Have the Huskies found their new Dawgfather?

SEATTLE — USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is reportedly the next Washington football coach, but Sarkisian said he had not yet been offered the job.

ESPN reported Thursday evening that Sarkisian will be named Washington’s next coach, however Sarkisian denied that the report was true.

“Nothing is finalized in any way, shape or form,” said the 34-year-old Sarkisian, who interviewed for the job last week. “There’s been some communication. Nothing has been put in writing.”

Sarkisian said his focus right now is on the Trojans final regular season game against UCLA. Even if the Sarkisian hiring is a done deal, both sides would likely want to wait until after USC and Washington finish their seasons to make an announcement. A UW spokesman said no announcement is planned for Sunday.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m a candidate and honored to be,” said Sarkisian, who was a candidate for the Raiders head coaching job last year before withdrawing his name. “As of right now, Thursday night, I’m getting ready for Saturday. That’s ESPN’s report, not Washington’s or mine. It comes with the territory: job openings and speculation. The key is to focus on the job Saturday and not this conversation.

“I have not been offered the job. The interview went well, learning about each other. I’ve always been patient regarding head coaching opportunities. I assess each separately. They interview me, and I assess the job as well, like I did with the Oakland job. It’s a process. Neither party wants to rush into it.”

Washington athletic director Scott Woodward, who met with reporters before Washington’s men’s basketball game against Oklahoma State, also would not confirm the ESPN report, which cited several unnamed sources.

“When we have an announcement to make, we’re going to make that announcement, and we do not have an announcement,” Woodward said.

Asked if ESPN had the right information in its report, Woodward said only, “When I announce it, you’ll know.”

University of Washington president Mark Emmert elected not to comment when spotted at the Huskies basketball game. Multiple players also said Thursday night that they had not been told of a hire.

Sarkisian — who currently serves as the Trojans’ assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach — has spent six of the past seven years at USC. In 2004, he was the Raiders quarterbacks coach.

Sarkisian, the 1996 Western Athletic Conference offensive player of the year as a quarterback at BYU, is one of four people known to have interview for the UW job along with Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach, Fresno State head coach Pat Hill and Notre Dame offensive coordinator Michael Haywood.

The news of Sarkisian’s hiring caps a wild day in the coaching search during which Hill and Leach withdrew their names as candidates for the Huskies’ job. Reports Thursday morning said Leach was returning to Seattle for a second interview, indicating that he was perhaps the leading candidate. However, a call to the school late in the morning revealed Leach was at his office in Lubbock, Texas, By noon, an ESPN report said he was no longer in the running.

Hill was thought to be very interested in the Washington job, but wanted to know by Wednesday if he was the school’s choice.

“I had a great visit with the leadership at the University of Washington and I have a great deal of respect for them and their vision,” he said in a statement released by the school. “Because of the time frame we discussed, which is that I needed an answer by Wednesday, it’s apparent that I’m not their top candidate. I felt it was in my best interest and the best interest of our team to make this decision at this time. I wish them the best of luck in their search.”

Washington announced on Oct. 27 that Tyrone Willingham, who is 11-36 at Washington, would not return for the fifth and final season of his contract.

Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on UW sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog