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Louisville fired football coach Steve Kragthorpe after finishing the year at 4-8, the school's worst season in more than a decade.
Athletic director Tom Jurich met with Kragthorpe Saturday morning, hours after the Cardinals finished the season with a 34-14 loss to Rutgers.
"I felt we needed to go in another direction and get this program back on the track," Jurich said Saturday afternoon.
Kragthorpe went 15-21 in three seasons after replacing Bobby Petrino in January 2007. He had two years remaining on a contract that paid him about $1.1 annually. Jurich said Kragthorpe will receive a $2.2 million buyout.
Kragthorpe was not available for comment Saturday. He took the job three years ago after turning around the program at Tulsa, but he could keep the surging Cardinals atop the Big East.
Jurich said a search would begin immediately. The list of candidates could include Houston coach Kevin Sumlin, Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong and former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer.
Louisville failed to make a bowl game in any of Kragthorpe's three years. The Cardinals went 5-16 in the Big East during his stay while fan support eroded.
Bowden pensive
Bobby Bowden says he wants to do some soul-searching before making a final decision about coaching at Florida State in 2010 for a 35th season. Bowden's comments came Saturday, after top-ranked Florida defeated the Seminoles 37-10 for the Gators' sixth straight victory in the rivalry.
"I want to coach next year, but let me say I want to go home and do some soul-searching," Bowden said. "I've got to run this thing through my mind a few times."
Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher is slated to replace Bowden in January 2011 unless the 80-year-old Bowden retires or university officials don't renew his rolling contract.
Memphis hires
An LSU official says Tigers assistant Larry Porter has accepted an offer to become the next head coach at Memphis, replacing the fired Tommy West. Porter, a former Memphis running back, is LSU's running backs coach and a top recruiter for the program.