Nebraska interim athletic director Tom Osborne's comment about "the new coaching staff" during an interview with an Omaha television station has created more speculation about football coach Bill Callahan's future.

Osborne, speaking with KETV (channel 7), was responding to a question about Nebraska's walk-on program.

The question from interviewer Jon Schuetz:

“Is that (the walk-on program) something that you think needs to be brought back to â€- I know it’s still there, but it’s not as big as it used to be. Does it need to come back at the old levels?”

Osborne's response:

"Well, that will depend somewhat on the new coaching staff, because they have to implement, and I can't coach from the athletic director's position."

The interview first appeared on the Internet on Saturday morning and was scheduled to air Sunday night.

Nebraska associate athletic director for communications Randy York said Osborne's response was hypothetical in nature, that he was responding to a hypothetical question.

Earlier in the interview, Osborne referenced Nebraska's coaching situation when answering a question about recruits.

"The coaching situation, we'll just have to see how it plays out," Osborne said. "There's nothing I can do right now to fast forward in time."

Osborne, when hired on Oct. 16, said he would wait until the end of the season to evaluate Callahan and the football coaching staff.

Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com