Both coordinator positions remain open at Marshall after former Southern Methodist coach Phil Bennett withdrew his name from consideration, but Herd coach Mark Snyder remains optimistic the search process will work out for the best.
"We'll be fine," Snyder said Thursday.
Snyder awaits word from Mark Whipple, whom he has identified as his top candidate for offensive coordinator. Whipple last worked as quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers under Bill Cowher.
Snyder had wanted Bennett, fired by SMU last season, to take Steve Dunlap's place as head of the defense. Bennett's Mustangs were effective defensively in two games against MU, and Bennett had previously worked as defensive coordinator at Kansas State, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Louisiana State and Purdue.
Other reported candidates are former Cincinnati coach Rick Minter and two assistants cut loose from Michigan in the recent coaching change, Steve Stripling and Steve Szabo.
"I don't know," Snyder said of his new top choice. "We'll see."
If Whipple came to Huntington, he would bring considerable credentials. The former Brown University quarterback coached Massachusetts to a Division I-AA national title and later tutored quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at Pittsburgh.
He was let go after the 2006 season when new head coach Mike Tomlin brought in Ken Anderson to coach quarterbacks. Whipple also has served as head coach at New Haven and Brown.
Recruiting remains at the forefront of Snyder's concerns, as his staff tries to beef up on the defensive side in the final two weeks. In developments this week, offensive lineman Tylor Chambers of Chattanooga, Tenn., has withdrawn his commitment and is heading to Jacksonville State, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The report said Chambers wanted to play with brother Taylor.
Former South Carolina wide receiver O.J. Murdock, late of Pearl River (Miss.) Community College, has firmed up his previously reported (and disputed) commitment.
To contact staff writer Doug Smock, use e-mail or call 348-5130.
