Navy coach Paul Johnson, former East Carolina coach Steve Logan and Grambling State coach Rod Broadway are on Duke's short list in the school's on-going search to replace Ted Roof, according to sources at Duke and in the college football coaching community.

"They're quality candidates," a Duke source said. "They're not the only candidates."

Duke athletic director Joe Alleva and other school officials traveled Monday to meet in person with Johnson, who is at the top of the Blue Devils' wish list, according to multiple sources.

Johnson, 50, also is considering inquiries from Georgia Tech, Southern Methodist and perhaps others.

"He has a great job at Navy, and he's very well-compensated," said Jack Reale, Johnson's Atlanta-based agent. "He's very well-regarded in college football, so he gets interest from other schools every year."

Southern Methodist officials, who also have identified Johnson as their top target, flew to the Baltimore-Washington area Monday to meet with Johnson. They then flew Johnson and his wife to Texas to see the SMU campus today. Georgia Tech has spoken with Johnson as well, but the Yellow Jackets still have a long list of candidates at this stage of their search.

Johnson fits all of Alleva's stated preferences in a candidate, including head coaching experience (Georgia Southern, Navy), offensive ingenuity (a prolific triple-option, run-based attack), strong leadership skills and an appreciation for the university's athletic-academic balance.

"Anyone who has coached at the Naval Academy understands unique recruiting challenges," Reale said. "Paul has won at Navy with young men who represent all of the good things about student-athletes and college athletics."

Johnson's total compensation at Navy reportedly is in the neighborhood of $1.5 million per year, including a lucrative housing allowance and many other benefits. SMU is believed to be offering at least $2 million annually. Alleva has stated that Duke would be willing to spend as much as $2 million per year for the right candidate.

"As any other human being would, if someone calls and asks to talk to me about another job, I may listen," Johnson recently told the Annapolis (Md.) Capital newspaper. "But it would take a special deal for me to leave."

Johnson has said many times that he yearns for the opportunity to prove to doubters that his style of football, including the triple-option, can be successful in a BCS conference. As members of the ACC, Duke and Georgia Tech would offer that opportunity. SMU, a member of Conference USA, would not, although the Mustangs are considered a significant contender because of the aggressive style and fundraising prowess of second-year athletic director Steve Orsini.

Logan, 54, also offers head coaching experience and a creative offensive mind. Now in his first year as the offensive coordinator at Boston College, he went 69-58 in 11 seasons as the head coach at East Carolina, where he was the architect of some of the most productive offenses in school history.

After a stint in NFL Europe, Logan served as a sports-radio host in the Triangle. In response to listeners' questions, he frequently criticized Duke's approach to football and spoke of the difficulty of winning with high academic standards. He also said his inclination would be to work at the "haves," rather than the "have-nots," upon his return to college football.

Broadway, 52, just posted an 8-3 mark during the regular season in his first year at Division I-AA Grambling State, which will face Jackson State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game on Dec. 15. He has deep roots in North Carolina, as a native of Oakboro, a former player at North Carolina (1974-77), a former North Carolina Central head coach (2003-06), and a former assistant at East Carolina (1979-80), Duke (1981-94) and UNC (2001-02).

In his four years at N.C. Central, Broadway went 33-11 and helped the Eagles capture back-to-back CIAA titles for the first time since 1953-54. In 2006, he earned the Eddie Robinson Award as the Division I-AA national coach of the year. Over his last three seasons at NCCU, Broadway's teams were 29-5. His time as an assistant with the Blue Devils included the glory years of Steve Spurrier, which included Duke's only first-place ACC finish (a tie in 1989) since 1962.