By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

University of Cincinnati athletic director Bob Goin hotly denied Monday that former Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie had been in the process of negotiating a long-term contract to become UC's new football coach when he withdrew from consideration.

ESPN.com, citing sources close to the negotiations, reported that Davie, who works for ESPN as a college football analyst, was close to signing a long-term contract with UC. It said that Davie was in Cincinnati on Friday to interview and returned Sunday night and Monday to check out the campus and look at housing.

"He pursued this job and he wasn't close to being offered it," Goin said. "This is a self-serving release on his part. He called (UC deputy director of athletics) Dean (Billick). He pursued that (screening) committee. The committee showed him around the facilities and showed him around housing.

"He pursued us to say, 'I'd like to get involved in the job' and then he goes and pulls that. He was not going to be offered our job. He did it for self-serving purposes."

In a statement released through ESPN, Davie said, "Because of the commitment Cincinnati is making, I have no doubt they will be successful in their effort to compete in the Big East . . . (B)ut I am no longer a candidate for the head-coaching job."

Goin said Davie was on a list of six candidates who were forwarded to an evaluation committee from a screening committee.

He confirmed that former Nebraska coach Frank Solich is also on that list. Mark Dantonio, the defensive coordinator at Ohio State, is also believed to be on the list, although Goin would not confirm that.

Dantonio said Monday that he has been contacted by UC.

"But I don't know where it's going," he said.

Goin said the job has not been offered to anyone.

"We're going to get a great coach, and I'm excited about that. The last thing I want it to be is that somebody else turned down an offer that just did not occur."

Goin said he sticks by his target of naming a successor to Rick Minter by the end of the year, but said it could occur earlier, possibly as soon as this week.