PRO FOOTBALL REPORT / WEEKDAY UPDATE : AROUND THE NFL : Will Lou Holtz Go Pro?

Despite his denials, Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz has intensified his interest in head coaching positions with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Minnesota Vikings, according to a published report.

Columnist Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News on Thursday quoted sources as saying the impetus for Holtz’s job hunt is the NCAA’s 2 1/2-year investigation of the University of Minnesota, where Holtz coached in 1984 and 1985.

Holtz is in the final year of his contract at Notre Dame. He denied Wednesday that he is “looking to leave” the school. But Domowitch speculated that Notre Dame probably would not want Holtz if he is tainted by the investigation.