With the Chuck Amato decision made and the former coach now in the rearview mirror -- except for his monthly paychecks -- the question now becomes, "Who will take his place?" And that is the question that nobody, right now, has an answer.
Here's hoping Lee Fowler has an idea …
I can tell you this: No matter where I went, all people wanted to talk about was Chuck Amato's firing and who would be the next coach. I could talk with some knowledge about why Amato was let go, but your guess on the new coach is as good as mine, right now.
Wolfpack Athletic Director Mr. Fowler said on Monday that he would not talk about the coaching search until a new coach is in place. If you recall, he did the same thing last spring as State searched for a basketball coach. We do understand that he will use the services of Chuck Neinas, the same headhunter Carolina used to help them secure Butch Davis.
I do understand Fowler's desire to stay mum on the coaching search. However, I do feel he needs to come forward and talk about his decision to terminate Chuck Amato. I'm sure it's not a subject he'd like to discuss, but he should explain the decision and then move on.
The popular choice among all State fans would have to be Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher. I can't tell you the number of correspondence I've had from State fans who want it to be Cowher and hope it will be Cowher and pray it will be Cowher. Bill Cowher would absolutely checkmate, if not trump, UNC's hiring of Davis. That is for sure.
You hear a lot of things about Cowher. Someone with close ties to him told me that he once said he had two goals: One was to win a Super Bowl, the other to coach at his alma mater, N.C. State. Well, he's won his Super Bowl …
Cowher, of course, has purchased a house here in Raleigh, and his family has moved here, and all signs point to this being his last year with the Steelers. That, of course, has led to much speculation.
This has been bad season, so far, for the Super Bowl champions, and Cowher doesn't appear to have his usual fire. This has been talked about much in Pittsburgh.
He has indicated to some that he would just like to take some time off after 15 grueling years as an NFL head coach. He just might not want to coach anywhere for a while. Also, while college money is pretty darn good, it's nothing like NFL money, and in the NFL, you don't have to recruit 17-year-old kids.
If Cowher wants to coach N.C. State, the job is open now, and it would be his, but the timing might not be right. But really, who knows at this point?
Back in late 1999, when State was looking for a replacement for Mike O'Cain, there was a fair number of State supporters who wanted to see then-Georgia Southern head coach Paul Johnson hired instead of Amato. Johnson won NCAA Division I-AA championships at Georgia Southern and has always been well thought of as a coach. He's now the head coach at Navy and has been successful there.
Johnson is a coach who adapts to his personnel. He would not coach, say an N.C. State, like he does Navy. He also has ties to this state and graduated from Western Carolina.
Norm Chow, the current offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, is also prominently mentioned. He had a great deal to do with the maturation of Philip Rivers in his one year as State's offensive coordinator in 2000. He spent many years at Brigham Young as an assistant, and after his one year at State, he coordinated those great offenses at Southern Cal. He wants to be a head coach, but at his age, he's never become one, and you wonder what the reason is. Also he's considered a West Coast guy and is thought to be in the running for the Arizona State job.
There are good coaches out there. Other names mentioned: David Cutcliffe, the offensive coordinator at Tennessee and the former head coach at Mississippi. He is the tutor to the famous Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli.
Jimbo Fisher, the highly regarded offensive coordinator at LSU, is also a name out there. Fisher is a very well paid assistant coach, but he desperately wants to become a head coach.
Also mentioned is the former Pack quarterback and Amato teammate Jim Donnan, who was 40-19 at Georgia before being fired. He's been out of coaching since 2000 and his time has probably passed.
Bobby Johnson, the head coach at Vanderbilt, is another name. He's done a lot with less, and he took his Commodore team to Georgia and won this season. He, too, has a good reputation.
The search is in its early stages, and who knows? It may be none of the above. I think it's important that State takes its time. Getting the right hire is much more important than the quick hire.
N.C. State football is at a crossroads. Everything is in place to be successful -- everything but the right coach. This is no time to make a hasty decision.
Wolfpack fans, be patient.
