Former University of Hawai'i football coach Dick Tomey is said to remain "very interested" in the vacant athletic director's job at UH and is not pursuing the head football coaching vacancy, according to friends.

But Tomey, whose name has been linked to both the UH athletic director and head football coaching jobs since this week's departures of Herman Frazier as athletic director and June Jones as football coach, said "I just know that I love my job here" and declined to discuss whether he had an interest.

Tomey said he has not been contacted by anyone "officially" from UH and would not say if he'd pursue it. "I'm not going to speculate," Tomey said.

Tomey was a leading contender for the athletic director's job in 2002 when it went to Frazier and said, "I went down that road before and I'm not interested in doing that in the same way."

Tomey, 69, has a clause in his San Jose State contract that would require a buy-out if he left for a coaching job but apparently not for an athletic director's position. The San Jose Mercury News said the buyout was $900,000 on a contract that runs through 2010. Tomey reportedly has an annual salary of $450,000.

San Jose State athletic director Thomas Bowen yesterday refused to answer questions about Tomey or his contract in a conversation with The Advertiser.

UH announced a search committee for the football coaching vacancy yesterday but has yet to announce how it will fill the AD job. Associate AD Carl Clapp has been appointed interim AD.

Meanwhile, in an effort to keep the Spartans' recruiting efforts on track, this statement was posted on the San Jose State Web site late yesterday: "In the past several days there has been much speculation connecting me to the University of Hawaii. I have not had official contact with the University of Hawaii.

"President Don Kassing, Tom Bowen and San Jose State University have given us every opportunity to be a successful football program. It would take a very, very compelling opportunity for us to leave San Jose and the situation that they have afforded us here. I have communicated that to them (President Kassing, Tom Bowen) since this speculation began.

"My wife, Nanci, and I have a home in Hawai'i; it is a special place for us. I have said all along that Hawai'i is the only place we would consider relocating to and at some point in our future, we will.

"Today my coaching staff and I are moving ahead and are focused on the 2008 season. We have an important recruiting weekend ahead of us, we're excited about the way our recruiting is going and I'm ready to get back to work."

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.