He then made the jump to the head coaching ranks, accepting a job at Queens University of Charlotte.
He amassed 167 wins against 87 losses in nine years as the head coach, and also served as the school's athletic director.
Layer helped lead the Rams to an NIT appearance in 1999, defeating Mississippi State and Colorado before losing to the eventual champion, California.
After the 2008–2009 season, McKay left Liberty and accepted a job as associate head coach at the University of Virginia.
On September 26, 2016, Layer was appointed an assistant coach of the Greensboro Swarm, a new NBA Development League franchise.