Dear football search committee members,

With Head Coach David Elson gone after this season, your committee has a chance to inject some much needed enthusiasm into Western football by selecting a new head coach. This will by no means be an easy task. The team is mired in a losing streak that dates back to last year and fan support for the program has hit a new low. To help ensure that Western finds the right man for the job, the Herald would like to offer its suggestions on what to look for in Elson’s replacement.

To help Western right the ship during its second year in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the committee needs to target a coach with at least three years of coaching experience at the FBS level.

He doesn’t necessarily have to be a head coach for another team, but if he is, he needs to have a winning record.

Western fans are tired of losing. Bringing in someone with a proven track record will go a long way to restoring their faith in the program.

If he’s not a head coach, the candidate needs to be a coordinator whose offense or defense doesn’t rank in the bottom half of teams in important statistical categories such as points scored or points allowed.

Western football needs to regain its swagger on offense and establish a smashmouth defense that Sun Belt teams won’t be able to score 40 or more points on.

If possible, hiring someone with ties to Western would help fans more easily identify with that person if they were hired as coach.

After the departure of Head Coach Darrin Horn, basketball fans took comfort in knowing that another coach with a strong connection to Western was at the helm with Head Coach Ken McDonald.

The football program may not have the track record the basketball team did before McDonald’s arrival, but it still has a lot to offer, including new facilities, a lively college town and a beautiful campus.

That said, the new head coach would accept a job that carries a certain set of expectations.

Since the success of any program depends on its recruiting, any candidate would need to have a proven recruiting record, particularly in the South, where Western has better name recognition.

Western fans also deserve a coach who has something to gain by taking the job.

A coach who’s looking to prove something can use Western as a stepping stone as long as he improves the program while he’s here.

The one aspect of the past seven years that will be hard to replace is Elson’s community involvement and his media savvy, so the committee should look for a coach who excels in those areas as Elson did.

Finally, the committee needs to realize that there’s no rush on selecting a new coach.

The appropriate time should be taken to ensure that the football program lands someone who fits Western’s personality and will confront the challenge of turning around the team head-on.

By following the Herald’s suggestions, the committee should be able to find Elson’s replacement and reinvigorate a fan base that desperately needs some good news.

This editorial represents the majority opinion of the Herald’s 11-member editorial board.