Four head coaches -- Louisiana Tech's Derek Dooley (also the athletic director), Connecticut's Randy Edsall, Houston's Kevin Sumlin and Utah's Kyle Whittingham -- entered the mix later Thursday evening. Sources from UT said Hamilton at least made inquiries about those four coaches, but officials from their four schools would not confirm that on the record. Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith, a former UT assistant, also has been mentioned in connection with the Vols. Chattanooga Times Free Press | UT still looking Randy Edsall (UConn, salary: $1.3 million) --66-65 as NCAA head coach (11 seasons) --age 51 --2007 Big East Champs Kyle Whittingham (Utah, salary: $1.2 million) --47-17 as NCAA head coach (5 seasons) --age 50 --won 2009 Sugar Bowl Kevin Sumlin (Houston, salary: $700,000--currently being re-negotiated) --18–9 as NCAA head coach (2 seasons) --age 45 --coached under Stoops from 2003-2007 Derek Dooley (LaTech, salary: $465,000) --17-20 as NCAA head coach (3 seasons) Lovie Smith (NFL Bears, salary: $5.5 million) --52-44 as NFL head coach (6 seasons) --age 51 --made it to Super Bowl XLI
He has some backing. He is aligned with the new guard who, with the old University President, orchestrated Fulmers ouster. The old guard is fewer in numbers but much greater in power. Specifically Jim Haslem (largest donor in UT history and former trustee and owner of Pilot Oil) and Thunder Thornton (probably 2nd largest donor and former trustee and real estate developer) who both have buildings/conference centers named after them but took a back seat in recent years. Both these guys are in the pro-Fulmer group who eventually, and reluctantly, went along with getting rid of Fulmer. However, they became more vocal as the gaffe's and red flags kept coming up on Kiffin. When Kiffin bailed they had the ammunition to tell the new guard "i told ya so". Since the old President was gone there was nobody with power in the administration to rally the new guard again. However, what happened with the Cutcliffe negotiations hurt the old guards position. One huge sticking point with the new guard and one of the big reasons Fulmer was fired is blind loyalty to underachieving assistants. Even the old guard could not deny it was one of Flumer's biggest shortcomings and Cutcliffe is the exact same. He wanted to bring most of his current Duke staff, some who were previously at Tennessee, and get rid of everyone left over from Kiffin. This presented two problems the old guard could not overcome. One, the buyouts for the remaining assistants is high. Tennessee is in a money pinch and they dont want to pay for a new coach, new staff and the buyout money for who Kiffin left. Two, one particular Duke staff member was previously at Tennessee and did a terrible job. Even the old guard didnt want him and could not defend Cutcliffe's demands hence the negotiations broke down. Another thing to remember about Tennessee is they have 2 separate AD's. They have one for mens sports and another for womens sports. Their reporting hierarchy is also strange. The AD's do not report to the chancellor at Tenn, they report to the President who reports to the Governor. Seeing how Tennessee has a lame duck interim President the AD position is powerful right now even if the power brokers do not support his decisions. Its a dysfunctional situation made worse by the events of the last 48 hours.
Tennessee just made a hire 14 months ago that may set the program back years. One lost recruiting class hurts, but wouldn't be nearly as bad as making the same mistake twice. They need to take their time and get this one right. The first thing they need to do is fire the AD. A lot of coaches know he is hanging by a thread and don't want to be hired by a lame duck AD and not the be the new AD's man. Fire the AD, then get a serious coaching search going, not an emergency rush hire.
Here is one from left field, but this guy is a fast riser in college football coaching and could be one of those guys that stays at the same program for decades like JoPa, Bobby Bowden, and Johnny Majors. Major Applewhite.
Some NCAA defensive coordinators Tenn should look at besides Will Muschamp and John Chavis to be their new head coach: Dick Bumpas (TCU) --age 64 --D was #1 this year, #1 last year, #15 and #2 before that --coached for 5 years at Tennessee ('85-'89) --coached for 2 years at Tennessee Tech ('83-'84) --born and raised in Arkansas, went to college at Arkansas Norm Parker (Iowa) --age 66 --D was #10 this year, #12 last year, #11 in 2004 --1997 SEC Defensive Coordinator of the Year at Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN (the 1997 Vandy D was #1 in the SEC and #9 in the NCAA) Bud Foster (VT) --age 51 --D was #12 this year, #7, #4, #1, #1, #4 before that --went to college and coached for six years at Murray State in Kentucky (the state right north of Tennessee) --he indicated interest in the head coaching vacancy at West Virginia after the 2007 season and most recently in the head coaching position at Clemson University in the middle of the 2008 season. Tom Bradley (Penn State) --age 52 --D was #9 this year, #8, #11, #15, #12, #10 before that --born and raised in PA, played for Penn State, has only coached at Penn State... rumored to be the eventual successor to Paterno... but has no "coach in waiting" contract. Jim Heacock (Ohio State) --age 51 --D was #5 this year, #14, #1, #12, #5 before that Kirby Smart (Bama) --age 35 --D was #2 this year, #3 last year --coached two years for Bobby Bowden at FSU, one year for Richt at GA, and five years for Saban at LSU, Dolphins and Bama Dick Bumpas of TCU, former Tennessee asst coach Jim Heacock, DC of Ohio State 35-year-old Kirby Smart, DC of Bama, poses with Frank Broyles during the ceremony honoring Smart with the 2009 Frank Broyles Award as the NCAA assistant coach of the year. He is wearing an orange tie.
