Butch Davis says he's happy at North Carolina and that he isn't going anywhere... but none of us believe anything a coach says anymore (thanks, Nick Saban) so the words carry less weight than Trindon Holliday on Weight Watchers. According to "ACC sources" Tennessee is not at all put off by Davis' hard-to-get act and are still squarely targeting the coach with green and orange championship rings. From Scout.com ($):According to sources close to the UT football program, the North Carolina football coach's agent, Jimmy Sexton, was contacted this weekend by Tennessee representatives to discuss Davis as a possible replacement to Phillip Fulmer, who was fired last week after 17 years on the job.It's hard to blame Tennessee for their interest. Davis fits the mold of what Tennessee would want in a coach. Besides Davis' obvious coaching pedigree, he's proven he can recruit well in the Vols' backyard, a critical area of importance given Tennessee's relative lack of in-state talent. If the Vols want to start winning again, Tennessee's next head coach must be able to hold their ground against aggressive recruiting efforts from Southeastern Conference teams like Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Tennessee's coaching hire will have a huge challenge on their hands. The new head coach will have to transform the 'entitled' culture that currently exists among Tennessee players, he'll have to win or at least be competitive against rivals Florida, Georgia and Alabama, and he'll have to restock a very bare cupboard talent-wise. Considering the early success Davis is enjoying at North Carolina, it would take a hell of an offer to lure him to Rocky Top, and UNC would be motivated to match anything Tennessee can put down.
FanHouse opinion: Davis isn't going anywhere, but he'll listen and benefit contractually from Tennessee's overtures.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
North Carolina simply cannot match Tennessee money for money. Tennessee will be willing to go in the 3.5-4 Million dollar range and there is no way UNC will pay a football coach more than their basketball coach. All you Tar Heel fans better enjoy his next few games, because he will be in orange next year.
Carolina will match anything Tennessee offers to keep Davis blue.
Butch Davis wont leave UNC,no matter the price, keep dreaming Josh. I'll buy you a steak if he does, at Hog Slop Inn, Tenn. True Blue , Orange is not his color.Find another coach Vols
get nick sabin and kill 2 birds with one stone. i am from knoxville and live in mobile.have been telling folks down here this foe weeks and they believe it??
Will Carolina go as high as 4.5 million? What will they tell Roy Williams? Why would Davis turn that down? Tennessee has a much better football pedigree. Plus he doesn't have to play second fiddle to basketball. This is the equivalent of Roy Williams being happier coaching somebody like Clemson or Auburn in basketball as opposed to coaching UNC. Carolina doesn't have the tradition or money to keep Davis if Tennessee wants him bad enough. You just better hope Butch Davis truly is happy at UNC.
Guys... Take a deep breath. The chance of Davis going to Tennessee is slim at best. The talk about Davis around Knoxville is the talking heads on sports radio talk shows.They don't know even if Tennessee is interested in Davis.
The next Tennessee coach will probably come out of Texas - either Mike Leach - Head Coach, Texas Tech or Will Muschamp - Defensive Coordinator, Texas. My money is on Muschamp.
Mark,
Save your money, and speaking of money, Muschamp makes a ton of it for an assistant. I don't think he wants the head job. His comfort zone is right where he is. Your money is better bet on Brian Kelly at Cincy. Book it.
Guys... Take a breath. Butch Davis is only one of the coaches that Tennessee is looking at. The chance of Davis going to Tennessee is slim, in my opinion. All of that Davis talk around Knoxville is coming from the talking heads on radio and they really don't know anything.
Ryan, I would respectfully disagree with your comment that "the talent cupboard is bare at Tenn." Most recruiting circles have the Vols with the 6th or 7th best recruiting class, not to mention Ayers (a first round NFL pick) and sophomore Eric Berry (a sophomore all american in anyones league) already there. Enough about Butch Davis, it will be Brian Kelly of Cincy, book it!