Utah State Pursuing Kramer Eastern Coach Already Talked To Aggies A.D., But Has Been Warned To Back Off Until Season Ends

Utah State athletic director Chuck Bell wants to discuss details with Eastern Washington’s Mike Kramer about his school’s head football coaching vacancy.

Eastern athletic director Dick Zornes says that’s fine as long as Bell waits until after the Eagles complete their current run in the Division I-AA playoffs.

“If Mike wants to pursue it further before then, he’ll no longer be the head coach at Eastern Washington University,” Zornes said Thursday afternoon.

Kramer said he and Bell talked briefly on the phone about the Utah State situation last week. He described the discussion as “preliminary,” and refused - despite Zornes’ threat - to rule out the possibility of taking a closer look at the job if such an opportunity should arise.

Kramer, 43, is in his fourth season as EWU’s head coach. His overall record is 24-21. The Eagles won their first outright Big Sky Conference championship this fall and are 11-1 heading into Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. quarterfinal-round playoff matchup against Western Kentucky (10-1) at Albi Stadium.

Kramer said last week that he was happy at Eastern and not looking to move. But he made it apparent that he hardly considers EWU his retirement job when he applied last year for the Boise State head coaching position that went to Houston Nutt.

Nutt reportedly is one of the leading candidates to replace Danny Ford at Arkansas, and Zornes said he has already been asked by a member of the media whether BSU has requested permission to talk to Kramer.

“I’ve heard nothing from Boise,” he added.

Zornes also said he has told Kramer he would like to sit down and discuss his future at EWU before he accepts any other job.

“I told Mike I knew he would eventually have to make a decision on his career, but that this was not the time to make it,” Zornes said.

Kramer is on a one-year contract at Eastern that pays him a base salary of a little over $60,000.

, DataTimes