NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — For those tracking the future of Tulane football coach Willie Fritz, it was an eventful day. On the media Zoom to promote Saturday’s American Athletic Conference championship game, SMU vs Tulane, Willie Fritz was asked about the possibility of speaking to the University of Houston about their head coach opening.
Fritz didn’t deny it, and to his credit, didn’t throw out pablum coach speak. When asked if any contact with Houston would have to wait until after Saturday’s game, Fritz was succinct.
“Yes,” said the Tulane football coach.
Hours later, at a press conference to announce his hire, new Tulane athletics director David Harris said the school was prepared to offer Fritz an “attractive package.”
He would not get into details.
However, a source later Monday told WGNO Sports that Tulane is prepared to pay Fritz “at least what Houston coach Dana Holgerson made this season.” That would be $4.5 million.
The source said that an intense part of the discussions to retain Fritz also centered on two key pieces, pay for assistants, and facilities.
“David Harris doesn’t want to be known as the guy who let WIllie Fritz get away,” said the source.
Those kinds of dollars, and that type of commitment, would be staggering for a school that penny pinched its way through the BCS years of college football.
But, look at it this way. One of the reasons why enrollment is rising at Tulane is because of the success of its football program.
If the success of football brings in 100 more students a year, Willie Fritz has paid for himself and then some.
Maybe Houston goes in a different direction, but if Houston settles on Fritz, the Tulane head coach has the biggest decision of his coaching career, to make.
Watch SMU vs Tulane in the American Athletic Conference championship game Saturday at 3:00 pm live on WGNO and ABC.
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