Charlotte 49ers football coaching search: Why now? And who’s next for AD Mike Hill?

Charlotte 49ers athletics director Mike Hill knew what he wanted to see from football coach Brad Lambert’s program this season. And it wasn’t there.

“I had every intention -- and did -- to give Brad and his staff a full opportunity to show what this program was going to be,” Hill said Monday, a day after he announced he had fired Lambert with one game remaining in the season. “There were highs and lows. I had to get a sense of being of the entire program. There are so many facets, not just one or two games.

“What sort of juice is in the program? I know that’s not very scientific. But what kind of energy? What’s the momentum? Where are we headed? This is about the trajectory of the program and the decision was based on that. We needed a fresh start to be able to gain momentum for the football program to get to where we want it to be.”

That, Hill said, was ultimately his reason for dismissing Lambert, the only coach the program has had. Lambert has a 21-48 record entering the season finale Saturday at Florida Atlantic.

Under Lambert, the 49ers (4-7 this season) haven’t had a winning record in their six years of existence.

Lambert nearly lost his job after the 49ers went 1-11 in 2017, but former athletics director Judy Rose chose to retain him.

Hill, who replaced Rose in March, knew fixing the football program would be among his top priorities. By firing Lambert, he’s taken a first step.

“We have to break out of that tier of trying to bust into having a winning season and then start competing on a more regular basis,” Hill said.

Hill said a sense of urgency was behind the timing of his decision to inform Lambert before the season ended.

“We’re competing for the best coaches in the country,” Hill said. “Some (schools) have already released some of them. Some hired new coaches. There will be another wave this weekend. We needed to get ahead of this.

“And I’m not a believer in operating in a way that’s deceptive to an employee or a coach. I was not going to conduct a search behind Brad’s back this week. I felt I had to be honest to Brad and tell him as soon as possible and be transparent about it.”

Hill said he doesn’t have a timetable for when he would like to have a new coach in place, although he said he’d like to have it done by the early signing period for recruiting in mid-December.

Hill said he anticipated being able to pay the new coach a salary more in line with what other Conference USA coaches make, above Lambert’s $625,000 a year. Lambert had two years left on his contract and will receive a buyout of about $515,000.

Lambert’s staff was retained, in large part for the assistants to maintain contact with high school players who have made verbal commitments to Charlotte. Hill said it will be the new coach’s decision on whether any of those coaches will remain on the staff.

Hill didn’t specifically say what he was looking for in a new coach. But he said he was attracted by the idea of a hiring a top young assistant from a Power 5 program — something he did in similar fashion when he hired men’s basketball coach Ron Sanchez, then the associate head coach at Virginia, last March.

“I’ll be looking for character and integrity,” said Hill. “That’s what I was looking for with Ron and that’s what Brad delivered. I want a proven recruiter who is a proven developer of talent, who understands how important culture is. Again, I’ll refer you back to Ron Sanchez. That model works for football.

“Our expectations are very clear. Being just OK is not OK here. We’re here to compete for conference championships and to play in the postseason.”

Hill said he broke the news to Lambert on Sunday, then talked to the other coaches and the players.

“The players were respectful,” Hill said. “They listened to me; they were dialed into every word I said. I didn’t sense any overriding anger. I’m sure there’s somebody in the room who was angry. I’m sure some kids were upset. It would be shocking if out of 100-plus people that there weren’t. But I didn’t feel a bad vibe when I met with them.”

Hill’s conversation with Lambert was difficult.

“It was gut wrenching,” Hill said “But Brad was Brad. He was a pro. He’s such a man of high class and integrity. Whoever hires him — and trust me, that guy is going to have a million opportunities — will be getting a first-class individual.”

UNC Charlotte chancellor Phil Dubois was one of the people who hired Lambert in 2011 to start up the 49ers program. Seven years later, Dubois was in on the decision to let him go.

“I said at the time that Brad was a man of character, energy and integrity,” Dubois said. “And he was as advertised.”

49ers possibilities?

Here is a list of a few potential candidates for the Charlotte 49ers football coaching job:

Tony Elliott, 38, co-offensive coordinator, Clemson: Has been on Dabo Swinney’s staff since 2011 and was named the Broyles Award winner in 2017 as the top assistant in the country. Former wide receiver for the Tigers, Elliott also has coaching experience at S.C. State and Furman.

Jedd Fisch, 42, senior offensive assistant, Los Angeles Rams: He’s got mostly NFL experience, but had a brief stint as UCLA’s interim head coach in 2017 and was also an assistant at Minnesota and Michigan. Was a grad assistant at Florida (his alma mater) while 49ers athletics director Mike Hill was there.

Mike Houston, 47, head coach, James Madison: Has been successful at all his stops, including Lenoir-Rhyne, The Citadel and now JMU. Led Lenoir-Rhyne to the 2012 NCAA Division II championship, The Citadel to the 2015 FCS playoffs and the Dukes to the 2016 FCS championship (and runner-up in ‘17).

Pete Kwiatkowski, 52, defensive coordinator, Washington: Has been a defensive coordinator at Boise State and then Washington since 2010. Is known as having one of college football’s more innovative defensive minds.

Will Healy, 33, head coach, Austin Peay: Considered a rising star, he led the Governors to an 8-4 season in 2017 after they had won one game in the previous four.

Mike Minter, 44, head coach, Campbell: Former Carolina Panthers star was interested in Charlotte’s job when the program was formed. Has a 30-37 record with the Camels, who are playing in the FCS Big South for the first time this season.

Shane Montgomery, 51, offensive coordinator, Charlotte: Came to 49ers from Youngstown State, where as offensive coordinator he helped the Penguins to the 2016 FCS title game while setting several school records. He has brought in a pro-style offense that revitalized a running game that ranks sixth in Conference USA.

Glenn Spencer, defensive coordinator, Charlotte: Completely changed the 49ers’ defensive system, especially against the run (Charlotte led C-USA in that statistic for much of the season). Former defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State and assistant head coach at Duke.