Tom Osborne talked in a tone that would cause a legion of followers to believe he could end this thing right now.

That, if he pulled the trigger and went with someone he’s already interviewed for the Nebraska football coaching position, he’d have secured someone who would do the Huskers proud and add one more monumental victory to his legacy.

But, for now, and perhaps as long as into the middle of next week, NU’s interim athletic director is keeping his safety switch on.

Speaking on the Husker Sports Network’s “Sports Nightly” on Wednesday, Osborne said a search that was in its fifth day was “pretty much on track,” but that he’s weighing two schools of thought and isn’t necessarily done talking with candidates.

Osborne has interviewed LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini and University of Buffalo head coach Turner Gill, both of whom have ties to NU. Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe also has been linked to the opening, while another news outlet reported Nebraska had requested permission to speak with Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly, who refuted that report.

ESPN reported Wednesday night, citing unnamed sources it said were “familiar with the search”, that Gill and Pelini are the final two candidates and that Osborne had phoned others to tell them the process was “winding to a close.”

Regardless of what you believe, Osborne said during his radio appearance that he’s keeping his interview options open.

 “You can overwhelm yourself with numbers to where you’re talking to so many people that you don’t really remember what the last person you interviewed said,” he said. “On the other hand, you want to have a large enough pool that you were able to really examine some of the best qualities that some of the best coaches have. And I think we’ve been able to do that.

“I’m not saying that we’re done yet, but I think we’re really in pretty good shape right now.”

One of Osborne’s schools of thought is to find a coach who “either played at Nebraska or has been at Nebraska and … understand(s) the culture. They understand where North Platte is and where Oshkosh is, and they know the importance of football to young people in this state. They know what walk-ons meant to the program in the past.”

Osborne also recognized that “an experienced coach with a solidified staff can come in here and sometimes save himself a lot of time and grief simply because they all have a common terminology. They know each other. Their systems are well in place and they don’t have to spend several months trying to figure out what each one of them is meaning by a certain term.”

Sounds like he’s got some tradeoffs to juggle.

How long, then, might it take for his arms to get so tired that he’ll feel compelled to come with an offer?

Hopefully, next week.

“But if it takes longer, it takes longer,” Osborne cautioned. “We would hope that we would be moving along pretty well by at least the middle of next week.”

Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.