A little info on the UT situation from the other side
I live in Chattanooga and am therefore surrounded by UT fans. Some of my coworkers are fairly dialed in to UT athletics, though no one is, at least to my knowledge, a high-money booster or anything. Everyone's of course talking about Mullen as the the most viable/realistic of all their options.
Anyway, on Tuesday, one of my co-workers forwarded me a premium post by the staff at UT's Rivals page, VolQuest, about the current coaching search. I was going to post it on ED as soon as I got it, but I then started to weigh the pros and cons of posting it two days before the Egg Bowl. Also, it's just from UT's Rivals staff, so I have no idea how much credibility it warrants (my co-worker, for what it's worth, takes it as credible) or how noteworthy it is compared to the stuff that posters-in-the know share here.
Given all that, I consulted with a couple of moderators about timing. One suggested that I wait to post till today, and I agreed with that.
Even though it's a few days old, and maybe a little dated in light of the all the info shared on ED yesterday, here it is:
Quote:
After Monday's update, here are the latest rumblings on Tennessee's coaching search from the VolQuest.com staff this Tuesday morning.
While John Currie's travel has been relentlessly tracked over the last week, Monday was fairly calm day (aside from a faux UT plane hilariously trolling folks) for those keeping tabs on Tennessee's athletics director. Currie didn't leave Knoxville yesterday, as the first-year AD was in the office throughout the day on Monday and was at the Lady Vol basketball game that evening.
Currie is expected to be back in the office Tuesday morning, and at some point on Tuesday evening, Currie is set to travel to the Bahamas to join Tennessee's basketball team and his family. Per sources, Currie is due back to Knoxville on Thursday.
So what does that all mean?
Mainly, that everything points to Friday being a potential key day in Tennessee's coaching search. At least from a timeline perspective.
With Dan Mullen's Mississippi State Bulldogs playing Ole Miss on Thanksgiving in the Egg Bowl, Tennessee could have the opportunity to get a face-to-face with Mullen on Friday.
Sources have indicated to us that Mullen will listen to the Vols, but multiple sources have made it clear that it's not a given Mullen leaves Starkville for Knoxville if offered the job. He's not unhappy there. He has a good team returning next season. He?s making plenty of money already.
Ultimately, Tennessee must determine what Mullen thinks of the Vols' job. Does he want it? Also, could Mullen actually end up in play at Florida if the Gators can't get Chip Kelly? These are questions to monitor in the coming days.
What's known is that Tennessee wants to talk to Mullen to gauge his interest. Again, sources expect Mullen to seriously listen, but they also say he?s not desperate to move on.
Meanwhile, as we worked the phones on Monday, one name who popped up in multiple conversations was Iowa State's Matt Campbell. Campbell has exploded on the scene this year in his second season with the Cyclones, including a pair of wins over Top 10 teams. In talking to multiple sources, Currie -- like many AD's around the country -- is said to be quite impressed with Campbell. The one concern with Campbell is his $9 million buyout. But his annual salary ($2.1 million) is less than half of what someone like Mullen already currently nets. Also, unlike many of the candidates in Tennessee's search, Campbell is not a Jimmy Sexton client. He's represented by Butch Jones' former agent Trace Armstrong.
Elsewhere, one name who seems to be have lost some steam in the last 48 hours or so is Memphis' Mike Norvell. The 36-year-old coach remains interested in the job, but it appears Tennessee is bearish on the young coach following its vetting process.
