Washington to hire Chris Petersen
— -- Boise State's Chris Petersen is expected to be named coach at Washington on Friday, sources have told ESPN.
According to a source, the contract will make Petersen one of the highest-paid coaches in the Pac-12.
Petersen, who has turned down other job offers, is ready for a new challenge, the source said.
Petersen met Thursday night with Washington athletic director Scott Woodward and senior associate AD Jennifer Cohen in Boise and signed an agreement on terms, sources said.
Petersen, 49, felt ready to leave because, according to a source, the timing was right for professional and family reasons and because he felt Washington was the right fit.
Petersen has been connected to various openings over the past few years, including those at USC, UCLA and Stanford, but felt this was the best match. The California native has also worked in Idaho and Oregon and recruited those states as well as Washington.
The Huskies zeroed in on Petersen from the outset.
Once Woodward set quarterbacks coach Marques Tuiasosopo in place as interim coach, he turned his attention toward Petersen. A representative of Petersen's said the meeting Thursday night in Boise was "not an interview."
"Representatives from both sides spent all day Thursday working out the agreement," the source said.
Petersen pursued the USC job and met with athletic director Pat Haden in Boise on Sunday morning. But Haden decided to hire Washington coach Steve Sarkisian, setting in motion Petersen's move to Seattle.
Petersen has won 89 percent of his games (92-12) at Boise State over eight years, including five conference titles and two BCS wins. He was a candidate for the Huskies job in 2009 before Washington went with Sarkisian, who was then USC's offensive coordinator.
Boise State slipped to an 8-4 mark this season, including a 38-6 loss to the Huskies in the opener for both teams.
Washington was to interview Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier earlier Thursday, a source said.
Nussmeier was the offensive coordinator at Washington under Sarkisian from 2009 to 2011 before being lured away by Nick Saban. In Nussmeier's two seasons at Alabama, the Crimson Tide have averaged almost 39 points a game.
On Thursday, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel withdrew his name from consideration. The former Washington assistant told "Mike and Mike" on ESPN Radio, "I'm a Missouri Tiger, and I'm going to stay a Missouri Tiger."
Information from ESPN's Joe Schad and Brett McMurphy, and ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel and Ted Miller was used in this report.
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