Mark Hutson’s shoes remain unfilled.

On Jan. 11, Hutson, the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, left Eastern to take a similar position at Tulane in New Orleans.

Hutson’s position on the coaching staff has not been filled and a search committee to find his successor has not yet been formed.

“Nothing has started yet,” said athletic director Rich McDuffie. “Maybe in about a week or so.”

When Hutson left Eastern, John Smith, associate athletic director for development, said he received many inquiries regarding the position.

“That’s the nature of coaching,” Smith said. “As soon as Hutson left, it got published and boom, your phone starts ringing.”

One possible complication to finding a replacement for Hutson is the continuing health issues of head coach Bob Spoo.

Sports Information Director Rich Moser said Spoo had a follow-up operation last Monday and is recuperating at home.

Spoo missed the entire 2006 season with an undisclosed illness and Hutson was acting as head coach during Spoo’s absence.

Spoo announced Dec. 1 that he will return to the sidelines this season to resume his head-coaching duties.

Smith said the administration has planned all along to wait until now to search for Hutson’s replacement.

“This time of year, you get a lot of movement in coaches,” Smith said. “There are two key times, right after the season up until the (football coaches) conference, which is when we lost Mark, and right after signing day.”

McDuffie said another detail holding up the search is the uncertainty if one or both of the positions vacated by Hutson will be filled.

There could also be some reshuffling among the staff.

Co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jorge Munoz has remained at Eastern and could be promoted as the lone offensive coordinator.

“Keeping continuity is important so the guys can have the same offense for the second year,” defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said about promoting Munoz. “Jorge is a great coach.”

Munoz called all the offensive plays for the Panthers this season, and his ascension would be a logical move, Bellantoni said.

Assistant coach Justin Lustig is familiar with the hiring process at Eastern.

The special teams coordinator is the newest member of Eastern’s staff, hired last spring.

Lustig said getting a coaching job is like any other.

“It’s all about how qualified you are and kind of who you know,” Lustig said. “Once you get your foot in the door, hopefully you get an interview.”

Lustig said interviews are not only about coaching philosophy and techniques; recruiting is important.

He added that the high school and parts of the country the coach has connections with are looked at in any interview.

McDuffie has the final say on all coaching hires, but Spoo will likely head up the selection committee. Smith will also be a part of the committee and he said often an outsider is brought in to add a different perspective.

“Sometimes our search committee’s might have a Panther Club member or maybe a faculty member,” Smith said.

In any case, the university’s goal is to have a replacement for Hutson named before the start of spring practice, which usually starts the last week of March or the first week of April.