Technician: How does a coaching search like this begin?

King: I’m not sure exactly what transpired in any communications between the athletic director and the chancellor in terms of the search. But given today’s environment in college athletics in terms of coaching searches of primary sports and because we’re a state-supported school there are certain rules and regulations that have to be adhered to in terms of notification. You have to post the job for 30 days. But in terms of the decision-making process, the athletic director will make a decision in concert with the chancellor about hiring a firm to help them in the process, and give people a third party to talk to in order to find people who are interested in the job. The other reason is so we can talk to people we want to talk to whose current employers don’t want them talking about other jobs and we don’t want the employers to know we’re talking to them.

Technician: How much input does the Wolfpack Club have?

King: That process is ongoing. Most of the time third parties are used, just because the process is simpler that way and more confidential. But the Wolfpack Club is really not involved in terms of deciding which firm they use to do that. That’s a process for the athletic director. Athletic directors probably have two of three firms to choose from and they pick the one they have the best relationship with and feel the most comfortable with. That’s not an activity the Board of Directors of the Wolfpack Club is involved.

Technician: How much is the Wolfpack Club involved in the firing of a coach?

King: We are not involved in that at all. I’m sure there were board members who expressed their thoughts about that to the right people, like the chancellor and the board of trustees, other Wolfpack Club members and the athletic director.

Technician: Did you discuss the firing among yourselves?

King: Individually, I’m sure there were discussions. But as an entire body, no.

Technician: What direction should the administration go in hiring a new coach?

King: This is my opinion and not the opinion of the board. It may be the opinion of the board, but I haven’t talked with them and had a consensus of thought. But my opinion is that we ought to hire a guy who’s an existing head coach and not an assistant. The reason I say that is that the last coach we had, who’s a really good friend of mine and nice guy, was not a head coach. We just need a head coach who’s had head coaching experience and has the experience with creating chemistry among the assistants that he hires and had some success.

Technician: Hiring an existing head coach would eliminate a lot of names that have been rumored for the job, like Jimbo Fisher and Norm Chow. How would you feel about Paul Johnson at Navy?

King: Paul Johnson’s a fine football coach. But the only thing I don’t like about him is that he has a specific type of offense which I think would be limiting to recruiting at a Division-I school like State. Eighty-five percent of what Navy runs are running plays. It’s a very specific, set offense and would be considered by recruits as boring. They don’t throw the ball very much. You have to have a balance between passing and running to be successful against great defenses at Division-I schools these days. I would not be in favor of him and it doesn’t have anything to do with his personality. I just don’t like the style of offense he runs.

Technician: Who’s out there that State can go after?

King: I really don’t know any specific names, but there are a lot of Division-I coaches who have good track records. I can’t name any off the top of my head that’s got the experience. But in terms of trying to come up with names to put in Technician , News & Observer or The Charlotte Observer – all the crap you see out there is strictly speculation about the names who might be candidates in certain places. So I don’t put any credence to those. Ninety-nine percent of that is wrong. I’m sure that process is very confidential as it should be. We just need to, in time, call a press conference when the proper approvals within the University have been given. You got to have confidence in the athletic director to select that and in Lee Fowler’s case I certainly do.

Technician: What do you know about coach Amato’s plans for the future?

King: I have no idea. I would think that if the right coaching job came by he might go back to coaching. It’s pure speculation, but I don’t think Chuck has to work unless he just wants to. He’s a 60-year-old guy. He’s a young 60, if you will. He’s got a beautiful home in Raleigh and he’s got a nice family. He might stay there or go back and be an assistant coach somewhere or he may be a head coach somewhere. But whoever gets the N.C. State job will have a plethora of talent. We have 33 or 34 of the top 44 players on our depth chart coming back next year. And we got really could young quarterbacks and some talented transfers coming in. I don’t believe our current quarterback will be our starting quarterback next year, but we’re going to have a pretty good football team next year whoever comes in.