Wildcat18

What makes you say that? I personally don't think Whitley's "that" good of a job anyway. Who would you recommend?

Lucas has already interviewed. WC administration is still awaiting his decision. Who will they target if Lucas doesn't accept?

I'm not sure if Whitley County has an internet connection that far out, but if they do could someone try to relate some info on who they're looking at for their next coach? The job opened in November and only posted to the KHSAA job opening site on January 24th for what could be the longest coaching search in KHSAA history. They have been turned down by Pikeville's Dudley Hilton. The latest is that Somerset's Robbie Lucas has interviewed and the ball is in his court. Is anything new?

Soon after Browne was forced out, a good friend of mine inquired about that job through a connecting source. Coming from the AD's mouth, they felt like they had a very good shot at Smith and they would consider other applicants only after their pursuit of him finished. This is just a personal opinion, but I feel like the two sides were communicating significantly before the Browne departure. Take that for what it's worth.

It was a smart move with him getting out of Garrard right now. With Boyle and Lex Cath possibly moving to 3A in a year, they'd most likely be in a district with Garrard wouldn't they?

I heard in an interview by Christian Laettner that he would never even stop to pee at a gas station in Kentucky. I wonder if that unwritten rule will now apply to Smith in Richmond?

How many more keys can he earn in Danville? LOL.

You're right about the players in the Super Bowl. Alabama only has 2 to Kentucky's 3. Alabama had 9 players taken in the 2013 NFL Draft, 5 of those were linemen. Kentucky had one player taken. It matters. If I'm an NFL scout and I have a choice to attend a practice of either Alabama or Kentucky. Where do you think I'm going?

I hope he picks UK, but I wouldn't blame him if he chose Alabama. Saban gets guys to the next level like no other.

I'm just going off quotes from his last two interviews by the Boyle County newspaper. One last night and one following the conclusion the 2013 season. He insinuates often that he doesn't have that much longer left in the tank. This isn't hearsay. They're direct quotes from the horses mouth. That worries me if I'm SW. However, that is probably the ONLY thing that worries me with his hire.

“I think it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be one of those deals where I don’t have a lot of years remaining, and I want to be happy doing what I’m doing and it gives my family a chance to be together again.” This is the quote I can't help but consider. It's looking like SW is willing to take the short-term fix. Look for this process to be repeated in the near future. With that said, he's a good/safe hire. Now my next question. What assistants does he have targeted to bring to SW?

I was told that SW would be willing to open somewhere around 2-3, maybe 4, teaching spots for assistant coaches. That came straight from the principal at SW according to my source. That was during the application process before Christmas break. They may have budged on that with French though.

That's usually how it works. Have you talked directly with any of the four members of the hiring committee? My understanding is that they've had very tight lips throughout this entire process, as they should. In other news...why would French be ok taking a step down from Boyle to go to SW? Is he taking heat from fans over there or something?

Yes I do. Based on everything I've gathered personally, talking with people I feel are close to the situation. French is 1 (if they can reach a deal - it's really up to Boyle to decide his fate in all honesty) and it's Foley at 2. I would guess that it is now narrowed down to a top 2 or 3 with back-ups on standby.

That's understandable. Thank you. Are you able to list the records of his Harrison County career? When you think Kentucky high school football, you don't think of Harrison County. Maybe you can make me understand. I'm only familiar with his time at LCA. He's got experience and he can run a program. That's known. Is he capable of winning a KHSAA state championship? That's my question. SW has that much talent, believe it or not.

Thanks. Just my opinion, I don't think DE is the middle school coach in the discussion. His success has not translated at all to the high school. As far as Graham goes, how is success defined with him? A lot of wins? To others, success is defined by playoff history. I've seen a lot of teams go undefeated in the regular season and lose in the first round, primarily because of weak scheduling. That looks good on paper, but doesn't help you achieve your main goal of a state championship. I can't find anything that gives his playoff history at his previous schools. I'd like to know if anyone could find that info.

This was in reply to the initial GCHS post. Sorry about that, new to BGP.

I agree with about 98% of your post. However, what automatically puts Ray Graham at the #2 spot? Any decent coach can stay at the same school for 20+ years and collect a lot of wins off a friendly schedule. I'm personally not too familiar with his accomplishments at Harrison County. What kind of playoff career did he have there? I just know he got a decent start at LCA and has declined every year since. Wasn't too impressive there at all.