Not tonight says Butch
The Denver Post, a nationally-respected newspaper, reported that Butch Jones had accepted the University of Colorado position as of Wednesday, December 5th, afternoon.
Butch Jones quickly reached out to local and national writers like Pete Thamel (New York Times) with a message to the contrary.
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"No decision has been made," Jones told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "That's false and erroneous. I'm just trying to make a decision. I'm taking my time and making sure I make the right decision because there's a lot of families at stake."
Oh, my there are a lot of families. The obvious family of prominence in Coach Butch Jones and his family. And then you have alumni of Colorado and Cincinnati, most of them emotionally and even financially invested in the outcome of this decision.
According to FootballScoop Staff John Elway, John Fox, and Peyton Manning all reached out to Butch Jones to speak positively about the Colorado opening.
As of 5 PM FootballScoop is on record as saying "the agreement is currently being finalized. Not done; but headed that way..."
UC players
Players on the current roster are both worried and relaxed. Without practices to occupy their time some are active with video games. Others are just sitting around and talking with teammates.
"My thing is, if you are going to do it, just do it already," said one current Bearcat.
It is quite possible you could spot a player or two loosely competing in another sport like bowling or basketball in the interim.
Every individual on the football team represents a tribe of supporters, a town of well-wishers.
When Coach Jones refuses to address the media following his exceedingly public visits to Purdue and Colorado his players get saddled with the probing questions.
"He is gone," shouted a UC Bearcat football player.
Young men like Shaq Washington, Austen Bujnoch, or Deven Drane become de facto spokesmen to the school, the city, the region.
Recruits
Then you have Class of 2013 recruits like QB Kyle Kempt and LB Dakota Cox don't know much, but are hoping for stability.
"It depends," said Cox. "It depends who he takes with him (if he goes) from the coaching staff and how many of those guys leave. I like Coach (John) Jancek. I really like him too. If they all go with him I will probably try to go with them as well. I am just riding along with it."
Kempt played it closer to the best. He is uncertain how strong his commitment would be if Coach Jones did leave town.
Outside recruiters are cropping up again, hoping to swindle the 3-star QB in the final months before National Signing Day.
"We are not saying anything right now," said Kempt.
Assistant Coaches
We could all read the startling figures being offered by University of Colorado ($13.5 for 5 years) and regardless of his choice Coach Jones and his family will be stable financially for the forseeable future.
The fathers who might be left searching for work are guys like Safeties Coach Mark Elder, Wide Receiver Coach T.J. Weist, or Cornerbacks Coach Shannon Morrison.
Assistant Coaches are never certain to move with a head coach. The best head coaches negotiate a healthy salary for their new assistants and while these could be guys from the UC staff there could be multiple alterations.
If Coach Jones took the Purdue coaching position, which has now been filled with former by Kent State Head Coach Darrell Hazell, then he might have held on to his recruiters of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.
With his ties to Michigan a recruiter like DL Coach Steve Stripling could really contribute to Purdue's staff.
A hypothetical job acceptance at Colorado would require greater changes amongst his assistants simply because the recruiting landscape is literally mountains removed from the Midwest.
Rife with speculations and possible scenarios this line of thinking does not represent the thoughts of Butch Jones this evening. Perhaps assistant coaches from the Cincinnati Bearcats are more concerned with such thoughts.
Who knows?
One key fact everyone knows is that UC will have Butch Jones at least through the night.
"I'm not doing anything tonight," said Butch Jones.