Published December 8, 2015
The search committee met again on Sunday evening to discuss the applicants for the
head football coach position and narrowed the pool down to a handful of candidates.
They will begin formal interviews this week with the assistance of the collegiate
athletic firm – College Sports Solutions.
The members discussed at length the qualities they desire in a new head football coach
during Sunday’s meeting.
Gerrand Johnson, student athlete committee member, said, “the next coach has to have
a proven winning record in order to get the team to believe in him. He should also
provide dynamic leadership and be open to innovation and new ideas on how to run things.”
Amid discussions of the many qualities the candidates should possess—one being the
desire to recruit local talent—the topic of the university’s admission standards for
student athletes was addressed. “There is this public perception that we struggle
to recruit locally because our admission standards are higher than other universities,
and that is not true,” said Brett Bennett, faculty athletic representative. “We adhere
to the standards set forth by the Louisiana Board of Regents and have a process in
place to admit by exception when warranted. The myth that ULM enforces higher admission
standards on student-athletes than its peers needs to be dispelled as we meet with
the candidates. It can not be used as an excuse to avoid recruiting locally.”
Brian Moreau, committee member, expressed his desire to find the right ‘fit’ for the
university. “The next person we bring in should be someone the entire community and
university can rally behind—a strong leader with integrity and a lot of energy. I’m
confident the right person can lead us to the next level.”
The search committee will continue to meet until the position is filled.
