Florida coach Billy Donovan has been surrounded by rumors the last few years, and this offseason doesn’t appear it will be any different.
Two days after the Gators’ season came to a close with a first-round loss to BYU in the NCAA Tournament, Donovan’s name was brought into the mix for the vacant coaching jobs at St. John’s and Oregon.
A New York Daily News report Tuesday said Donovan turned down a $3 million per year contract to coach the Red Storm in New York City, but UF spokesman Fred Demarest said there was “no truth” to the report.
“Billy was hugely flattered about being offered a job with such potential,” a source told the Daily News. “But he and his family have something great going on in Gainesville.”
Demarest said Florida was never contacted about the job, and Donovan was not offered a contract.
The Daily News cited a “confidant of Donovan,” who said wealthy St. John’s alumnus Mike Repole offered the Long Island native the contract on behalf of the school.
The Eugene Register-Guard reported Tuesday that Oregon will soon offer Donovan a deal as well, as sources have indicated the program’s interest in Donovan.
Donovan’s current contract with UF is worth about $3.5 million per season, a deal he agreed to after winning back-to-back national championships and leaving the Gators for a short stint with the Orlando Magic before returning to UF.
Last offseason, Donovan was mentioned as a candidate for the then-vacant Kentucky job, which was filled by John Calipari.
