Arizona Football Coaching Update: 'The Ninja' AD Can't Stop Urban Meyer Leak

Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne's future hires don't exist as far as the media and general public are informed. 

The man operates coaching searches in silence, earning him the moniker "The Ninja" among AD ranks.

Since firing Mike Stoops last month, Byrne's search for the new guy has been a complete mystery, no one leaking any confirmed details as to who he is considering—until Tuesday.

The watch party circling Urban Meyer's every move finally uncovered the initial credible report into who Byrne is targeting, per the New York Times' Pete Thamel.

And the news for Arizona followers must be extremely comforting, as Byrne is apparently unafraid of chasing the biggest names on the market.

Although Meyer declined pursuing the position, the article from the Times notes that the former Florida Gators coach was "intrigued" by the opening, so much so that he met with Byrne in Miami last week. But he apparently phoned on Monday to inform Byrne that he was not coming to Tucson.

In an era of instant news alerts where media members are constantly on the watch for the every movements of the major players involved in any story, Byrne manages to keep almost everything he needs secret exactly that.

According to this piece from the Arizona Daily Star, Byrne says he went "underground" when tasked with finding a replacement head coach during his tenure at Mississippi State, eventually landing a gem in Dan Mullen.

He took great lengths to stay out of the eye of the media during that time. The following story from Arizona Daily Star columnist Greg Hansen relays those extremes:

"

When he hired Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen at Mississippi State in 2008, Byrne went off the grid.

(Byrne) was intrigued by North Alabama coach Hudspeth, who coached his team to the Division II national semifinals against Northwest Missouri State.

Byrne phoned a contact inside the NCAA and asked for three all-access credentials to the game in Maryville, Mo., which is so remote that you can almost see Iowa and Nebraska from Bearcat Stadium.

Byrne and his MSU party flew into Kansas City and drove to Maryville. It was a cold and rainy night, Dec. 6, 2008, when Byrne reached the stadium. He wore winter/rain gear, almost disguised, and stood on the sideline, sometimes no more than 10 yards from the unsuspecting Hudspeth.

"

Now that's dedication to privacy.

Given his ability to keep things under wraps, perhaps there is a bit of gamesmanship with the Meyer leak.

It isn't exactly shocking news that Meyer turned down Arizona. 

What is relatively surprising, and a positive, is that Meyer—with the Ohio State and Penn State gigs in his sights—was willing to discuss the position at all.

That lends credibility to what Byrne is selling in his bid for the new guy. And now everyone knows that a high-profile candidate—the high-profile candidate—actually considered the slot.

Now the attention shifts back to the rest of the rumored possibilities in this coaching search.

Anthony Gimino of TucsonCitizen.com noted that the names continuing to be circulated are Chris Peterson (Boise State), Kevin Sumlin (Houston), Mike Bellotti (formerly of Oregon) and Larry Fedora (Southern Miss).

The New York Times piece also listed Bellotti and Fedora, along with Mike Leach (formerly of Texas Tech) and Rich Rodriguez (formerly of Michigan and West Virginia).

They've all been linked to the job since the beginning (and they're all profiled here).

The Arizona Daily Star's Greg Hansen noted that Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes, previously the offensive coordinator under Mike Stoops, could be brought back to town (...sounds of weeping heard across the desert).

The only sure thing: It won't be Urban Meyer.