Why did they turn the job down? Can you further explain that?
I cannot tell you why Nutt, Tedford, the offensive coordinator for the KC Chiefs, Urban Meyer and others all turned down interviews or bowed out after interviews. I can however state that they bowed out and that this does indicate that the position then was not an elite position. Elite positions excellent people fight to get and the potential employer gets their first choice. So, 4 years ago the NU position was not elite --- Cally, surprise, surprise, was a fall back (he was along the lines of the 6th person or so contacted). The NU position is less elite, by a wide margin, now.
They turned down the job because Pederson is a numb nuts who, for all intents and purposes, didn't "call ahead" first with a search firm. He was to full of himself that he thought he could do it alone.