This is what Hubbs put out this morning...
As we enter Day 2 of Football Coaching Search Time at Tennessee, here's a collection of notes and nuggets from @Brent_Hubbs, @Austin_Price, @Jesse_Simonton and @Rob Lewis.
Rumors continue regarding Jon Gruden so let's start there.
Despite other reports, multiple sources close to Tee Martin, Terry Fair and Jay Graham tell VolQuest.com that those three have not had any contact with Gruden.
It's no secret that in years past that Gruden (in November and December) has called coaching friends and spoken to them about possibly joining him if he goes back into coaching, and sources tell VolQuest, that Gruden has reached out to a coach or two about the possibility of working together in the near future. That doesn't mean he's inquired with them about coaching in college.
There is continued talk about Gruden and Tampa Bay. NFL Insider Jason LaCanfoa noted Gruden to the Bucs as a possibility, and Tuesday morning, Michael Smith of Pro Football Talk said talk of Gruden's return to Tampa is heating up. This jives with some scuttle we were hearing Sunday.
Gruden called the Monday Night Football game in Carolina and continues to be very limited in talking to the media. Last week on the Rich Eisen Show, Gruden once again further fueled speculation on a possible return to coaching, saying, You never know.
As for John Currie, it seems pretty clear that Currie and those helping him worked the phones hard on Monday. There was a report that Tennessee had reached out to former Vol and defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers. It's been indicated to us that there is truth to that report, but no one believes Rodgers, who last coached in college in 2002, is going to be a real candidate.
With the new early signing period, the timing is going to be very difficult for NFL coaches. When then Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was named the Notre Dame coach that announcement came on Dec. 12th and Weis balanced both jobs until the end of the NFL season. But that's a rare case and there was no early signing day to contend with. As someone in the NFL told VolQuest last night, The early signing day is a game changer for sure.
This impacts a guy like Doug Marrone. The Jags head coach has expressed third-party interest in Tennessee, seeing the Vols as true destination job. However, the timing has never been quite right for Marrone, and that seems especially true right now with his current success at Jacksonville + the new signing period deadline.
As for college coaches, theres been contact with Mississippi States Dan Mullen, but talks are far from serious yet. Interestingly, one person told VolQuest that Mullen isnt too keen on the idea of Florida and is definitely intrigued by Tennessee. A wild card could be FSU, though. If Jimbo Fisher leaves Tallahassee, Mullen could be in play there.
Chad Morris is another name who definitely has interest in Tennessee. The former Clemson OC and current SMU head coach is responsible for recruiting and developing Deshaun Watson and has turned around a dormant program in Dallas. Morris is a Texas A&M alum and has coached a longtime in the Longhorn State, and he could be a candidate for A&M if the Aggies dont land a big fish.
Meanwhile, another name that has popped up in relation to Tennessee is Auburn's defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. Steele is a veteran assistant who was once with the Vols. He's another name that someone close to Tennessee has checked on, but again the feeling from everyone right now is that Tennessee is looking for a current head coach. However, Steele, who is currently engineering a Top 10 Tigers defense, could be a coordinator option for the next head coach.
Finally, what remains to be seen at this point is what financial waters is Tennessee going to swim in? Currie is on the record saying Tennessee has the resources, but does that mean they will pay someone $7-8 million dollars a year nearly double what Jones was making? People weve spoke with on Tuesday seemed to reaffirm Curries stance regarding resources: i.e. appears Tennessee to have some real money to play with this year.
