Steinauer Denies Being Contacted for UW Job

The Seattle native either isn't coming or someone else is acting as a middle man.

Orlondo Steinauer told Canadian reporters he isn't job-hunting and hasn't been contacted by the University of Washington regarding the defensive-coordinator opening on Kalen DeBoer's Husky staff.

Which means the Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach isn't coming to Seattle — or he has an intermediary handling negotiations.

Remember, Lincoln Riley in a similar situation last month denied that he was leaving Oklahoma for LSU. What he didn't say was he would soon become the USC football coach. 

“I can look everybody in the eye and say that I have not been contacted by the University of Washington for their defensive coordinator job, either by Kalen DeBoer or by anybody from the university,” Steinauer said on Tuesday.

The Seattle native has been linked to the UW job for several days now because he and DeBoer previously coached together as coordinators at Fresno State in 2019, he has those ties to the city and he would triple his salary if he took it. 

Steinauer played football as a highly accomplished safety for suburban Lynnwood High School, Western Washington University and 13 years in the CFL before becoming a coach in Canada. 

He maintained he is not actively seeking to leave Hamilton, where he's been the head coach for the past three years and two seasons. Yet he feels honored that others are mentioning him for coaching positions. 

“I’m not job-chasing," he said. "You don’t know what opportunities arise in life, no matter what profession — I think it’s a compliment. As far as people wondering about my future, I appreciate it and we’ll cross that if anything comes up.”

Steinauer has coached the Tiger-Cats to 15-3 and 8-7 records and a pair of losing Grey Cup appearances while having a season canceled because of the global pandemic.

“In this profession it feels good to be wanted; there’s championship windows and windows for coaches too," he said. "That’s why I truly mean, 'I’m where my feet are planted.' When I was at Fresno State, I was excited to be there. When I came back, I was excited to be here.”

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