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After it was reported by The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman on Wednesday that James Madison coach Mike Houston was expected to become the coach at Charlotte, Charlotte director of athletics Mike Hill said in a statement on Friday that Houston’s contract offer has been withdrawn.

“Normally, I would not comment on an ongoing search,” Hill said in the statement. “However, in light of recent public comments, I feel it’s important to update our supporters on the status of our interest in Mike Houston.

“This morning we withdrew a contract offer that had been negotiated in good faith with Coach Houston and his representatives. This was based on the fact that last evening, Coach Houston informed us that he had interest in exploring other head coaching opportunities, while remaining under consideration here.

“We feel great about our candidate pool and believe this institution, our students, fans and team deserve a head coach that is 100 percent committed to the Charlotte 49ers.”

The news comes after it was reported on Thursday by Yahoo’s Pete Thamel that sources are indicating East Carolina is targeting Houston. ECU fired coach Scottie Montgomery on Thursday.