Who's The Next Coach At NC State?

The State-UNC game at Kenan Stadium on Saturday—between two teams who had lost a combined 12 games in a row—set football in the state of North Carolina back 20 years, with the Tar Heels winning, 23-9. The question becomes whether it takes the Wolfpack 20 years to realize that coach Chuck Amato is a snake oil salesman, a used car dealer, an emperor with no clothes. There is rampant speculation that the power brokers—i.e., the big-money boosters—at NC State want Amato out, and are simply hammering out the details of how to do so most smoothly and respectfully.

At the core of the issue is the looming presence of Bill Cowher 329 miles away in the Steel City. The former State linebacker and current head coach of the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers has reportedly grown disenchanted with the pro ranks, and after taking home the Lombardi Trophy last year, could be wondering what else there is to accomplish at that level. He and his family recently bought a new home in Raleigh and Pack diehards want desperately for that to mean he would be open to taking the reins of the Wolfpack program. One potential snag is that Cowher and Amato have a good relationship, and Cowher would want to distance himself from any appearance that he was pushing Amato out the door. All this assumes that Cowher would want to jump right back into the coaching ranks; some will tell you that he will likely want a year away to recharge his batteries, while others will say that the idea of him taking over at State is farfetched at best.

If we accept that the powers-that-be at NC State oust Amato or that he resigns for the good of his alma mater following Saturday’s game vs. East Carolina, and if we also accept that Cowher is a longshot candidate as an immediate successor, what are some of the other names that would be bandied about?

Perhaps at the top of that list is one-time Pack quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Arguably the most respected offensive mind in the college ranks, Chow fashioned high-powered attacks at BYU, NC State and USC before moving on most recently to serve as offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans. The quarterback guru has tutored gunslingers like Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Ty Detmer, Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. The idea of him working with promising young State signal-callers like Justin Burke, Harrison Beck, Russell Wilson and Daniel Evans has many NC State fans understandably excited, and this is no message board frenzy. The Denver Post and other outlets have discussed the possibility of him emerging as a top candidate for the Wolfpack, while Sports Illustrated guesses he may follow Titans coach Jeff Fisher wherever he goes if Fisher leaves and the Deseret Morning News tosses him out as a name to remember for the job at Utah.

Some feel that Chow’s easygoing demeanor fits him best as a career assistant, while others question whether he would want to try his hand at head coaching for the first time at 60 years of age. He also has West Coast ties and missed his family quite a bit during his one year in Raleigh, another factor that would certainly enter into the equation. However, it would be a coup for the Pack if Chow took the job and set the table for Cowher down the road.

Some other names to remember for Wolfpack fans eager for a change at the top include Paul Johnson, the head man at Navy and a North Carolina native who holds degrees from Western Carolina and Appalachian State; Shane Montgomery, a former Pack quarterback who has endured some struggles after taking over as head coach at Miami (Ohio); John “Doc” Holliday, former associate head coach and wide receivers coach under Amato and current associate head coach and safeties coach at Florida; and Mike Canales, the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arizona and one-time quarterbacks coach at NC State. Former State quarterback and ex-Georgia coach Jim Donnan’s name will also likely be brought up, although it is doubtful that he would emerge as a viable consideration.

With the facilities that State has put in place—and Amato rightfully deserves the bulk of the credit for this as a top-notch fundraiser—and the increased exposure of the expanded ACC in football would make the Wolfpack job an attractive one in coaching circles. Amato may yet make it through the offseason, but that would make 2007 almost an unfair environment in which to allow his coaching staff and student-athletes to grow. Each and every game would spark status reports and updates on his job security and coaching skills. Say this for Amato: he is a loyal guy who wears his heart on his sleeve and bleeds Wolfpack red. His love for NC State would allow the thought of stepping aside to enter the argument for him, but his never-say-die, fighting spirit would never let him admit that he couldn’t get it done. For that reason, it will be up to athletics director Lee Fowler and the behind-the-scenes money men to pull the plug, and Amato’s chances of keeping his job are much closer to a coin flip than anyone would have thought even three weeks ago.