Report: Decision has not been made on Dana Holgorsen's status at WVU
Dana Holgorsen's future as West Virginia's coach is reportedly unclear.
According to the Charleston Gazette Mail, there has been no determination on Holgorsen's future with the team. West Virginia lost to Kansas State on Saturday to fall to 7-5. The Mountaineers are playing Arizona State in the Cactus Bowl.
Now, though, there’s a decision to be made: fire Holgorsen or retain the coach.
As of Monday evening, the decision had not been made. All of the principals — Gee, Lyons and Holgorsen — were in New York. The WVU basketball team is playing a high-profile game tonight at Madison Square Garden against Virginia. There are Big 12 meetings going on. There are College Football Hall of Fame ceremonies going on. Lyons is a speaker at a sports business clinic.
When reached Monday, Lyons said he had no comment on Holgorsen’s status. Reliable sources, however, have said the athletic director and coach have talked about the situation a couple times. Those discussions will continue in the coming days.
Holgorsen has been with the Mountaineers since 2011. He has a 35-28 record over five seasons with the team, though West Virginia has fallen from where it was in 2011. The Mountaineers were 10-3 in Holgorsen's first season. Since then, they've had three seven-win seasons and a four-win season.
Holgorsen is also 15-21 in the Big 12 with West Virginia. WVU started the season 3-0 but fell to 3-4 after consecutive losses to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and TCU to start the conference slate.
It's not Holgorsen's fault the team got the four best teams in the conference to start the conference schedule, but if West Virginia had won one of those games (perhaps, say, Oklahoma State), there may not be as much uncertainty surrounding his job.
If WVU parts with Holgorsen, it owes a substantial buyout. The Gazette Mail reports its nearly $9 million for Holgorsen and his staff. Can the athletic department afford to pay the buyout and spend the money for a better coach and staff? Does it ultimately want to?
Plus, given that the college coaching carousel has nearly come to a stop, are there any go-to candidates remaining? All Power Five conference jobs have been filled. West Virginia could find itself in a situation similar to LSU. There may not be enough impetus for making a change.
For more West Virginia news, visit WVSports.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
