Praise for USF's hiring of East Carolina's Skip Holtz as its new football coach is coming in from all over, including ESPN basketball analyst Dick Vitale, who posted on Twitter.com about the move.

"I think they hit a grand slam," Vitale said by phone Friday morning. "My son-in-law (Thomas Krug) played quarterback for him at Notre Dame in the mid-90s, and I know the family well. I just think it's a great hire. I absolutely have felt the guy should be at a higher level already. They're going to love his energy."

Krug was a freshman during Holtz's final season as offensive coordinator at Notre Dame in 1993, and Vitale said he's been a fan ever since.

"I hated to see what happened to Jim Leavitt. He bled the school colors," Vitale said. "We live in a climate in coaching where you have to be really careful, with (Kansas coach Mark) Mangino an (Texas Tech coach) Mike Leach. If a change had to be made, this was the right change. Doug Woolard should be commended. (Holtz) won at East Carolina, and he's going to be working with a talent level much greater than what he had there."

-- USF offensive coordinator Mike Canales, hoping to earn a position on Holtz's new staff at USF, has pulled his name out of consideration for the offensive coordinator job at Florida International. Canales had spoken with Panthers coach Mario Cristobal, but is hoping he can stay in Tampa. Canales' wife, Carol, is battling multiple sclerosis, and they would like to stay close to her doctors here.