According to several different reports, Tennessee athletics director Phillip Fulmer has a second interview lined up with one of his top candidates for the Vols’ vacant head coaching position.
Fulmer reportedly will meet with Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker again while he’s in New York for Peyton Manning’s induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Both Football Scoop and Mark Schlabach have reported this.
Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker is interviewing for a second time with Tennessee officials in New York on Tuesday, sources told ESPN
— Mark Schlabach (@Mark_Schlabach) December 5, 2017
Schlabach is a columnist and reporter for ESPN, and Football Scoop has been reporting on Tennessee’s coaching search since it began. Both believe Tucker is one of Fulmer’s top targets.
Tucker, 45, has been a journeyman defensive coach in both college football and the NFL. He’s been a defensive coordinator/co-defensive coordinator for Ohio State and Georgia in college and was the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears in the NFL. He was an interim head coach for five games for Jacksonville in 2011 as well, going 2-3 in that span. He’s also coached at LSU and Alabama.
Football Scoop also mentions that Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele is still a candidate, and Tennessee’s Rivals.com affiliate also states that Steele is in New York and could meet with Tennessee officials for the second time during the search.
Per @Volquest_Rivals sources, Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele is also in NYC today and could meet with Tennessee officials for a second time.
— Volquest Staff (@Volquest_Rivals) December 5, 2017
Steele has ties to Tennessee along with being a journeyman himself. He got his coaching career started with the Vols in 1980 till 1982 and even came back to the Vols from 1987-88. He’s coached on the defensive side of the ball for Nebraska, Florida State, Alabama, Clemson, and LSU before joining Auburn. He was the head coach of Baylor from 1999-2002 as well, but he had little success there. Steele was just 9-36 with Baylor back then.
