ADs always make national searches

There was complaint that Chasse Conque did not make a "national search" before he hired Wes Flanigan. I would argue that athletic directors are always searching, especially at our level, just because of the nature of the beast. They know they may have to fill a position at any time, and so they are always evaluating, always making contacts, always developing relationships. At the same time, they are also creating a "short list" of names they would prefer to go to first. So when they hire, they have done it both ways. It may make the fans feel better for the AD to hire a search firm and go through the motions of a formal process, but any AD worth his salt already knows who is in the field, and who he would prefer.