The Name Game: Tennessee Has Many Options
“The Name Game†at Football Rumor Mill focuses on active coaching searches around the country. The latest edition centers on the Tennessee Volunteers…
One of the first names I heard early this season was North Carolina’s Butch Davis. Davis would be a perfect fit because he is a great recruiter, which Tennessee must have, and a very good coach, which Tennessee also must have. Fulmer took Tennessee’s program to another level starting in 1993 because he was a relentless recruiter. Davis rebuilt the Miami football program and left enough players behind to win one national championship and come within one an eyelash of another. But Davis is not going to leave the relative comfort of Chapel Hill, N.C., to come to Tennessee. Why? – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said he had not been contacted by Tennessee regarding its head coaching job, but would assess the possibility if he were. Phillip Fulmer announced Monday that he would step down after the season. – Los Angeles Times
Texas Tech is going to rue the decision not to give coach Mike Leach the contract extension he wanted before the season. Now, riding the crest of a 9-0 start and coming off the biggest victory in school history, Leach may be the nation’s hottest commodity. Expect Leach to become a top target at Tennessee now that the Phillip Fulmer era is over. Tennessee will have competition for Leach, who also will be in the crosshairs at Clemson and Washington. Leach has come close to leaving Lubbock in the past, being involved heavily at Stanford and BYU when those posts came open in recent years. But neither could pay enough. In addition to Leach, expect Tennessee A.D. Mike Hamilton to talk to Boise State coach Chris Petersen, former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin and Minnesota coach Tim Brewster. It’s also believed Hamilton will consider an assistant – Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. But some feel the Longhorns will do all they can to retain Muschamp and groom him to be the successor to Mack Brown. – Rivals.com
Just imagine, 106,000 orange-clad Vols fans cheering for their beloved Tennessee. And trotting out to the sidelines under a neon visor, Tennessee coach Steve Spurrier. It could have happened. South Carolina’s head coach said so Monday night after practice, had the Vols job come open four years back when Spurrier had flopped in the NFL and looked to return to the college game. Now, with Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer set to end his tenure, Spurrier says he’ll only go back to Neyland Stadium as the opposing coach. “This is going to be my last gig right here,” the 63-year-old Spurrier said Monday night. Speculation about Spurrier, who grew up in Johnson City, Tenn., pulling for U-T, taking over Tennessee had started on Internet message boards long before the Gamecocks placed the final straw on Fulmer’s broken back, 27-6, this past Saturday night. “He’s probably, 16, 17 years there, probably long enough,” Spurrier said. “Wasn’t working very well. I think everybody understands, when it starts going bad, they got to make changes. We all know that. “Congratulate him on hitting that lottery ticket, that’s a big ticket he got, a big one,” Spurrier said, smiling. Call it a barb at Fulmer’s expense. No one was better theater during the 1990s than Florida coach Spurrier. Fulmer was perhaps Spurrier’s biggest foil, enraging Vols fans everywhere. Spurrier famously quipped, “You can’t spell Citrus without UT,” when it was the Gators on top of the SEC and the Vols settling for seconds. – Associated Press