Following up on my post earlier, it looks like the Panthers have settled on Todd Graham as their new football coach, as the Post-Gazette’s earlier report that Pitt and Graham were talking today has been updated to show that an agreement has been reached.
Barring any last-minute complication, Graham likely will be introduced as the new Pitt coach tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Graham is supposed to meet with his team in Tulsa at 3:30 p.m. today CST (4:30 EST time), where he is expected to tell them of his decision.
The holdup today was supposed to have been Graham’s and his assistants’ salaries, but it appears those details have been ironed out. Just a month after Graham claimed he loved Tulsa and was staying there, the Panthers have him.
“It’s very flattering to get people to inquire,” said Graham, who didn’t comment if schools have had contacted him. "When you got a system that works (at TU) and love where you live …
“My family loves it here. I have three kids attending the University of Tulsa. That’s a pretty good gig. I think sometimes you can think the grass is greener and you can get humbled in a hurry.”
Here’s hoping he doesn’t end up humbled, or that he doesn’t use Pitt as a stepping stone to somewhere else he can be humbled. He’s taking a tough job at Pitt, with recruiting issues and at least a couple of top players departing for the NFL draft. He has a hard road ahead of him, but at least the Panthers can put the embarrassing Mike Haywood incident behind them for now.