The South Florida job also opened after last season when Jim Leavitt was fired. Foster applied, but the Bulls hired East Carolina coach Skip Holtz. When Holtz left East Carolina, which is also in Conference USA, Foster seemed a viable candidate. But the school went with Texas Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, an alumnus.
Foster's interest in South Florida came after Tech awarded him a financial package intended to keep him as its defensive coordinator, though the money does not exceed what he could earn as a head coach, especially in a major conference. The package is a carrot of sorts. If Foster remains Tech's defensive coordinator through the 2014 season, he will receive $800,000
That money isn't keeping him from taking a head coaching job elsewhere.
