INDIANA FOOTBALL Ex-OSU coach interested in job

John Cooper said he was contacted by a prominent alum.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- David Cutcliffe, Frank Solich and John Cooper -- three out-of-work coaches -- have expressed interest in Indiana's vacant football coaching job.
Each told The Associated Press that they missed the profession and would consider returning to the sidelines, possibly in Bloomington. None of the three, however, said they had been contacted by Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan.
Indiana spokesman Pete Rhoda said the school does not comment on any potential candidates that an eight-member search committee named Monday is considering.
Cutcliffe was fired by Mississippi on Dec. 1 -- the same day Greenspan fired Gerry DiNardo. Cutcliffe coached both Peyton and Eli Manning in college and went 44-29 in six seasons with the Rebels.
Eager to return
After spending one week away from the recruiting trail, Cutcliffe already wants to return.
"I'm pretty eager," Cutcliffe said Tuesday. "I love the contact with the kids and the recruiting. I didn't know how much I'd miss it. Any time you have a chance to take over a program and make it better, it's exciting."
Solich went 58-19 in six seasons at Nebraska before being fired, at age 59, in November 2003.
He has not coached since, but Solich interviewed last year for the job at Army, where Greenspan also served as athletic director. He later withdrew from the search, and Greenspan eventually hired Bobby Ross.
But Solich's passion for the game has not waned. He spent this year traveling the country to study college and professional teams so he could use a more balanced offense in his next job.
"It was a valuable time for me because I wanted to see what other teams were doing on offense," he said. "All that did was fuel my fire to get back into it."
No official contact
Cooper, who went 111-43-4 in 13 seasons at Ohio State, spent this year doing color commentary and studio work on television and said he has already been contacted by a "prominent" Indiana alum.
He has not, however, heard from Greenspan or the search committee. Three years ago, Cooper also was interested in the Indiana job and he said Tuesday that he still missed coaching.
"Somebody called me from down there and I told them that if Rick is interested, to have him call me," said Cooper, who is 67. "At my age, any job I took would have to be a perfect fit. I'd listen, though."
Speculation has also centered on two other Ohio coaches -- Bowling Green's Greg Brandon and Miami's Terry Hoeppner.