Brady Hoke was as emphatic as he was succinct when addressing a rumor that he would soon join Brian Kelly's football coaching staff at Notre Dame.
"NOT HAPPENING" was the text Sam Webb, managing editor of GoBlueWolverine.com, reported receiving from Hoke. The former Michigan Wolverines head coach was also on the air for CBS Sports Network's coverage of National Signing Day and said he was going south, "just not to South Bend."
CoachingSearch.com first reported that Hoke was going to "join the Notre Dame staff after Signing Day." As Hoke later indicated on television, he was rumored to be the next defensive line coach for the Irish.
"I have so much respect for (Notre Dame coach) Brian Kelly," he said. "Brian and I have been friends for many, many years, coaching against each other in the MAC. Him and I had a discussion, and I know that program, he's doing a great job with and I'm not going to be coaching the defensive line at Notre Dame.
He said he and his wife Laura are going to go somewhere south to warmer weather, which seems to indicate Hoke is in no rush to coach again, as MLive.com noted. But Hoke clearly stated he wants to coach again.
"Laura and I are going to do that. We want to coach again," he said. "You miss the kids, you miss the game planning, you miss, every day, seeing those young kids come in there and coach them up. We're going to take a year and do some things that we haven't done. Also, as a coach, there's always things that you can learn. That's one of the things I really want to do."