A couple quick updates on the head baseball coaching search as it reaches day five.
Cliff Godwin:
GamecockScoop has confirmed with a source that East Carolina head coach Cliff Godwin is at or near the top of the board for Ray Tanner, and that there is a push. Godwin currently makes $600,000 at East Carolina, so the cost of getting him in and even bumping would still be more than feasible.
Nine East Carolina players are currently in the transfer portal, too, which gives South Carolina a chance to flip the roster quickly if it can successfully land Godwin.
Monte Lee:
GamecockScoop can also confirm Lee is getting further consideration beyond his title of interim head coach, although this is obviously not a done deal or a formality despite the support from players currently on the roster and recruits. As the search closes in on a week, the time spent calling elsewhere further signifies Tanner and the administration's willingness to exhaust as many resources and avenues as possible before returning back to what would be a safer choice in Lee.
Tom Walter:
The buzz here feels a little bit quieter than the first two names, but GamecockScoop was told earlier today the Wake Forest head coach is still in the mix for this job. The tricky part here is the specifics of his contract being private and not knowing exactly what it would take to buy him out and offer a new deal, but he did sign an extension after taking the Demon Deacons to Omaha last year.
Overall thoughts:
I would not say there is a leader in the clubhouse or anything of that nature as of Friday afternoon, but I do think this search is kind of trickling backwards from Monte. He is the name in the back pocket who has already gone on the record on the radio last week saying he wanted the job. Building it out from there it is a question of where else the calls would go, and how long the administration would wait before returning back to Monte.
GamecockScoop has not heard any tangible timeline or hard deadline for this search, but with the transfer portal already open, I have gotten a sense there is a desire to finish this on the quicker side in an attempt to fill out a roster for next season.
Cliff Godwin:
GamecockScoop has confirmed with a source that East Carolina head coach Cliff Godwin is at or near the top of the board for Ray Tanner, and that there is a push. Godwin currently makes $600,000 at East Carolina, so the cost of getting him in and even bumping would still be more than feasible.
Nine East Carolina players are currently in the transfer portal, too, which gives South Carolina a chance to flip the roster quickly if it can successfully land Godwin.
Monte Lee:
GamecockScoop can also confirm Lee is getting further consideration beyond his title of interim head coach, although this is obviously not a done deal or a formality despite the support from players currently on the roster and recruits. As the search closes in on a week, the time spent calling elsewhere further signifies Tanner and the administration's willingness to exhaust as many resources and avenues as possible before returning back to what would be a safer choice in Lee.
Tom Walter:
The buzz here feels a little bit quieter than the first two names, but GamecockScoop was told earlier today the Wake Forest head coach is still in the mix for this job. The tricky part here is the specifics of his contract being private and not knowing exactly what it would take to buy him out and offer a new deal, but he did sign an extension after taking the Demon Deacons to Omaha last year.
Overall thoughts:
I would not say there is a leader in the clubhouse or anything of that nature as of Friday afternoon, but I do think this search is kind of trickling backwards from Monte. He is the name in the back pocket who has already gone on the record on the radio last week saying he wanted the job. Building it out from there it is a question of where else the calls would go, and how long the administration would wait before returning back to Monte.
GamecockScoop has not heard any tangible timeline or hard deadline for this search, but with the transfer portal already open, I have gotten a sense there is a desire to finish this on the quicker side in an attempt to fill out a roster for next season.
