Here's what Belhaven University is looking for in its next football coach after making NCAA playoffs

Belhaven University football's 2023 season was the best in school history. The Blazers went 9-2, won the USA South Athletic Conference championship and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since joining NCAA Division III in 2019.

“The season was unbelievably exciting,” said Scott Little, Belhaven's athletic director for the past 17 years. “Coach (Blaine McCorkle) had a purpose and a plan from Day One.”

The greatest success the program has achieved since school president Roger Parrott started the program 26 years ago was followed by a significant loss. McCorkle, who had been the Blazers' coach for six seasons, left Nov. 28 to become the coach at Northwestern State, a Division I school in Louisiana.

As the new year approaches, Belhaven is looking for a new coach. Little said he has been inundated with applications and retained a consulting firm to assist in the process.

Here is what Little told The Clarion Ledger he is looking for in a coach to continue the Blazers' success.

Little said a key at Belhaven, which has a covenant relationship with the Synod of Living Waters of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is finding a coach who is like-minded in faith.

“When I hire people, the No. 1 goal is to create an environment where our athletes can compete for championships," Little said. "Second, we create an environment where these young men and women can grow and mature as people created in God’s image.”

Little said before he hires a coach, he makes sure he likes them as a person. Little said he spends so much time with coaches that the strong personal relationship is important.

And while Little seeks a coach with whom he knows he can communicate well, he would welcome a coach "diverse in personality who can bring their gifts, experience and skill set to the school and the job."

Little said he tends to pursue coaches with college experience, but depending on where the program is in its development, he considers coaches who have had been highly successful at a large high school and who he believes can make the jump to the college level.

Recruiting skills is a key component, Little said. He views recruiting at the Division III level a 365-days-a-year job with no dead period.

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The next coach must be someone who can mesh well, develop a staff and young athletes.

Little said he reassured the returning players that the administration will find a coach as fast as possible but will focus on finding the right person.

“Our commitment is to win," Little said. “That’s the front end of our pitch, that you can have a great experience and compete for championships here and get a great degree.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: What Belhaven University football is looking for in its next coach