Holtz’s status will be addressed once the season is over.