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 WCU Athletics Director, Chip Smith, has been spearheading the search for a new head football coach. |
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Dec. 15, 2007
Cullowhee, N.C. - The search for the next head football coach at Western Carolina University continues.
WCU has been in the market for a new coach since mid-November when former coach Kent Briggs was reassigned within the University following the season finale against Furman. Assistant coach John Scott was retained from the previous staff and has been handling all day-to-day operations of the Catamount football program.
"As is true with any hiring process, both the school and the applicant must be a fit," said WCU Athletic Director Chip Smith, who has been spearheading the search. "While there may seem to be several `ideal' applicants and Western Carolina University seems like the `perfect' job to many candidates, it needs to be a win-win situation for everyone."
As per state hiring regulations, the actual search could not begin until after the Thanksgiving holiday. WCU has received a great deal of interest from potential applicants, including recommendations for candidates.
Officials at Western Carolina are of the full understanding of the timing and how it relates to student-athlete recruitment. However, equally as important is the need to have a thorough search process to find the best person for the WCU job for years to come. The candidacy process is taking time to allow candidates to become familiar with the University, the football program and the region.
Confidentiality is also very important in any search for a head coach as generally, candidates are usually part of another coaching staff. In direct correlation, recruiting is ongoing and publicly announcing candidates would have a damping effect on applicants because it would be very detrimental to their efforts at their current school. Also, some candidates have been involved in championship games and would not actively become involved until their seasons were over.
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