Scoop: Tennessee Closes in on New Coach
Sources tell Football Rumor Mill Tennessee’s number one target to replace the deposed Phillip Fulmer remains North Carolina Coach Butch Davis. However, most insiders expect him to decline the Vols’offer.
Davis has had a number of opportunities to coach in the SEC. He is known to have turned down both the LSU and Alabama jobs in the past. The former Browns is thought to be wary of joining the powerhouse league that is known for chewing up and spitting out coaches.
The other two serious contenders for the Tennessee job look to be Cincinnati Coach Brian Kelly and Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach.
We’ve been hearing Kelly’s name since before Fulmer was fired. If he doesn’t land the Tennessee gig, he’ll land another big-time job. It’s only a matter of time.
Leach’s name has been thrown out for every opening in the country for two reasons: because his Red Raiders are having such a stellar season and because he supposedly wants out of Lubbock so bad he can’t stand it. There was as report Monday night that Leach had been offered the Tennessee job, but a source close to the coach told us that report was inaccurate.
Leach seems a strange fit at UT, but he is a winner – and his quirky personality would certainly liven things up on Rocky Top. In the end, sources tell us the coach most likely to land/take the job is Kelly. However, you can expect several more interviews to take place before a final decision is made.