Kevin Craft has traveled the world.

Now, after more than a decade in France and Japan, the former Valley Center High School quarterback is ready to settle down.

The son of junior college coaching legend Tom Craft is a candidate to replace his father as head coach at Riverside Community College. Tom Craft retired last month after 30 years coaching at RCC and Palomar.

Kevin Craft says he’s also considering other college coaching offers.

Football has taken the younger Craft, 39, across America and the globe. He played two seasons of quarterback at San Diego State before transferring to Mt. SAC, where his dad had taken over as offensive coordinator. He led the Mounties to a national championship and was named National Player of the Year.

Kevin Craft played the 2008-09 seasons at UCLA before heading overseas.

In 2010, he signed with the Cougars de Saint-Ouen l’Aumone in the France Ligue de Football Américain. From there, it was off to Japan, where he played for IBM Big Blue in the Japanese X-League. He spent three additional years coaching in Japan.

“Living in France and Japan was a lifetime experience,” Kevin said. “I got my feet wet as a coordinator. Learned to communicate. I was teaching an offense to people who didn’t speak the same language.

“In Japan, the culture is very reserved. I got to see behind the curtain. I grew as a coach and a person.”

Kevin Craft said when he heard his dad was thinking of retiring soon, “I had to get home.” He returned to California a year ago and joined Tom Craft’s staff as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

“I coached with him (at RCC) in 2010-11 and I loved it,” he said. “I wanted to come home, bring my family to the U.S. and coach with my dad again. It wasn’t easy turning the keys of my program in Japan over to someone else, but the call home was too much to pass up.”

The transition hasn’t been easy. Kevin, his wife, Pauline, and their children, William and Olivia, live with Tom and Kathy Craft in Valley Center. Kevin makes the daily commute to and from Riverside as he plans his next step, whether it’s taking over for his father or something else.

“Flying around the world changed my perspective on life,” he said. “I’m proud of what we did in Japan. We helped grow the game. But it was time to come home and raise my family in the U.S. I just need to figure out where I’m going to land.”