The University of Tennessee continues to search for a head coach that might make fans forget about the fiasco that went down with Greg Schiano over the weekend, and Mike Gundy may be the best candidate for accomplishing that goal.
On Tuesday, Tennessee radio host Jimmy Hyams reported that the Vols have turned the focus of their coaching search toward Gundy.
With Duke's David Cutcliffe and Iowa State's Matt Campbell out of the picture, Tennessee has turned its coaching search focus to Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. Three sources told me UT has interviewed Gundy, perhaps in Dallas. UT offered Gundy in 2012 but he said declined.
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) November 28, 2017
College football reporter Brett McMurphy later added that Gundy has informed Oklahoma State officials he will meet with Tennessee on Tuesday in Dallas.
Sources told me Mike Gundy notified Oklahoma State officials, as required by his contract, of his intention to speak with Tennessee about Vols’ job. That meeting scheduled today in Dallas.
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 28, 2017
While it seems obvious that Gundy would be the preferred choice for the Vols, Hyams has been told Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm is among a list of other candidates.
Gundy has been the head coach at Oklahoma State since 2005, and he turned down Tennessee in 2012 before the Vols hired Butch Jones. Gundy has been known to entertain the idea of taking news jobs, but he typically ends up returning to the place where he has spent more than a decade.
Could this time be different? With Tennessee desperate to erase the leftover embarrassment from agreeing to a deal with Schiano and then backing out because of fan backlash, it’s possible Gundy will be able to name his price. Oklahoma State booster T. Boone Pickens has some of the deepest pockets in college football, but it’s no secret that he does not have the best relationship with Gundy.
If Tennessee has a chance to land Gundy, he should have been their top priority from the start. The 50-year-old has won nine or more games in eight of his last 10 seasons at Oklahoma State. He’s one of the better coaches in college football, and there’s no reason to think he couldn’t put the Vols back on the map.
