March 19, 2005

Charleston, SC - Citadel athletic director Les Robinson will not just be watching basketball at the NCAA Tournament in Charlotte this weekend.

Robinson said Friday that he will interview up to four candidates for the job of the Bulldogs' head football coach while he's in Charlotte.

He declined to name those candidates, but two of them could be Rice offensive coordinator Scott Wachenheim and former Lehigh head coach Kevin Higgins, according to sources at The Citadel. Neither coach could be reached for comment Friday.

"I do have some interviews set up while I'm here, but I'm not at liberty to discuss any names," said Robinson, who added that he will not make an offer while in Charlotte because he must speak first with Citadel president Gen. John Grinalds.

"No, I definitely won't do that," he said. "I've got to come back to Charleston and talk to Gen. Grinalds and my staff before we make an offer."

Earlier this week, Wachenheim would not comment on whether he had applied for The Citadel job, but said it would be a "tremendous honor" to be considered.

Wachenheim, 42, has been at Rice for 11 seasons, the last four as offensive coordinator. Working for former Clemson coach Ken Hatfield, Wachenheim helped the Owls' option attack finish second in the nation in rushing in 2003, averaging almost 400 yards per game. He also has experience at a military school as an all- conference lineman at Air Force. He also has coached at Arkansas, Colorado and LSU.

Higgins, 49, had a 56-25-1 record in seven seasons as head coach at Lehigh from 1994-2000, including teams that won or shared four Patriot League titles. His last three teams at Lehigh posted records of 12-1, 10-2 and 12-1.

Higgins left Lehigh for an assistant coaching job with the NFL's Detroit Lions, where he coached quarterbacks for three years and wide receivers for one year. He was let go by the Lions last month and has been in the running for a couple of NFL assistant coaching jobs. Higgins succeeded Charleston Southern athletic director Hank Small as the head coach at Lehigh, and Higgins coached at Small's alma mater, Gettysburg College, from 1981-84. Higgins also was an assistant at Richmond from 1985-87.

The Citadel is seeking a replacement for John Zernhelt, who resigned Feb. 11 after one season as head coach to become tight ends coach with the New York Jets. Earlier this week, South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough turned down an offer from Robinson.