Cornell’s search for its next football coach continued late this week, as the athletic department prepared to move into the final phases of the selection process.
“We feel very fortunate that we have a very sizable pool of candidates,” said athletic director Andy Noel. “We’re confident at this point in the search that we’ll have a terrific coach.”
Noel and other athletic administrators have spent much of the last several weeks traveling throughout the country meeting informally with several candidates. Noel stressed, though, that none of these meetings have constituted official interviews, explaining that this portion of the selection process will likely get underway next week.
Members of the Cornell Football Association are expected to provide input in this process, according to Fred Devlin, Chairman of the CFA.
“Some of us will have an opportunity to meet with the candidates at an appropriate time,” Devlin wrote in an e-mail to The Sun. “I, for one, will be in Ithaca during this process.”
Penn defensive coordinator Ray Priore, who had been rumored by some as a possible candidate, told The Sun that he had not applied for the opening and had no intentions of doing so. Penn led the Ivy League in total and rushing defense this past season, as the Quakers went 10-0 to capture their second consecutive league championship.
Noel also spoke of the impact of the search on the recruiting process, noting that the current assistant coaches are continuing to work to fill the football team’s Class of 2008.
“You can never state for sure the exact impact on recruiting,” he said. “Quite a lot of recruits are interested in Cornell University and our football program. But in one way, we are in a position that we can lose candidates.”
Archived article by Owen Bochner