Osborne, reached by phone Wednesday, said he was "puzzled" by why Grobe keeps telling reporters that.
"I interviewed Jim Grobe and I think he's a good coach, but I never offered him the job and there were no stipulations on assistants," Osborne said.
Why did Grobe think there were?
"I have no idea," Osborne said.
Osborne said he talked to all potential candidates — including the eventual hire, Bo Pelini, and former Kansas and current Liberty coach Turner Gill — about who they might hire for their staff, but that's standard for any athletic director to inquire of a coach.
"I certainly never said to anyone, 'These are the assistants you need to keep,'" Osborne said. "It's a moot point anyway because I never offered Jim the job."