UW FOOTBALL: Cosgrove weighs job offer
1:26 AM 1/14/04
Tom Mulhern Wisconsin State Journal

Now, University of Wisconsin defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove has a decision to make. <

Cosgrove has been offered a position, most likely defensive coordinator, on close friend Bill Callahan's staff at Nebraska, according to a source close to the UW program. The source categorized the offer as too good to turn down. <

All signs point to Cosgrove joining the Cornhuskers, with an announcement likely in the next couple of days. <

Messages left at Cosgrove's office and at his home seeking comment were not returned. His wife, Shelly, would not confirm Tuesday night that her husband had an offer. <

Cosgrove was in Lincoln, Neb., Monday to talk to Callahan and watched tapes at the Nebraska football offices until midnight. <

Callahan's staff figures to have a distinct Badgers flavor. <

Jay Norvell, a Madison native and former UW assistant, is the leading candidate to become the offensive coordinator. Norvell, who attended Memorial High School, spent the past two years with the Oakland Raiders, working under Callahan as tight ends coach. <

Cosgrove, 48, makes $146,303 and is the highest-paid assistant on the staff of UW football coach Barry Alvarez. But Cosgrove likely would get a substantial raise if he goes to Nebraska. <

Bo Pelini made $208,000 as the Cornhuskers' defensive coordinator this past season under Frank Solich, who was fired Nov. 29 after a 9-3 regular season. <

In a news release Tuesday that announced only assistants Turner Gill (receivers) and Scott Downing (recruiting coordinator) would be retained from Solich's staff, Callahan said his next order of business would be to get his coordinators in place. <

"We hope to move forward quickly as we turn our immediate attention to filling the coordinator positions," Callahan said in the release. <

Callahan, Cosgrove and Norvell were together at UW from 1990 to '94, Alvarez's first five years with the Badgers. Together, they helped UW win its first Rose Bowl, following the 1993 season. <

Norvell, 39, went to Iowa State in 1995 to become an assistant head coach under former UW defensive coordinator Dan McCarney. In 1998, Norvell went to the Indianapolis Colts to coach wide receivers. He also spent a month at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops before joining the Raiders in 2002, when Callahan became the head coach. <

Not only would Cosgrove be in line for a raise at Nebraska, he might also perceive the situation as a chance to branch out and further his chances of ultimately becoming a head coach. <

Cosgrove has spent 14 years under Alvarez and has interviewed for one head-coaching job, at Missouri in 2000. That position went to Gary Pinkel. <

If Cosgrove leaves, UW defensive line coach John Palermo would be the leading staff candidate to become the defensive coordinator. <

Palermo, 51, also is an assistant head coach and has had considerable input on the entire defense. He has been with Alvarez since 1991 and would be UW's longest-tenured assistant.

Crane firms up commitment
UW has received a verbal commitment from outside linebacker Jammar Crane, from Garland, Texas. <

Crane gave the Badgers what was viewed as a "soft" commitment in early November, which meant he continued to take recruiting visits. <

He said at the time he wanted to play in the Big Ten Conference and always has been a fan of the Badgers. He recently reaffirmed his intentions to come to UW and is now considered to be a solid commitment. <

Crane, 6-foot-1, 197 pounds, reportedly runs the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds. <

He missed about eight weeks of his senior season because of a foot injury and also was plagued by injuries earlier in his career. But he returned in time this past season to spark a playoff victory with a 30-yard fumble return for a touchdown.