Stockstill: No Offer from ECU, At Least Not Yet

Stockstill has been Clemson's recruiting coordinator since 1999.

by Dan Scott - Correspondent - Tue Feb 25 18:44:45 GMT-04:00 2003

CLEMSON - Clemson wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Rick Stockstill has not accepted an offer to become offensive coordinator at East Carolina University.

At least not yet.

The 14-year Clemson assistant coach, brought to the school by Danny Ford in 1989, said Tuesday evening that he indeed had interviewed for the job, but that an offer hasn't been made by new Pirates' head coach John Thompson.

"He hasn't offered it to me yet," Stockstill said. "He brought someone else in to interview (Tuesday), and told me he would call me either (Tuesday night) or real early (Wed.) morning."

The job, if offered, also would include the duties of quarterback coach.

Stockstill and his wife, Sara, flew to Greenville, N.C. Sunday night and he interviewed for the job Monday. This came after phone conversations that began last Friday, initiated by Thompson. Stockstill returned to Clemson Monday night and was back on campus Tuesday.

Stockstill, who has built a reputation as one of the top recruiters in the country during his tenure at Clemson, said his interest in the ECU post stems from a desire to one day be a head coach.

"Obviously I'm going to look at it," Stockstill said of a potential offer. "I want to be a head coach, and to do that I'd have to first be an offensive coordinator. They're not hiring receivers coaches as head coaches."

And if an offer is forthcoming?

"As far as saying yes or no, I'm not at that point," Stockstill said. "I'd still have to talk to (head coach Tommy) Bowden and let him know what I'm going to do."

Stockstill also cautioned that he doesn't consider himself on the fast track out of Clemson, even if the ECU opportunity doesn't work out.

"I don't think getting out of here as soon as possible is the right way to say it," he said. "Maybe I'm offered a job next week that isn't a good fit for me. Right now I think ECU would be a good fit, and I realize if I want to be a head coach I'll have to take that step."

Stockstill, a former Florida State quarterback, began his coaching career as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Bethune-Cookman in 1983. He was assistant head coach and wide receivers coach at Central Florida from 1985-88, before joining Ford's staff in 1989.

Besides Ford, Stockstill has worked under former Clemson head coaches Ken Hatfield and Tommy West, in addition to his current position on Bowden's staff.

Thompson came to East Carolina after former coach Steve Logan was fired after the 2002 season. Thompson had spent the previous year as the defensive coordinator at Florida.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Stockstill has agreed to appear on SportsTalk with Dan Scott early Wednesday morning. No time has been set. The show airs from 9 a.m.-Noon on 104.9 FM, WCCP. It can also be heard at www.wccpfm.com)