Davis to The U?

Stop playing with my emotions. Too good to be true.

By Matt PorterPalm Beach Post Staff WriterWith Penn State looking for a new head coach, the speculation is swirling about Al Golden.Golden, a former Penn State tight end and team captain who has always spoken highly of his alma mater, is reportedly one of the top candidates to replace Bill O’Brien, who resigned to become head coach of the NFL’s Houston Texans.Golden has not spoken publicly since UM’s 36-9 loss in last Saturday’s Russell Athletic Bowl, and he is scheduled to meet with South Florida media Monday.Calls to UM Athletic Director Blake James and Golden’s Pennsylvania-based agent, Brett Senior, on Friday were not immediately returned.A UM assistant coach who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity said he had not heard anything from Golden regarding a coaching change and was planning to return to the recruiting trail beginning Jan. 15, when a dead period ends.Multiple outlets reported Penn State has Golden and Vanderbilt’s James Franklin atop its wish list. ESPN reported Tennessee Titans coach Mike Munchak is also a candidate, but The (Nashville) Tennessean reported Friday that he will remain with the team. CoachingSearch.com reported Franklin will interview Sunday. Philadelphia television station NBC 10 reported that Penn State’s search committee was scheduled to travel to South Florida today to meet with Golden.If Golden leaves, there are no shortage of available candidates with UM connections who could replace him.Former UM coach Butch Davis, who on Friday was not retained by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a special advisor to recently fired head coach Greg Schiano, told the Post he’d welcome the opportunity to interview with Miami should Golden leave. Davis, 62, was UM’s coach from 1995-2000 and previously was a UM assistant under Jimmy Johnson from 1984-88.Schiano, who spent two years in Tampa after a decade building perennial doormat Rutgers into a respectable program, was the Hurricanes’ defensive coordinator for two seasons under Davis (1999 and 2000).There’s also Rob Chudzinski, who was fired last Sunday after one season as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach. Chudzinski, who played tight end on UM’s national title teams in 1987 and 1989, was an assistant from 1994-2003 and served as offensive coordinator during UM’s 2001 national championship season. A call to Chudzinski was not returned.Another option could be Ed Orgeron, the Hurricanes’ defensive line coach from 1988-92. Orgeron went 6-2 as USC’s interim coach this season but resigned last month after he was passed over for job full-time.Should Penn State hire Golden, UM could call Franklin, a Pennsylvania native who is 23-15 in three years at Vanderbilt. Before Vandy, Franklin was offensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting at Maryland.Golden would undoubtedly receive a raise if he returned to Happy Valley. O’Brien reportedly made $3.3 million per year; Golden, who received an undisclosed raise last summer, currently makes $2.148 million at Miami, which ranks eighth in the 14-team ACC. Franklin makes $3 million at Vanderbilt.Golden, who is under contract to UM until Jan. 31, 2020, is 22-15 in three seasons at UM, with a 13-11 record in ACC play. The Hurricanes finished 9-4 this season (5-3 ACC) and lost four of their last six games.He took over the UM job before news of the Nevin Shapiro scandal broke and guided the program through a two-and-a-half-year NCAA investigation. The NCAA on Oct. 22 docked UM nine scholarships over a three-year period for transgressions committed by Shapiro, a former booster and convicted felon currently serving time in federal prison for operating a $930 million Ponzi scheme. UM self-imposed bowl bans in Golden’s first two seasons.Golden, 44, a native of Colts Neck, N.J., has said he and his family have found a home in South Florida. When his name surfaced in coaching rumors last season, Golden said his wife, Kelly, “would cry if I said we were moving out of town.”