Sanford returns to Salt Lake

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004 | 9:02 a.m.

Utah offensive coordinator Mike Sanford was scheduled to fly back to Salt Lake City this morning after spending Wednesday interviewing with UNLV athletic director Mike Hamrick and school president Dr. Carol Harter about the school's vacant head coaching position.

The question now is, will he be making a return flight to Las Vegas anytime soon?

Sanford, 49, who calls the plays for a Utes offense that ranks third in the nation in both scoring and total offense, has long been considered the frontrunner for the position along with Purdue offensive coordinator Jim Chaney. His name has also been mentioned for a potential opening at Utah should Utes coach Urban Meyer move on to Notre Dame as expected.

Neither Sanford nor Hamrick returned calls by the Sun on Wednesday. It is believed that Hamrick would like to have his new coach in place by the middle of next week at the latest.

archive