Truth be told, Terry Holland may have already found East Carolina's next football coach.

Before he pulled the trigger on John Thompson, the school's well-connected athletic director could have drafted a list, worked the phones, and reached an informal agreement with his ace in the hole.

If that's the case, ECU's long-term athletics fate has been signed, sealed, and delivered. If not, Coach Holland hopefully is operating under the assumption that he is in no position to gamble with the upcoming hire.

East Carolina simply lacks the chips to bet on an unknown.

That essentially is the path ECU took by firing Steve Logan. In exchange for a proven commodity that was to that moment in time the program's most profitable investment, former chancellor Bill Muse and then-AD Mike Hamrick bet the ranch on penny stocks.

Of the cards available — drawn from a shallow deck of uninspiring candidates — Thompson emerged as a compromise of sorts, a reflection of the lack of a solid plan by Muse and Hamrick for the program's future after Logan.

Upon his hiring, even Thompson acknowledged the magnitude of the job that had fallen into his lap.

"This football program has been built on solid ground," Thompson said at the time. "It is a tremendous program with great tradition, great expectations. To come to a place and be able to build upon that is truly an honor. There is so much tradition in this place."

When the bottom dropped out the following September, a customarily optimistic Pirate Nation — that for the most part had been blindsided by Logan's ouster — spiraled quickly into a dark recession that has kept Thompson on the defensive throughout his tenure.

That's the setting as Holland undertakes the task of hiring East Carolina's next coach. It probably goes without saying that a mistake here could magnify the steep recession into something akin to a depression.

That's why East Carolina would be well served to give Logan a call.

Granted, the chances of Logan returning to the Bagwell Field sideline are about one in a hundred. However, if anyone is qualified to counsel Holland on the qualities required for success in the stewardship of ECU's unique football existence, it would have to be the the Pirates' most successful coach in the I-A era.

Given Logan's demonstrated loyalty to East Carolina over the years and the roots he's put down in the community, my guess is he'd help. Regardless of anyone's position on Logan's firing, it's difficult to question his blueprint for success, which parallels the bottom line in this hiring equation:

Whomever Holland selects as his next coach must understand ECU's mission and embrace its challenges.

With East Carolina's status as the state's only football school, Coach X must be familiar with the pressures of working in a culture emotionally dependent on gridiron success. Moreover, he also must have a grasp for succeeding without some of the luxuries and advantages that are customary at many schools.

In that regard, East Carolina is in small company. Southern Miss, Marshall, and Boise State could be considered kindred programs, though none have as many threatening neighbors in their back yard.

The candidate's ability to assemble an experienced, proven staff should be atop Holland's checklist. The old adage that a head coach is only as good as his assistants has unquestionable credence.

Even Florida State has had difficulty overcoming the defections of Bobby Bowden's top lieutenants.

At East Carolina, the staff's responsibilities are much greater in relative terms. Without a roster of blue chippers, so much is dependent upon player development that one mistake in staff selection could mean the difference in six wins and nine.

That said, ECU is in desperate need of a figure who can restore the in-state recruiting bridges that Hamrick destroyed. Thompson's mission to comb Florida first did little to repair the broken relationships that resulted from the Friday Night Fiasco.

"It's real gratifying the reception we get from the coaches here in this state, and the local coaches in particular," Logan once said. "They now want to see their kids play here.

"They know that they can jump in the car and come up here and watch the kids play. That's a trust relationship that has cultivated over a 13-year period now. We're real careful to keep cultivating that."

Ideally, Holland's hire will have an existing knowledge of the North Carolina terrain and a commitment to outfitting local players in purple and gold. From its inception as a program, East Carolina's foundation has been in-state talent, a philosophy to which it must return.

This isn't to suggest that ECU shouldn't pursue the best talent available or target kids across state lines. However, history has proven the Pirates can win consistently with a nucleus of players from within a few hours drive.

If all that isn't enough, Holland must lure a coach who measures high enough on the wow meter to resonate with donors and excite potential season ticket buyers. Anyone whose name doesn't make an immediate statement likely won't rekindle the spark the Pirate Nation desperately needs.

That would seem to shrink the candidate pool considerably.

Of all the possibilities, former Marshall and Georgia coach Jim Donnan would certainly qualify. He's worked in climates similar to Greenville on both smaller and larger scales.

Donnan also is familiar with the region, has proven he can build a staff, and would be a statement hire. Another attraction is the fact that East Carolina likely would be a final stop given his age and experience.

If not Donnan, there are several coaches who closely emulate the mold. Tommy West (Memphis), Dan Hawkins (Boise State), and Pat Hill (Fresno State) immediately come to mind. Given the money Holland reportedly can spend, chances are each would answer the phone.

Regardless, the type of calls Holland can't afford to make are those that typified the search two years ago. Ideally, he will zero in on candidates with the stature to galvanize the fanbase and help consolidate and leverage the gains ECU's AD has already made in healing the rifts of the past.

Considering the urgency of stemming East Carolina's red ink and positioning the program for inclusion in the next round of Big East reconfiguration, this isn't the time to pursue a coach in training. There's just too much riding on this decision to pick a wild card.