Remember in September when we wrote about the possibility of Pat Fitzgerald leaving for Texas? Well, the other day, Chris and I were discussing how ridiculous that must look now. Considering that Northwestern went 5-7 this year, Austin might burn to the ground if they went from thinking they were going to get Nick Saban to actually getting a coach coming off a five-win season. That isn't a slight to Fitzgerald and his coaching abilities; rather, it's just how Texas fans would think.
But alas, #FitzToTexas is apparently still a thing.
Fitzgerald was in Austin on Tuesday, but according to ESPN, it was just a standard visit:
Fitzgerald and five members of his coaching staff attended the Longhorns' bowl practice and watched film, but sources close to the situation said it was a typical visit for a coach whose team isn't preparing for a bowl game. Fitzgerald said in a text to ESPN.com that it was a "standard drop in."
Fitzgerald has scheduled similar visits to the Chicago Bears on Wednesday and Texas A&M next week, and said he is using this time to see how other staffs work.
Despite the tendency of college coaches to lie when it comes to coaching searches, Fitzgerald's story checks out pretty well. Coaches do visit other schools like this and NU has had visitors in the past. Plus, the Wildcats recruit Texas very hard, so visiting the Longhorns and the Aggies makes sense.
Fitzgerald's name will undoubtedly come up in more Texas news, but it's a pretty safe bet that he won't be getting the Longhorns job. He seems content in Evanston for now, and Texas isn't likely to come calling anyways.
So nothing to see here, people. Now go back to checking FlightAware and real estate listings.