The clock is ticking on New Orleans Saints assistant coach Mike Riley as he ponders whether to become Alabama's next head football coach.

Sources close to Riley have told ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli that while Riley doesn't have a formal offer on paper from the university, the job is his if he wants it.

Alabama Athletics director Mal Moore said Thursday evening he hopes to have a new coach "in the very near future.''

	“	Even before I went to school there I was a big fan. It's a great place, but I've been out on the West Coast so long that I think being in the Pac 10 is great. ”
		— Mike Riley

Saints coach Jim Haslett told The Associated Press that Riley had been offered the job and wanted to consider it over the weekend. Riley is also believed to be a candidate for the vacancy at UCLA, which he plans to visit Sunday after the Saints' game, Haslett said Thursday on a team radio show.

"He's very interested in both jobs,'' Haslett said. "Hopefully this will be taken care of early next week.''

Moore has made no public comment on candidates for the job and was out of the office Thursday morning. He didn't even tip his hand to the players in a team meeting Wednesday evening.

"They didn't say anything,'' said receiver Antonio Carter after the session, which lasted about 10 minutes. "That was a waste of time.''

Receiver Sam Collins said "no names were mentioned'' during the talk.

"They just filled us in with how the process was going,'' Collins said. "He's just trying to find the right man for the job.''

Moore interviewed both Riley and South Florida coach Jim Leavitt on Tuesday, reportedly his first formal interviews since Dennis Franchione left for Texas A&M late last week.

South Florida announced Thursday that Leavitt, 46, had signed a contract extension to remain with the program he built from scratch in the past six years. The Bulls have gone 17-5 in two seasons at the Division I level.

Riley, an Alabama defensive back from 1971-74, is secondary coach of the New Orleans Saints after brief head coaching stints at Oregon State and the NFL's San Diego Chargers. He didn't talk to reporters after practice on Thursday.

Riley also met Tuesday with UCLA athletics director Dan Guerrero, seeking a replacement for the fired Bob Toledo and clearly sees plenty of positives in both jobs.

"I'm very proud to have gone to Alabama,'' said Riley, who is the nephew of former Alabama basketball coach Hayden Riley. "I have a lot of respect and have had for many years for that program.

"Even before I went to school there I was a big fan. It's a great place, but I've been out on the West Coast so long that I think being in the Pac-10 is great.''

He was fired after posting a 14-34 record in three seasons with the Chargers and losing his last nine games. Before that, however, Riley directed a quick turnaround in two seasons at Oregon State. He led the Beavers to a 5-6 mark in 1998, the school's best record in 27 years.

"Mike would be a tremendous asset to the program,'' said John Croyle, a Riley teammate for three years at Alabama. "I just hope he and all the powers that be can work it all out.

"He's inherited some very tough situations and done very well. I think he can carry us through the next few years of probation and beyond.''

Croyle's son, Brodie, is expected to be the Tide's starting quarterback as a sophomore. Brodie Croyle's strengths lie in the drop-back passing style of the West Coast offense more so than Franchione's run- and option-oriented attack.

"Brodie's excited. He's hoping we get a coach who's got a passing-oriented offense because that's what he does,'' Croyle said.

Riley said he has also spoken to Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart, a friend who worked with him at Oregon State. Former Wildcats coach Guy Morriss was introduced as Baylor's coach on Wednesday.

Current Tide defensive coordinator Carl Torbush also has expressed interest in the job and had informal talks with Moore early in the process.

Riley, meanwhile, said he's happy with the job he has and wants to just let the process take its course.

"I'm really at peace with whatever happens,'' he said. "I don't really have any inclination."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.