Holland Friday Press Conference Transcript
January 15, 2010 | Football
Jan. 15, 2010
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina Athletics Director Terry Holland discussed with members of the media Friday afternoon the upcoming search for the Pirates' next head football coach.
Opening Statement
"I really wanted to get everybody together and address our current situation. This was a bit of a surprise coming at this time of year. Most coaching vacancies occur much earlier than this.
"We're used to having to deal with assistant coaching vacancies sometimes because of NFL changes this time of year. In those situations, all of a sudden you're close to spring practice and you've got assistant coaches not in place. To not have a head coach in place at this time is kind of unusual.
"We're just trying to make sure that we cross all the t's and dot all the i's so we're prepared to go out on the road next week and actually start looking at and talking to people. We're trying to find out exactly who fits what we need."
On What He's Looking For In A Head Coach
"Our preference, just like always, will be to find a head coach with experience.
"Mainly, when I look at a head coach, I think in terms of managing and hiring a staff. I do think that's a big part of what a head coach has to do today. The head coach has to do a heck of a job with his staff.
"That is a big part of the job, but the head coach also has to help sell season tickets. We have a stadium expansion, so we're going to need to sell extra season tickets now. The head coach also helps with fundraising and everything in the community. Skip Holtz did great things for us in that regard.
"It's a big job today. It's a lot more than just being a football coach. That's why having somebody with experience, particularly as a head coach who can put a staff in place, is absolutely critical. That doesn't mean we would exclude people who don't have that head coaching experience. But if we have the option to choose between two fairly equal options, we'll obviously take the head coach candidate.
"We'll be looking hard at head coaches at the FBS (formerly 1-A) level first, then head coaches at the FCS (formerly 1-AA) level and then, of course, coordinators.
"We're in good shape in terms of getting the house work done before we go out next week. We'll be hard at it next week looking for a new coach.
"We'll be looking for one who fits this university. We've got a profile - it's of the coach who just left. Skip Holtz did a heck of a job for us. I think, again, it's important to thank Skip and his family for all they did in this community and for the East Carolina Athletic Department. He set a pretty high standard. We're going to have to find somebody who can do a heck of a job."
On The Perceived Time Crunch To Hire A Head Coach
"You never have a lot of time because of the way this business works. You're always going to be in a hurry. The biggest problem is staying ahead of the media speculation. That's as difficult as anything else we have to manage. It's really tough. I know lots of times it's reported that a deal is close to done and it turns out to be true. However, there are also times when those reports turn out to be not true. That puts a lot of pressure on us to try and run at warp speed, which is what information runs at today."
On Setting A Timeline For The Hire And About Incoming Recruits
"We don't want to do that. To be honest, while there is some pressure with National Signing Day coming Feb. 3, that's still a ways away. We have 22 commitments and most of those are going to hold. The ones we lose, we might have lost anyway. There's always a little bit of fluctuation when you approach signing day.
"But, on the other hand, most schools don't have room to add scholarship players anyway. So these players don't have many other options. But it does happen and one or two might move elsewhere. There won't be a great crush of players leaving.
"That's not as big of an issue as it was in the old days when recruiting was done mainly in January and February. Then, it would have been very easy for kids to find somewhere else to go."
On Naming An Interim Coach
"We've invited all the coaches on the current staff to come visit us tomorrow. Most schools currently have a big recruiting weekend, but we don't. There was only one recruit scheduled to come in and that one has been moved to next week.
"We're going to talk about an interim coach tomorrow with the staff. We didn't want to have the interim coach also be a candidate. When we speak with the staff tomorrow we have asked them to tell us if they would like to be a candidate, and also talk about anything else they would like to discuss.
"The discussions are open to anybody, not just those who want to be interviewed. During these talks, there will be several administrators present, but only one coach at a time. We want to calm any worries they might have and answer any of their questions.
"Those who decide they would like to be interviewed for the head coaching position would probably be taken out of consideration for being an interim coach."
On If He Has Had A List Of Potential Candidates Ready Due To Holtz' Success
"We've kept a list all along, everybody does. You have to update it every year as coaches leave and accept other jobs. Some also take themselves off the list by having a poor season.
"The problem is you can never actually make contact with anybody until you have a job opening. This time of the year, the only real problem is that a lot of the candidates we probably would have been interested in have been taken or signed contract extensions. They have taken themselves off the list because they might have thought everything was over."
On The New Coach's Salary
"It would depend on experience and everything. We try to tailor it to experience. For the past five years we had been very successful negotiating with Skip. We give credit to the person who is doing the job.
"We've managed to get the total pool available for the position up to where we're very competitive. Not just for the head coach but for the assistants as well."
On Finding A Head Coach
"It's sort of like you are recruiting. You put a list together and say all of these names are acceptable. You probably try to order the names a little bit. But you say all the names on the list are acceptable and then you make a list of two or three that you'd really like."
On The Difference Between This Hire And Five Years Ago
"I don't think it's a lot different. People would like to coach here. It's about finding the correct fit with the people available right now.
"This is big for us; there's no question about that.
"It's a very attractive job. That's one of the things that gave Skip so many second thoughts about the USF position. Numerous people had called him to fill vacant assistant positions on his staff here. That convinced him even more that this is a good job. This is a great place to live and everything else. We have an attractive position.
"Again, the bigger problem is simply the timing. Some coaches might not have been as available as they were a few weeks ago. Even with that said, there are some really good coaches out there."
On The Efforts Made To Retain Holtz
"We've never done anything other than say, 'This is what we can do for you.' I don't think money was an issue. It had never been an issue before.
"To Skip's credit, he has been very classy about how he has done everything. We believe we have been very classy as well. At the end of the season, we say here's what we're thinking for this coming year and what we have to offer. We talk across the board.
"Holtz had gone to the wire with Syracuse and other institutions before. He has never come back to us and asked for more money, even when other schools were stacking money on the table. He fights hard for assistant salaries and other things for his program. He never came back to us for more money.
"At Holtz' introductory press conference five years ago, I remember good-naturedly saying that our schedule was so difficult that he would be here for a long time. We did everything we could to keep him here.
"We've had a good relationship and we've been prepared for that day as much as you can be. We tried to put things in place in case it would happen. Even once you have a vacancy, though, there are certain hoops you have to jump through."
On Whether Holtz' Assistants Will Follow Him To USF
"We'd like to keep them here, but right now we can't make that fight, neither can Skip at South Florida. The earlier we can get a head coach squared away from our end, the better.
"Right now, Holtz is obligated to examine the situation there and decide which of those assistants he will keep. Those talks determine how many assistants from here he can even consider asking to go there. USF has had a great staff.
"We'd like to defend ourselves a little bit and keep as many assistants as we can, going along with the best interest of the individuals involved."
On The Number Of Top Candidates Right Now
"There are probably no more than five at this point. That changes as we look at them, though. That guess of five is without talking to any of them.
"As you learn more about a coach, you might decide one needs to move up and another down. An interview plays a huge role in this process. That number five is pure speculation at this point."
