Report: Holtz, Irish Talked

South Carolina Coach Lou Holtz reportedly was contacted Saturday by an official from Notre Dame, which is searching for a replacement for George O’Leary.

Holtz was asked about a report Monday in the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune, which said Holtz took the call during a meeting with his coaching staff.

Holtz previously coached at Notre Dame for 11 years. According to the paper, he was asked for a list of viable candidates for the Irish’s opening. Whether Holtz’s name was mentioned in that context was unknown.

Lou Nanni, a Notre Dame vice president for communication and community affairs, said it would not be out of the realm for officials to seek advice from Holtz.

Holtz was asked about the report at practice on Monday, but he deflected talk away from the topic and steered it toward his team.

“The only thing I’m thinking about right now is preparing my team to face a good Ohio State team,” Holtz said at practice.

The Gamecocks play the Buckeyes in the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl.

South Carolina sports information director Kerry Tharp said that Holtz was contacted strictly for advice. He did not know whether Notre Dame had received permission from South Carolina Athletic Director Mike McGee to discuss the opening.

McGee was out of town and did not return calls.

Holtz has said little about the coaching search at Notre Dame, which he directed to a national championship in 1988. He still follows Notre Dame closely. After the South Carolina-Georgia game, he had someone call the Associated Press office in Columbia, S.C., to get a Notre Dame score.

One possible Notre Dame candidate shut the door on Monday.

Jacksonville Jaguar Coach Tom Coughlin said he has no interest in leaving the NFL team--a statement he didn’t make when the job came open the first time.

“I really have no interest in any other job,” Coughlin said. “This is where I want to be, in the National Football League, Sunday afternoons, one o’clock, all those things.”