Sikeston's coach Holifield and Dickey Nutt

Holifield said he had not spoken with Nutt in recent days, though he received a text message from him late Tuesday night.

Nutt has been in contact with Holifield in recent weeks on the possibility Nutt could be SEMO's next coach, and Sikeston happens to have a Division I prospect in Michael Porter.

"I hope people in Southeast Missouri are positive, because he would do a great job," Holifield said. "He had some good years at Arkansas State in that conference, and he did with local talent -- Dereke Tippler, Kewain Gant."

Holifield was a baseball player at ASU in the late 1980s, when Nutt began his stint as an assistant coach there before taking over.

Holifield said Porter is getting a lot of interest but he wouldn't rule out SEMO as a possibility. Porter, considering some Missouri Valley Conference and Ohio Valley Conference schools, has been waiting to make his decision and recently called SEMO "shaky."