Childress: Buffs interested in Bieniemy

Published Nov. 19, 2010 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Minnesota Vikings running back coach Eric Bieniemy is an early candidate for the open head coaching job at Colorado, his alma mater.

Vikings coach Brad Childress said Friday he fielded a preliminary call from the school's search committee about Bieniemy, who also serves as the assistant head coach for offense with the Vikings.

Childress says he thinks ''highly'' of Bieniemy, who has coached under him in Minnesota since 2006.

Childress says he believes Bieniemy can be an offensive coordinator and eventually a head coach in the NFL. Childress also calls Bieniemy ''an excellent recruiter.'' Bieniemy was an assistant at Colorado from 2001-02 and at UCLA from 2003-05. He was a standout running back for the Buffs and won a national championship with Colorado in 1990.

The Buffaloes fired head coach Dan Hawkins on Nov. 9.