Since Phillip Fulmer took over as Tennessee’s AD on Friday, there have been fewer leaks about the Vols’ search for a head football coach. It’s believed that Fulmer has been in meetings with various coaches and wants a decision made my Tuesday night, however. But no one name has emerged as a leader.
One name that came out early once Fulmer took over the search was former LSU head coach Les Miles. But according to one national writer, Miles isn’t a realistic option for the Vols.
Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports updated coaching searches around the country, and in his update on the Vols, he claims that Les Miles “is not a candidate” for Tennessee despite multiple reports that Miles himself is interested in the job. Miles has been tied to Tennessee’s job opening for several days now, but Thamel seems to believe the interest is mostly on Miles’ side and not from Tennessee.
But that wasn’t the only update Thamel gave on Tennessee’s coaching search.
According to Thamel, Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele are two candidates for the job, and he expects SMU head coach Chad Morris, Memphis head coach Mike Norvell, and Toledo head coach Jason Candle are also names to be “bandied around.”
He also states that Mike Leach’s name has “cooled considerably” in connection to the Vols’ job, and he also claims that Fulmer has “a strong disdain” for Lane Kiffin. That should come as no surprise to anyone who knows the history of Fulmer and Kiffin at Tennessee.
Tennessee has been searching for a coach since November 12th when Butch Jones was officially fired as head coach. John Currie initially led the charge, but he was relieved of his duties on Friday, and Fulmer has since taken over.
Only time will tell who Fulmer ultimately tabs as the Vols’ next head coach. But Vol fans trust Fulmer more than they did Currie, and odds are Vol fans will be more willing to trust Fulmer’s hire right off the bat as opposed to most of the coaches Currie was looking at.
