The search is on to replace David Elson as head football coach at Western Kentucky University and WKU athletic director Dr. Wood Selig says the proceeding's going very well so far.

"I've been presently surprised in the level of interest we're getting," Selig told WBKO in a telephone interview on Wednesday. "We haven't been seeking interest among candidates because we've been too busy answering phone calls from individuals who have interest in our position."

Selig said over 40 coaches have expressed interest in one way or another and he's pleased with the pool of names so far.

"(A lot of them are) well-recognized, household names," Selig said. "We've received interest from the NFL level, from offensive and defensive coordinators in (Bowl Championship Series automatic qualifying) conferences and sitting head coaches around the country.

"We're going to have a real challenge on our hands because we're going to have a loaded field from which to choose."

He said most of the interest has come from coaches who are currently employed - he estimated that 95 percent of the candidates so far are working right now. The other five percent, he said, are "sitting on the sidelines this year, evaluating opportunities."

The candidate pool, however, does not include WKU alum and former NFL coach Romeo Crennel. Selig said the five-time Super Bowl winning assistant and former Cleveland Browns head coach relayed that he wasn't interested in becoming a candidate.

"Romeo was our first call," said Selig. "We owed it to ourselves, owed it to our fan base, owed it to WKU to touch base with Romeo. We did that yesterday and he indicated he wasn't interested in being a candidate but was willing to help in any way possible.

"He'll play a very vital role in the process."

Of the 10 to 15 percent (according to Selig) of candidates who are current head coaches, Selig said most are at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (1-AA) level. He described their current programs as "the most successful of 1-AA programs currently."

The long list of potential new coaches for the Hilltoppers could complicate the search, but Selig said he's happy to have so many names to choose from.

"It truly is wide-open," Selig said. "(The list) just brings it back to being a wide-open search, with our efforts to bring the best possible candidate to WKU."

And as he did during Monday's press conference to address Elson's firing, Selig refused to put a timetable on how quickly WKU wants to move the process along or how soon the university wants to name a new coach.

"I think the best thing we can do is to just keep our ears and eyes open and try to keep adding as many potential candidates to our list to determine as many people with interest as we possibly can," said Selig. "As each day goes by, I'm amazed at the names who are contacting with interest. The longer we're open, the deeper the pool will get.

"At some point within the next two weeks, we'll have to say, 'We've stocked the pond with enough fish, let's start fishing and see who we can land at WKU.'"