Columnist Steve Guiremand: Foul play suspected in Neuheisel hiring

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Feb. 11, 1999 | 10:43 a.m.

Steve Guiremand covers college football for the Sun. Reach him at 259-2324 or steveg@lasvegassun.com.

There is an interesting theory being floated among USC alums these days concerning the controversial hiring of Rick Neuheisel by the University of Washington.

Here's how it goes: Husky athletic director Barbara Hedges, formerly assistant athletic director at USC, returns to Troy to replace Mike Garrett, not exactly the most popular Trojan on campus these days. But before she does, she sticks it to folks in Starbucks-land, many of whom still view her as an outsider because of her SC ties, by going out and signing Not-So-Slick Rick to a seven-year contract worth an absurd $1.5 million per year.

Like we said, it's just a theory. But it probably makes a whole lot more sense than the hiring of Neuheisel by Hedges and company last month.

Do you realize that Neuheisel, who was on the hot seat at Colorado after compiling a 33-14 record in four years, is one of only four college coaches in the nation making seven figures? The others are Florida's Steve Spurrier, Florida State's Bobby Bowden and Tennessee's Phil Fulmer. Imagine what Neuheisel would have commanded if he actually had beaten Nebraska once in his four years in Boulder?

He makes twice as much as UCLA's Bob Toledo, who had a 20-game winning streak snapped with a season-ending loss at Miami. He makes four times as much as new UNLV coach John Robinson, who won a Rose Bowl as recently as three years ago and has a national championship to his credit.

Had the Buffs not held on for a 51-43 Aloha Bowl win over Oregon on Christmas Day -- arguably the biggest win of the Neuheisel era in Boulder -- he very well could have been entering a make-it or break-it year in Boulder.

Instead, Little Skippy, as he is not-so-fondly called these days in Colorado, hits the lottery in Seattle courtesy of Hedges and company.

Those in the college coaching fraternity were both shocked and delighted. Shocked because they couldn't believe that a Neuheisel could command such a high salary and delighted because it will trickle down and result in higher salaries for other coaches.

Neuheisel has never been very popular in the college coaching fraternity. He is regarded as one of the worst when it comes to negative recruiting, especially in regard to a couple of schools he attended, UCLA and USC. Many also feel he never really paid his dues as an assistant. And his guitar-playing clips on ESPN rubbed many the wrong way, even though he'd probably fit right in with the rock group Hanson if he grew his hair a little longer.

So when Neuheisel blew it on his new job by having his coaches visit eight prospective recruits during an NCAA quiet period (no face-to-face contact off campus) just before national letter of intent day, some of his colleagues were only too happy to pile on.

Colorado's Gary Barnett, Colorado State's Sonny Lubick, Washington State's Mike Price and Oregon's Mike Bellotti have filed a joint letter of protest with the NCAA. The Pac-10 Conference, which is looking into the matter, said the violations are minor and likely will not warrant a harsh penalty, even though five of the eight players illegally visited that Sunday eventually signed with the Huskies.

More than likely, the Pac-10 will allow those five prospects to remain in Seattle. More than likely, Neuheisel will be publicly reprimanded by the conference and a handful of scholarships withheld for a year or two.

But the timing -- not to mention some of the poor "I didn't know the rule" spin-doctoring out of Seattle -- couldn't have been worse for a program that was just getting over the effects of NCAA probation for more flagrant violations back in the late '80s and early '90s under Don James.

* ELSEWHERE: Mark down this date on your calender: Sept. 25. That's when Colorado visits Washington in what should be a very emotional contest. ...

This writer gives Utah a slight nod over BYU and UNLV in the Mountain West recruiting rankings. The Utes signed three of the top junior college wide receivers in California to fill their biggest need and made a big killing on prep talent in Hawaii, including two of the top players from St. Louis High in Honolulu, offensive lineman Sean Souza (6-6, 265) and running back Noah Campbell (5-10, 190). ...

Rivalnet recruiting, an on-line recruiting service, rated UNLV's class No. 57 in the nation just behind Virginia's and ahead of schools such as West Virginia, Colorado and San Diego State. ...

The difference in recruiting this year for the Rebels under John Robinson is that they lost a few recruits at the end to schools such as South Carolina and Oregon, not Boise State and Nevada-Reno. ...

Worst recruiting class in the Mountain West? Well, Air Force doesn't announce its list until the spring, so right now it probably would have to be Wyoming. However, Cowboys coach Dana Dimel has developed quite a reputation for finding and developing "sleepers" who aren't on most recruiting lists. ...

Wyoming, by the way, recently hired Emporia (Kan.) State head coach Manny Matsakis to be its offensive coordinator. Emporia State set 22 Division II records last season running Matsakis' triple-shoot offense. Dimel is noncommittal on whether the Cowboys will switch to that offense next season. Perhaps he's hoping to unleash a surprise in his season-opener on Sept. 4. He'll need it. The Pokes open at defending national champion Tennessee, which has 16 returning starters, including star quarterback Tee Martin. ...

Super 11 running back Paul Arnold of Seattle Kennedy, who signed with Washington over Notre Dame, has a Las Vegas connection. His legal guardian, John Johnson, is an ex-UNLV defensive back. ...

Florida State, which had another top-notch recruiting class despite being limited to just 13 scholarships, already has received a verbal commitment from one of the top junior quarterbacks on the West Coast, Brian Rix (6-3, 190) of La Puente (Calif.) Bishop Amat High School. ....

Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford, who turned down an opportunity to become offensive coordinator and assistant UNLV head coach under John Robinson, has accepted a job as wide receivers coach with the San Diego Chargers, where he will be reunited with good friend and ex-USC assistant Mike Riley. ...

Sanford's departure means Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie, who also lost offensive coordinator Jim Colletto to the Baltimore Ravens, defensive ends and outside linebackers coach Charlie Strong to South Carolina and defensive backs coach Tom McMahon to Colorado, has four openings to fill.