Ferd Lewis
Jones has leverage on his side

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

Let's see if we have this straight: People familiar with the situation say University of Hawai'i football coach June Jones was contacted Wednesday about the vacant Georgia Tech job (see story on Page One) with an offer worth upwards of $1 million per season.

But Jones told ESPN.com, "I haven't spoken to anyone at Georgia Tech."

His name has been associated with the Yellow Jackets' job for going on two weeks now in the rumor that won't die. But Jones insisted to ESPN.com he "hasn't instigated any contact with them."

And, you thought that third down-and-two halfback pass by Mike Bass late in the Boise State game was a real head-shaker.

The curious thing about the Tech saga is that all parties in this one are probably telling the cross-their-heart truth, or at least technical versions of it.

Officially, Tech administrators might not have spoken directly to Jones. And, no, Jones certainly didn't fax in a job application. That might be how McDonald's hires but it isn't the way coaching jobs are filled these days.

Consider that when the UH job opened in 1998 Jones didn't deal directly with the Rainbows until the courtship was well along. His boyhood friend, Artie Wilson, was an intermediary for weeks before Jones and UH officials talked turkey.

What is likely taking place behind the scenes here is that some prominent Tech boosters, like those who helped underwrite the $1.2 million George O'Leary received as Tech's last head coach, are trying to help entice Jones to return to Atlanta, where he spent a decade as a player and coach with the Falcons.

Nor is there any wonder why Tech boosters, who have seen Maryland and North Carolina State make runs in a more competitive Atlantic Coast Conference, find Jones and his offense attractive.

If you're Jones, there is no better time to sit back and listen, coming off a 9-3 season punctuated by the record-setting win over Brigham Young with a contract extension still under negotiations.

A million dollar-plus annual package from Tech, which could double or triple what UH might be able to put on the table, is something for Jones to think long and hard about, especially in his present family circumstances.

And even if Jones is inclined to stay put at UH or a hard and fast official offer isn't forthcoming from the Yellow Jackets, entertaining the overtures sure doesn't hurt his leverage in Manoa. What's more, with recruiting in an NCAA-mandated "dead period," Jones has a couple weeks to ponder his options without severely impacting recruiting.

Where Jones finds himself is the negotiating version of a second-down-and-one situation in football. Far from the apparently contradictory statements from the parties not making sense, there is the potential for it to add up to a lot of dollars.