Can somebody clear this up for me too. I've seen people saying you cannot formally interview a coach until the regular season is over. Now I know you can deal through agents and back channels, but are you able to actually interview a coach who is still currently coaching? I know you can after regular season and that many coaches have left their team prior to bowl game. I would think we would not hire a guy until we formally interviewed him. That would narrow it down if the case.
Can somebody clear this up for me too. I've seen people saying you cannot formally interview a coach until the regular season is over. Now I know you can deal through agents and back channels, but are you able to actually interview a coach who is still currently coaching? I know you can after regular season and that many coaches have left their team prior to bowl game. I would think we would not hire a guy until we formally interviewed him. That would narrow it down if the case.
Currie said that he would have a coach in place before signing day. Told recruits that. It can't be a coach already coaching because we can't talk to them. I'm thinking it's gonna be a big time coach!
Currie said that he would have a coach in place before signing day. Told recruits that. It can't be a coach already coaching because we can't talk to them. I'm thinking it's gonna be a big time coach!
Not true.
Signing day isnt until Dec 20-22, football regular season ends Saturday..... for some teams like, say, Mississippi State, it ends tomorrow night. ADs can speak with coaches after the regular season, so, if Currie wanted to hire Mullen for example, he could talk with/interview him as soon as Friday, begin and finish negotiations over the weekend and introduce him as our new head coach on Monday.
It has been traditional, a gentlemen's agreement of sorts, for universities not to reach out to other universities' coaches during the regular season without the approval of the second school's Athletic Director.
That's it, just a friendly protocol. No NCAA or other rules behind it, just an unwritten and informal agreement.
And as SaintLouisVol points out in post #7, that informal agreement is becoming less and less frequently honored. We're moving into a new era.
So sure, Currie can have had conversations with several sitting coaches by now. Either directly, or through those coaches' agents.
But in reality, he hasn't. He never needed to. He got Jon Gruden signed on within 72 hours of firing Butch Jones, and hasn't had to do much other than work on the details since.
Go Vols!