In a story that ran Monday, The Tampa Tribune reported that five candidates had been contacted in connection with the opening.

On Tuesday, one of those names, Michael "Chico" Canales, South Florida's passing game coordinator and a former Utah State player, affirmed his interest in the job.

"I have great passion for that place," Canales told The Tampa Tribune on Tuesday afternoon. "It's where I played, bled and sweated. I gave five years of my life to the university and I graduated from there. It has given me many opportunities in my life."

Canales, who is also the wide receivers coach at USF, brings an offensive pedigree that makes him a strong option for the opening.

He's the former offensive coordinator at Arizona. He was a wide receivers coach with the New York Jets. He coached at North Carolina State, where he mentored the development of Philip Rivers, the quarterback of the San Diego Chargers. And he was with USF way back when the Bulls were struggling to gain a foothold on the college football scene.

Under Canales, USF runs one of the more effective spread offenses in the country. That's important because, The Tampa Tribune reported, USU administrators would like the next head coach to have that kind of pedigree.

Other candidates for the opening include Utah defensive coordinator Gary Anderson, UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker, former USU player Kent Baer and former coach John L. Smith.

"It would be very, very special," said Canales. "To go back there as a head coach would be a dream come true."

tjones@sltrib.com