Nebraska linebackers coach Mike Ekeler, who played under Jim Leavitt at Kansas State from 1991-94, interviewed Saturday on USF's campus for the Bulls' defensive coordinator job.

Ekeler has spent the last five years with Cornhuskers coach Bo Pelini, first as a defensive graduate assistant at Oklahoma, then for three years at LSU as a GA and football intern. Ekeler followed Pelini to Nebraska last year and coached the Cornhuskers linebackers this past season.

Ekeler, 37, is considerably younger than former Bulls defensive coordinator Wally Burnham, who resigned this week to become defensive coordinator at Iowa State and coach with his son, Shane. But Ekeler has experience working with Leavitt and has coached some of the nation's top defenses in the past six years at Oklahoma and LSU.

Leavitt has also interviewed former Cincinnati defensive coordinator Joe Tresey (pronounced like "tracy") for his coordinator opening. Tresey, who has helped the Bearcats beat the Bulls in each of the last two seasons, was dismissed by Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly, who is shifting to a 3-4 defense in 2009. Tresey reportedly was strongly considered for the defensive coordinator job at Miami, which went to UNC assistant John Lovett.