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NEW YORK (AP) -- Notre Dame has contacted Utah coach Urban Meyer about its coaching vacancy and was to meet with him Thursday, The New York Times reported.
The school contacted Meyer, a former Notre Dame assistant, on Wednesday, the newspaper reported, citing an unnamed source. The story did not say where the meeting would take place.
John Heisler, Notre Dame's associate athletic director, would not comment to The Associated Press or say if athletic director Kevin White was in South Bend. Meyer declined to comment to the AP outside his Salt Lake City office Thursday.
Utah athletic director Chris Hill told the AP the school would attempt to keep Meyer, who helped make the Utes a high-profile team in just two seasons. This year, Utah is poised to become the first team from a mid-major conference to crack the Bowl Championship Series.
"There's a lot of things we can do, and we'll do everything we can to make this right for Urban, Shelley and their family," he said.
Utah defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham, a candidate for the job when Meyer was hired two years ago and a possible replacement, said Meyer had not mentioned a Notre Dame meeting to his assistants, many on the road recruiting.
"I just know Urban Meyer is one of the hottest coaching prospects in the country right now. We'll see where he is when the dust settles," said Whittingham, who could also be a candidate for the coaching vacancy at BYU.
Whittingham said as far as he knew, Meyer would be at Thursday afternoon's practice.
Meyer was the receivers coach at Notre Dame during 1996-00, leaving the school for his first head coaching job at Bowling Green. He quickly turned around the Falcons, going 8-3 and 9-3 before moving to Utah in 2003. The Utes were 10-2 last season and are 11-0 this season and ranked fifth in the nation.
Notre Dame fired Tyrone Willingham as football coach on Tuesday after he posted a 21-15 record in three seasons.
Meyer received a contract extension last summer that included a clause allowing him to leave Utah without penalty if he is hired as head coach at Michigan, Ohio State or Notre Dame.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
