Bobby Johnson Latest SEC Coach to Rip Refs

Coach Bobby Johnson wants an explanation for two official reviews that went against Vanderbilt in a 14-10 loss to South Carolina on Saturday. Add his name to a growing list of SEC coaches annoyed over questionable calls that have become the conference norm in recent weeks. – Tennessean

The Name Game: Muschamp, Johnson Gaining Traction at Clemson

“The Name Game” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on active coaching searches around the country. The latest edition centers on the Clemson Tigers…

Vanderbilt Coach Bobby Johnson is being rumored as a potential candidate for the Clemson opening, while UT Coach Phillip Fulmer is on the proverbial hot seat. – Tennessean

Roughly 10 months after he was hired as one of the highest paid assistant coaches in the country, Texas’ Will Muschamp could once again be on the move to a team with a different shade of orange. – CUTigers.com

Bowden’s departure is only the first in what could be another turbulent coaching offseason. Keep an eye on what happens with Phil Fulmer at Tennessee in the next few weeks. There are already watches going on at Syracuse and Washington. And who knows what will happen at Penn State, if the Nittany Lions roar through the season undefeated and Joe Paterno decides at the age of 81 it would be a nice way to leave center stage. And then there will be the inevitable questions about when is it time for Bobby Bowden to step aside and allow coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher to move into the top slot. At Clemson, the search will move forward. Names such as Vanderbilt’s Bobby Johnson, a Clemson alum and former defensive coordinator for the Tigers, Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe, and Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp have been mentioned. – Boston Globe

The Name Game: Clemson Looking at Vandy’s Johnson

“The Name Game” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on active coaching searches around the country. The latest edition centers on the Clemson Tigers…

While Tennessee’s Phil Fulmer and Auburn’s Tommy Tuberville face questions about their job status, it was only a matter of time before Vanderbilt’s Bobby Johnson started getting questions, too — about job offers. Johnson’s alma mater, Clemson, parted ways with Tommy Bowden after a disappointing 3-3 start, and the name of the Vanderbilt coach, who has the Commodores sitting pretty at 5-1, is being bandied about as a possible candidate for the job. Johnson, who played defensive back at Clemson from 1970-72, said Wednesday that he has had no contact with the Tigers. “We’re trying to get ready to play Georgia and that’s all I’ve tried to concentrate on,” he said, adding that he has not addressed the issue with his team. “There’s nothing to ignore. Nobody’s contacted me, I’ve not contacted anybody else and as far as I’m concerned, we’re just moving along in our schedule.” Other possible candidates for the Tigers’ vacancy include former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, Tulsa head coach Todd Graham, East Carolina head coach Skip Holtz and Clemson’s current interim head coach, Dabo Swinney (a former Alabama player and coach). – Mobile Press-Register

Bobby Johnson has been prominently included in a media list of potential candidates to replace Tommy Bowden at Clemson. The connection is an obvious one: Johnson played at Clemson, served as defensive coordinator with the Tigers for a season, is a Columbia, S.C. native and had great success as head coach at Football Championship Subdivision Furman in Greenville, S.C. Johnson played down the home-state ties on Wednesday. “I really don’t have a whole bunch of them,” Johnson said of his feelings on the Clemson job. “We’re trying to get ready to play Georgia. That’s all I’ve tried to concentrate one. We’ve got enough to do here without having to worry about that.” Johnson has enough going on this week without eyeing a new job. The Commodores play at Georgia in a showdown of SEC East-leading teams. – Huntsville Times

Johnson, Kiffin Hot Commodities

Somebody is going to try to hire Bobby Johnson: Vanderbilt plays in the toughest league in the country with a host of financial and academic obstacles that have to be overcome relative to the competition. But here the Commodores sit at 3-0 in the SEC and 5-0 overall. Now the toughest part of the schedule is still ahead but the fact is that Bobby Johnson has done one of his best coaching jobs ever in the first half of this season. A year ago Vanderbilt had Georgia beat and Tennessee beat before letting them slip off the hook in the fourth quarter. Johnson consistently gets as much out of his available talent as any coach in the country. His staff takes a back seat to no other staff in the country. I know Vanderbilt would hate to lose Johnson but you have to figure his name will come up for a high-profile opening. – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The coaching landscape soon will begin shifting - as coaches leave, get fired, resign or quit - and one name to remember when it comes to filling jobs is recently fired Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin is known to have interest in the coaching jobs at Syracuse and Washington, should they come open. – Rivals.com