ATHENS — Mark Richt, now suddenly a free agent, is also a bit of a hot commodity.

Richt was contacted by “about five” schools on Monday, the soon-to-be-former Georgia football coach said on his radio show Monday night. He did not name any of them.

“Yeah, there’s about five today,” Richt said, chuckling. “It’s kinda crazy. But I’m not sure, again, what I’m gonna do yet. But it’s nice to have opportunities and options.”

There were multiple reports out of Maryland on Monday night that the Terrapins, who have an opening, had contacted Richt. One even went so far as to say he would be interviewing there. Miami, his alma mater, also has an opening, as does Missouri, where Richt interviewed 15 years ago before it hired Gary Pinkel and Richt went to Georgia.

A source who spoke to him Monday cast doubt that he would actively interview anywhere over the next two weeks. But Richt made clear that he would at least now listen if somebody called.

“In the past 15 years if I’ve had a headhunter call me and say: ‘Are you interested in this job, are you interested in that job, or whatever job that may be, it’s always been a real simple answer for me, to say no, this is where I want to be. Now I’m losing the opportunity to be the coach at Georgia I think it’s at least respectful to listen to what they have to say, and just try to decide what’s in the best interest of my family, and not even so much that, but just try to be obedient into what God’s got in store for me. So that’s kind of where I’m at.”

Host Chuck Dowdle asked Richt if the fact he and his wife Katharyn are empty-nesters now – their children are spread about the country – would make it easier for them to leave Athens.

“It’s nice to have a home base in Athens, because my mom, my dad, my brother and two sisters all live in town. We enjoy family,” Richt said. “But if we were to make some kind of move, it certainly would not change how often we see our kids. It might put us closer to some of them. The bottom line is we want to carefully consider what to do and then do it.”