Mark Whipple is close to being named the next head football coach at UConn, and an announcement could come Thursday, sources said. Barring a major collapse in contract negotiations, this looks like a done deal.

Whipple was most recently the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at the University of Miami under Randy Shannon, who was fired in December. New Miami coach Al Golden did not retain Whipple for his new staff.

Other candidates believed to have interviewed with Hathaway are Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee, UConn interim head coach Hank Hughes and Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni.

Whipple got his first head coaching job at the University of New Haven in 1988, and built the foundation for an NCAA Division II powerhouse. The Chargers played and won their first NCAA playoff game under Whipple in 1992, reaching the national semifinals. In 1993, behind Harlon Hill Trophy winner Roger Graham, New Haven made it to the national quarterfinals. Whipple's teams were a combined 23-2 over his final two seasons at New Haven, and he left after the 1993 season to take the head job at his alma mater, Brown.

In 1998, Whipple left Brown after four seasons for UMass, and won the Division I-AA national championship in his first year. He was also part of a Super Bowl champion as the quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and also spent a year with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2008 before heading back to college.