NCAA interviews UNC players

NCAA investigators looking into the University of North Carolina’s football program have interviewed defensive tackle Marvin Austin and wide receiver Greg Little, the Charlotte Observer has learned. Sources familiar with the situation have said the two players were interviewed in connection with possible improper involvement with sports agents. – Charlotte Observer

NCAA investigating UNC football program

North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour said Thursday the NCAA is investigating a sports program at the school regarding possible rules violations. Baddour declined to say which sport, but a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press the NCAA is looking at Butch Davis’ football program. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the investigation is confidential. “I was told that I could limit my comments to the fact that they had been here and they wanted me to say that we had indeed been cooperative,” said Baddour, adding that the inquiry “has our full attention.” The investigation began with a phone call from the NCAA, Baddour said, though he didn’t say when the call came or when investigators had visited the Chapel Hill campus. – AP

Butch Davis’ intent is to stay with UNC Tar Heels

Burned by the public promise he broke at Miami in 2000, Butch Davis no longer uses definitive statements in regard to his future. When asked about his future at North Carolina, Davis went about as far as he’s willing to go. “I have every intention of making this my last job,” Davis said in an extensive interview this spring. Davis, 58, has three seasons in the books at UNC, with five seasons left on his contract. His fourth Tar Heels team promises to be his best, with 19 starters back from a team that won eight games. Davis gives himself an out with references to “every intention,” because shortly after telling his Miami team, in no uncertain terms, that he wasn’t leaving, he left for the Cleveland. – Charlotte Observer

The Name Game: Cutcliffe & Davis Deny Interest; Brewster Looks for Leverage

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

After more than three decades in coaching, North Carolina’s Butch Davis has gotten used to having his name linked to other jobs when they come open. So he didn’t seem particularly surprised when he was asked Tuesday evening whether he had any interest in the Tennessee job, which became vacant when Phillip Fulmer was fired this week. Davis’ response: “The long and short of it is that the administration and I are completely, firmly committed to building a championship football program at North Carolina. And my family and I are very happy in Chapel Hill.” – Charlotte Observer

Defensive coordinator John Chavis isn’t holding out hope that he’s a candidate to be Tennessee’s next head football coach. “To be honest with you, I don’t think there’s a better candidate out there,” Chavis said Tuesday on the News Sentinel’s radio show, The Sports Page. “But I’ll tell you this, I don’t think I will be one (a candidate). “I understand the dynamics. I understand my role. I understand where we are.” Chavis, who is in his 12th year as the Vols’ defensive coordinator, said he and UT’s other assistant coaches met with athletic director Mike Hamilton on Tuesday, a day after head coach Phillip Fulmer’s ouster. – Knoxville News Sentinel

Word in Knoxville, Tenn., is that Gophers football coach Tim Brewster is being mentioned for the University of Tennessee coaching vacancy. Look for Minnesota to extend Brewster’s contract, which has three years remaining, before long. – Pioneer Press

Taking a break from coaching his team and reassuring future recruits, Duke football coach David Cutcliffe on Tuesday killed speculation that he might be interested in replacing former boss Phillip Fulmer at Tennessee. Cutcliffe ran the Volunteer offense under Fulmer during two stints totaling 19 seasons. – Charlotte Observer

Scoop: With Tub in Trouble, is Butch on Horizon?

The winds of change have been set in motion in Auburn, Alabama. Sources at the school tell Football Rumor Mill that Coach Tommy Tuberville’s chances of returning in 2009 look about the same as a Republican takeover of Congress next month.

Saturday’s 22-25 loss to Arkansas may be the beginning of the end for Tub. Talk about irony… Remember “Jet Gate” in 2003? Steve Ensminger was calling the plays for Auburn’s offense and a bunch of trustees wanted to hire then Louisville Coach Bobby Petrino to replace Tuberville.

Fast forward to 2008… Tommy Tuberville fired his latest offensive coordinator earlier in the week (his fifth). Now, he has Steve Ensminger calling his plays and current Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino likely just cost him his job.

Barring a miracle turnaround, it’s hard to see who Auburn beats the rest of the season. Following an off week, the Tigers travel to West Virginia, play at Ole Miss, return home to take on UT-Martin and end the season with Georgia and Alabama. Getting to seven wins would be a season salvaged. Auburn could conceivably finish 5-7. We’re not sure seven wins would be enough to ensure Tuberville’s return. In fact, we’re told he likely has to win at least eight.

Who would replace him? That’s an interesting question. With Petrino likely off the table, next in line would have probably been Florida State OC Jimbo Fisher. However, Fisher was named head coach in waiting for the Seminoles last year. The three names we’ve been hearing are North Carolina Coach Butch Davis, Texas DC Will Muschamp and Georgia Tech Coach Paul Johnson, whom we consider a long shot.

How Do Current ACC Coaches Stack Up?

How does the current batch of ACC head coaches compare to those of yesteryear? Steve Spurrier or David Cutcliffe? Danny Ford or Tommy Bowden? Mack Brown or Butch Davis?

Read what WRAL’s Dane Huffman has to say on the subject :

N.C. State athletics director Lee Fowler raised an interesting point Wednesday… “I do think probably at this time we have as good a head coaches in the league as we’ve had, and that’s from top to bottom,” Fowler said. “And I think, given the time for these guys to get their program going, we’re going to have one of the better leagues in the country.“I think we have 12 of the better head coaches we’ve ever had in this conference.”

It’s an observation worth a closer look.

Personally, I believe the league had a stronger set of coaches in the late 1980s and specifically 1989.

Virginia and Duke tied for the league title that season.The Cavaliers had their best coach ever (George Welsh) and Duke had its second-best ever (Steve Spurrier, second only to Wallace Wade).

Clemson was in the last year of the Danny Ford regime, and Ford finished 10-2 in 1989 before being pushed out.

Georgia Tech had Bobby Ross, who would win a share of the national title in 1990 and go on to be successful in the NFL.

N.C. State had Dick Sheridan, whose only equal in Wolfpack history was Lou Holtz. I’d rank Holtz slightly ahead of Sheridan as the best coach N.C. State has ever had but there’s no question both were superior coaches.

North Carolina finished 1-10 that year for the second straight year under Mack Brown, but Brown the Heels pointed in a winning direction and his recruiting classes would soon pay off.

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