Will Croom be his first mate and swab the deck?
Stockstill turns down ECU coaching job
By Sammy Batten
East Carolina had to refocus its search for a new football coach Tuesday after Middle Tennessee State's Rick Stockstill turned down the Pirates.
Stockstill is believed to be the first person interviewed for the position, but he said the timing just wasn't right with the national signing period for college football looming Feb. 4.
"I have decided I will remove my name from consideration at ECU," Stockstill said in a statement. "I could not look in the eyes of these recruits and their families and tell them the things I believe in and what I want them to believe in and then leave Middle Tennessee with only two weeks left in the recruiting process.
"Also, I have so much respect and admiration for our current players that they were ultimately the reason I could not pursue this any further. We have invested a lot together during these four years which played a major role in this decision."
The decision by Stockstill to remain at the Sun Belt Conference school sends ECU back to a list of other possibilities, some who were on Athletic Director Terry Holland's original wish list, and several others who have expressed an interest in the job.
Liberty coach Danny Rocco, Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and veteran assistant Woody McCorvey, who is now an administrative assistant at Clemson, are believed to have an interest in replacing Skip Holtz, who left ECU last week after five seasons for South Florida.
The Fayetteville Observer has also learned that Lumberton native and former East Carolina defensive back Ruffin McNeill was contacted by Holland about the job. McNeill has been the defensive coordinator at Texas Tech and coached the Red Raiders in their Alamo Bowl victory after Mike Leach was dismissed over allegations he abused a player. McNeill was not retained by new Red Raiders coach Tommy Tuberville, but interviewed for a position at Stanford last week and has been offered a job in administration at Tech.
A source said McNeill declined to fly in for an interview unless he was a frontrunner for the ECU job. At the time of the conversation, he wasn't, but now that Stockstill has removed himself from consideration, McNeill could be back in the mix.
"He (McNeill) was a backup 48 hours ago," one source said Tuesday. "He might be in the starting position by tomorrow."
Rocco, a Wake Forest graduate, took over a Liberty program that went 1-10 the year before he arrived and hadn't had a winning season in eight years, and produced a 6-5 mark in 2006. He has since guided the Flames to records of 8-3, 10-2 and 8-3 in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Wilson is a native of Maiden and played collegiately at North Carolina. He's served as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator since 2002 and in 2008 received the Frank Broyles Award given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
McCorvey has served under three head coach who have won't national titles - Danny Ford, Gene Stallings and Phil Fulmer. He's known as a superb recruiter and has 26 years of college coaching experience.
"I'd be interested in (ECU)," McCorvey said Tuesday. He previously interviewed for the East Carolina post when Skip Holtz was hired.
In addition to those candidates, a source told The Observer that a plan has been discussed at ECU that would give offensive coordinator and line coach Steve Shankweiler the job on an interim basis for one season.
But while all those were possibilities late Tuesday, one coach who was believed to be a candidate has yet to be contacted.
Dave Clawson from Bowling Green said through the school's sports information department he had not been contacted by Holland.
"Our athletic director, Greg Christopher, has not been contacted by East Carolina in regards to their search for a new football coach," school spokesman Jason Knavel said.
Staff writer Sammy Batten can be reached at [email protected] or 486-3534.
Stockstill turns down ECU coaching job
By Sammy Batten
East Carolina had to refocus its search for a new football coach Tuesday after Middle Tennessee State's Rick Stockstill turned down the Pirates.
Stockstill is believed to be the first person interviewed for the position, but he said the timing just wasn't right with the national signing period for college football looming Feb. 4.
"I have decided I will remove my name from consideration at ECU," Stockstill said in a statement. "I could not look in the eyes of these recruits and their families and tell them the things I believe in and what I want them to believe in and then leave Middle Tennessee with only two weeks left in the recruiting process.
"Also, I have so much respect and admiration for our current players that they were ultimately the reason I could not pursue this any further. We have invested a lot together during these four years which played a major role in this decision."
The decision by Stockstill to remain at the Sun Belt Conference school sends ECU back to a list of other possibilities, some who were on Athletic Director Terry Holland's original wish list, and several others who have expressed an interest in the job.
Liberty coach Danny Rocco, Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and veteran assistant Woody McCorvey, who is now an administrative assistant at Clemson, are believed to have an interest in replacing Skip Holtz, who left ECU last week after five seasons for South Florida.
The Fayetteville Observer has also learned that Lumberton native and former East Carolina defensive back Ruffin McNeill was contacted by Holland about the job. McNeill has been the defensive coordinator at Texas Tech and coached the Red Raiders in their Alamo Bowl victory after Mike Leach was dismissed over allegations he abused a player. McNeill was not retained by new Red Raiders coach Tommy Tuberville, but interviewed for a position at Stanford last week and has been offered a job in administration at Tech.
A source said McNeill declined to fly in for an interview unless he was a frontrunner for the ECU job. At the time of the conversation, he wasn't, but now that Stockstill has removed himself from consideration, McNeill could be back in the mix.
"He (McNeill) was a backup 48 hours ago," one source said Tuesday. "He might be in the starting position by tomorrow."
Rocco, a Wake Forest graduate, took over a Liberty program that went 1-10 the year before he arrived and hadn't had a winning season in eight years, and produced a 6-5 mark in 2006. He has since guided the Flames to records of 8-3, 10-2 and 8-3 in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Wilson is a native of Maiden and played collegiately at North Carolina. He's served as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator since 2002 and in 2008 received the Frank Broyles Award given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
McCorvey has served under three head coach who have won't national titles - Danny Ford, Gene Stallings and Phil Fulmer. He's known as a superb recruiter and has 26 years of college coaching experience.
"I'd be interested in (ECU)," McCorvey said Tuesday. He previously interviewed for the East Carolina post when Skip Holtz was hired.
In addition to those candidates, a source told The Observer that a plan has been discussed at ECU that would give offensive coordinator and line coach Steve Shankweiler the job on an interim basis for one season.
But while all those were possibilities late Tuesday, one coach who was believed to be a candidate has yet to be contacted.
Dave Clawson from Bowling Green said through the school's sports information department he had not been contacted by Holland.
"Our athletic director, Greg Christopher, has not been contacted by East Carolina in regards to their search for a new football coach," school spokesman Jason Knavel said.
Staff writer Sammy Batten can be reached at [email protected] or 486-3534.
