West Virginia contacts Illinois OC Mike Locksley
Modest coach, large contributor
In demand Locksley prefers Zook get credit for offense
By Teddy Greenstein
Tribune college football reporter
December 28, 2007, 10:06 PM CST
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Even though he calls the plays and helps design the game plans, Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley downplays his role in the Illini's no-huddle, spread-option attack.
"This is Ron Zook's offense, not mine," he said. "It has my personality on it, but if I were to leave tomorrow, this offense would stay intact."
Illinois doesn't want Locksley, who acknowledged Friday having been contacted by West Virginia, to leave tomorrow or any time soon. Need proof? The Illini last week agreed to terms with him on a contract extension through 2012.
The terms of the deal won't be known until it is presented to the school's board of trustees in January, but a school official said Friday that Locksley's annual salary will be north of $500,000.
"For me and my family to be taken care of, it allows us as a program the opportunity to continue the process of building Illinois for the long run, not just a quick-fix solution," Locksley said.
Locksley's deal easily exceeds the five-year, $1.75 million contract that Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst signed in February after the Dallas Cowboys tried to hire him to be their quarterbacks coach. That had been considered a landmark deal for an assistant coach.
Many regard Locksley as one of the nation's top recruiters. He has established a pipeline from Champaign to his native Washington, D.C., that has yielded receiver Arrelious Benn, cornerback Vontae Davis and quarterback Eddie McGee.
Last year he interviewed for head coaching jobs at Iowa State and Central Michigan.
After Northern Illinois' Joe Novak retired last month, a search firm hired by the school asked Locksley if he wanted to interview for the job.
A source said Locksley turned down the offer—even though the job is viewed as the most desirable in the Mid-American Conference because of the school's proximity to Chicago, a salary of about $400,000 and a pool of around $1 million for assistants.
Locksley on Thursday denied a Sporting News report that he had interviewed with West Virginia for its head coaching vacancy.
But a day after the Associated Press quoted him as saying he had not been contacted by the school, Locksley said: "There was an initial phone inquiry to gauge my interest in the job about a week and a half ago. Since then there has been no contact through me, through them or through my lawyer.
"I never was asked to come interview or come on campus or to meet with [them]."
Locksley said West Virginia would be a great opportunity for "any coach," but added: "I've always had the philosophy to work for the job I have, not the job I want. If you do a great job at what you're doing, everything in time takes care of itself. The future is the future. All my energy is on the Rose Bowl."
Locksley began his coaching career on defense and later taught a pro-style scheme as Maryland's offensive coordinator under Ralph Friedgen.
He said Illinois' spread-option reflects the wishes of Zook, a former defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints.
"Coach Zook had a vision when he became a head coach at Florida for what he wanted," Locksley said. "When he was with the Saints, they played the Rams twice a year. The Rams had a frenetic pace, a no-huddle, fast-paced offense, the 'Greatest Show on Turf.' I know that gave him tremendous problems.
"If you know coach Zook, his defense is his defense. And his offense is his offense."
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West Virginia contacts Illinois OC Mike Locksley
