Skip Holtz to coach South Florida football

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 14 (UPI) -- East Carolina football Coach Skip Holtz resigned Thursday to take a similar job at South Florida, an ECU spokesman said.

South Florida is expected to introduce Holts as its new coach Friday, The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported Thursday. ECU spokesman Tom McClellan said Holtz told his players Thursday of his decision to leave for South Florida, the newspaper said.

Holtz, 45, the son of former Notre Dame Coach and ESPN analyst Lou Holtz, becomes the second head coach in the 13-year history of South Florida football.

He goes to the Tampa, Fla., school with four straight winning seasons at ECU, back-to-back Conference USA titles, and four straight bowl appearances in a five-year tenure.

His record at East Carolina was 38-27, with Liberty Bowl losses in each of the last two seasons.

"My parents live in Orlando (and) my wife is from Port Charlotte," Holtz told the Times this week.

"(Skip) transformed our expectations of ourselves and our athletic program while contributing to every aspect of our community," ECU Athletics Director Terry Holland said.

Holtz succeeds Jim Leavitt, who was fired Jan. 8 after lying about allegations that he struck an unidentified player during a game this season.

Leavitt had been the Bulls' only coach.