Updated, Wednesday morning
I thought, from the beginning, that Middle Tennessee’s Rick Stockstill was the target in East Carolina’s ongoing search for a new head coach — despite the fact that the school had sought permission from Grambling to speak to Rod Broadway.
A lot changed today, as Stockstill withdrew his name from the hat.
ECU athletics director Terry Holland reportedly sat down with Stockstill on Sunday and subsequently offered the job. Citing the a promising National Signing Day class, among other reasons, Stockstill said he was choosing to remain in Murfreesboro, Tenn., where he has a 27-23 record and has taken Middle to two bowl games. The Blue Raiders were 10-3 in 2009 and won the New Orleans Bowl.
East Carolina, where Broadway (as well as Grambling assistants Clifford Yoshida and Bob Leahy) previously coached, is still searching for a replacement after Skip Holtz left the Pirates last week to take over at the University of South Florida.
Broadway is part of a group of candidates said to include Bowling Green head coach Dave Clawson, Liberty head coach Danny Rocco, former Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden, North Alabama head coach Terry Bowden, former Boston College head coach and ECU staffer Jeff Jagodzinski and former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach, among others.
Clawson might be their top remaining candidate, but late reports had school officials at Bowling Green denying contact. Clawson just completed a 7-5 rookie season with the program — topped by a berth in the Humanitarian Bowl, where Bowling Green fell 43-42 to Idaho. Before that, he had successful runs at at Fordham and Richmond.
Terry Bowden is apparently interviewing elsewhere. That leaves Rocco — who is renegotiating with Liberty — and Broadway, though I’m now hearing that the phones have gone quiet in the Grambling coach’s camp. Earlier candidates who have expressed interest include Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster, former Boston College head coach and ECU staffer Jeff Jagodzinski and Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson.
GET IN THE GAME:
Broadway is following career opportunities created at Grambling by Eddie Robinson
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