Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Charlie Strong is keeping the faith.
Florida's veteran defensive coordinator has done perhaps his best job this season with a defense that has no senior starters and a two-deep that includes 14 freshmen and sophomores.
Yet, Strong said Monday he hasn't had a single interview for a head coaching job this year or even received a call.
"If you let it consume you and start worrying about it, you say, 'I've got to get a job. I've got to get a job,' and that's what you can't let happen, because I have a really great job," said Strong, who was the defensive coordinator at South Carolina under Lou Holtz before coming to Florida. "I've got to do the job I have. If you start worrying about other jobs, you're not going to do a good job where you are."
Strong said it's a positive step that more black assistants have gotten head jobs. The number is up to seven.
But he still can't help himself (and rightfully so) when he sees so many other white assistants with less experience than him, and in some cases, a less impressive resume than him, getting jobs and wondering, "What's that guy doing that I'm not doing?"
The other thing Strong correctly points out is that most of the head coaching jobs black assistants are getting aren't necessarily the marquee jobs.
"You look at it and say, 'OK, you've got seven [black head coaches], but Randy [Shannon] has the good one at Miami. Who's going to get the next good one?" said Strong, who's interviewed for six different head coaching jobs during his career.
The other thing that Strong thinks is probably hurting him now is that athletic directors seem to be going after offensive-minded coaches.
"If you look at the cycle a lot of times, offensive coaches are getting jobs," Strong said. "Think about it. How many defensive coaches got jobs this year? But then you look at it and see that some of the best coaches are defensive guys. [Bob] Stoops was a defensive guy. Pete Carroll was a defensive guy."
Florida coach Urban Meyer said there's no doubt in his mind that Strong will get his chance, and added that Strong has been smart not to take just any head coaching job.
"He's got a very good situation," Meyer said. "He could have been a head coach tomorrow or yesterday. But you probably only get one shot at being a head coach. Go somewhere where you can win games, and I think he's being very selective."
Chris Low joined ESPN.com in 2007 after 10 years with The (Nashville) Tennessean covering the University of Tennessee and SEC. The Rock Hill, S.C., native lives with his wife in Knoxville and has three sons.
