I mean, that was the most obvious, most slam-dunk would-be hire in UT history.  All the fans wanted him, and he wanted the job.  He even stated so publicly.  And in typical UT fashion, we hire someone else.

Yep.

Well yes, that goes without saying.  I simply meant even Fulmer looks right now.   

Ok, I can go with that. 

Why in the world would a coach want to walk into this? Is he delusional or arrogant? Or does he figure that if he gets fired he gets the big payout?

Massive ego.

https://amp.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000268792/article/greg-schiano-loses-tampa-bay-buccaneers-with-autocratic-style?networkId=4595&site=.news&zone=story&zoneUrl=url%3Dstory&zoneKeys=s1%3Dstory&env&pageKeyValues=prtnr%3Dtb%3Bteam%3Dden%3Bteam%3Dcar%3Bteam%3Dsea%3Bteam%3Dtb%3Bconf%3Dafc%3Bconf%3Dnfc%3Bdvsn%3Dacw%3Bdvsn%3Dncs%3Bdvsn%3Dncw%3Bplyr%3Dgregory_schiano%3Bplyr%3Djosh_freeman%3Bplyr%3Delisha_manning&sr=amp

Schiano and his family are perhaps reconsidering due to the overwhelming backlash from the VOL nation

I keep forgetting its not even 6:00 in the hills

The guy who broke the "reconsidering" tweet says the OSU source now "Says that Greg Schiano is about 75% sure, right now, that he will still take the Tennessee head coaching job still."

Fulmer as AD sure looks good right about now.

Nah.  Blackburn, yes.

I think Mullen will end up being better for them than Kelly, JMO.  I wish we had a chance at getting Mullen.  We’re fizzleed

And Gators fans on Facebook are already complaining about accepting mediocrity. I offered to trade for Schiano. 

...and I will give up my 10 season tickets and never attend a game while he's there. If true, this is a terrible hire.

Eventually somebody has to be right, right?  

Yep, Currie. 

"Naturally, there will be great interest and speculation across the college football world. As I reminded our student-athletes when I met with them earlier today, unless you hear news directly from me, do not assume it to be accurate." -- John Currie, AD, Tennessee

I don't want Leach.. he's a nut case

This.

Talking and actually being serious are different things. These Grumors are just a smokescreen to divert attention from the actual target(s). If Gruden were really serious, why would he not be here now? All you Grumer-mongers are just setting yourself up for a huge letdown. Five years ago we heard the same, "He is signed, sealed, and on his way" rumors. Did it happen? NO. If he actually agrees, I will be happy. Do I expect it? NO. This is the same as 5 years ago when UTAD media spread all this false information via social media.

This fan base is a bunch of old quilting ladies at a party spreading and talking rumors and gossip about the neighbors. When the new coach is not announced Monday, will people be on social media demanding Currie be fired because he has failed? Probably. He does not have to meet yours or my expectations. It is his job on the line too.

Oh, deere lowered!  Why so freakin' serious?  Nobody can have any fun around here anymore.  What harm is there in a little speculation?  None.  Man, this place sure has changed in its almost 20-year existence, and not for the better.  Guido, you are missed more than you could ever imagine. 

Still no idea who.

It could still be late afternoon tomorrow, but mid-week is looking more likely.  Details, details.

Get over it. It's a message board. Opinions vary. Some are appoligists, some are realists.  

Wow, you sure can't handle the truth. Anger issues, junior?!  You're not a realist; you're an angry man with an overactive need for attention and very juvenile.  It's funny how you say opinions differ, yet any that differ from yours are deemed by you to be nothing but sycophantic nonsense.  You're  fooling yourself but you don't believe it.

shouldn't he be on the hot seat and called out for his performance?  Yet people lost their minds when Jones was critcized.

Not only negative but a complete liar.

Where did I say I ever liked Kelly for the job. i definitely don't won't him.  I don't see me as negative. I see it as not kissing these overpaid, unproven coaches butts from day one. That being said, I would be on board with Petersen, but that don't mean he should be imune from criticism if his teams don't perform. It would be hard not to improve from this season.

I never said you did.  Reading comprehension is clearly not your strong suit.  All of the negative people I've ever encountered have fancied themselves as voices of reason, and the only ones seeing truth, choosing not to be sycophants, not kissing butts, blah, blah, blah.  Same old tired lines.  That's been you since day one.  And, like the others, you're wrong.  Trust me, you're nothing but negative.  You offer nothing more than criticism and actually hope you're right.  You're not a fan; you're an attention-seeking parasite.  I'm done.  You're one of the primary reasons I avoid this board now.  Back to lurking.

well this was from a day or two ago. So there. I know it's hard for some here to believe coaches turn down the Tennessee job. 

You are, and always have been, a one trick pony on this board. Now you post old, clearly erroneous information from somone obviously out of touch with what's actually going on, and without context, and seemingly try to ascribe some profound meaning to it.  You're a totally negative person and don't want to believe that Tennessee could ever be doing something the right way.  And, believe it or not, not everyone thinks Kelly would have been a good fit at Tennessee.  You will criticize no matter what, as negativity is evidently in your DNA.  Pathetic.

Chip Kelly: While attention centers on Florida and UCLA, Kelly has turned down overtures from Tennessee and Nebraska according to George Schroeder of USA Today. Schroeder also reports that Kelly is intrigued by a potential opening at Arizona State, whose affiliation with Adidas would be less of a sticking point for close friend Phil Knight than UCLA-affiliated Under Armour, who Knight considers “a bitter rival.”

Your point?  From what I've heard, Tennessee never contacted Kelly.  And, Schroeder was off base almost entirely.  Pure, incorrect speculation.

Ok, now I'm told it could be tomorrow afternoon, but Monday is still the safer bet. 

...to announce the new head coach at either 4:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. on Monday.  And, since I'm a donor/booster and season ticket holder, Creek Walker will tell you that I'm clearly in the know.   A few of you will be disappointed, but most will be happy.  Trust me! 

[would]

Gruden is not my first choice but I can't really say who is. I think the initial splash would be great. But whether or not he would be as successful as many think he would be, I don't know. I think the most important thing would be who he hired for his staff.  I will say this: The Gruden hire would certainly energize most of the UT fan base. How long that would last would be up to him.

One note: I read today that Gruden would be coaching in Tennessee next year. For the Titans. 

I agree.  Well, except for that last part. 

Pete Carroll is a good example of a coach who flamed out in the NFL but then had a great run at SoCal.  And Gruden succeeded in the NFL...on his first try.   

Pete Carroll has a better overall NFL winning percentage than Gruden, and a Super Bowl win.  Even his winning percentage with NE was higher, prior to going to USC.  Hardly a flame out.  His lone NFL flop was the Jets, one season at .375.  Gruden went 4-12, .250, at TB in 2006.  I'm just saying that people need to view his accomplishments realistically.

Pete Carroll is a good example of a coach who flamed out in the NFL but then had a great run at SoCal.  And Gruden succeeded in the NFL...on his first try.   

I give him all kinds of credit for reviving the moribund Raiders in spite of Al Davis, I'm less impressed that he inherited a near Super Bowl winner in Tampa and improved it just enough to win.

TRO, I wouldn't be giddy either, but to me the recruiting success is almost guaranteed (and yet, there are those who question this in particular  ).  In this day and age, that's mostly what you need.  I also think his game day skills translate well to college.

In short, he may not be the home run some think, but we could do far, far worse. At the very least, Gruden >>>> Butch Jones.   

I think he would be a good hire, and clearly the Vols could do worse.  But, at what cost?  Don't mind me.  I guess I should just view everything through orange colored glasses and accept the next hire at any cost.  I must have forgotten my place.

To be fair, even the best NFL coaches don't generally have better than a .600 winning percentage.  Anything above that is considered outstanding.  Gruden's percentage is above average, and especially given that he took over a couple of teams who had struggled when he got there. 

I see two factors that make Gruden attractive:

1.  He has been the face of Monday Night Football for long enough that the generation of players who would be recruited over the next decade and their parents know him.  He's been in their home every week.  That visibility and recognition can get him in to virtually any living room of a prospect in the country.

2.  Ditto with assistant coach prospect.  He is well known, he has a super bowl ring, and he could put together a killer staff. 

Plus I will add another, he could flat out energize a deeply divided UT fan base.  He is a charismatic personality. 

Averaging 9-7 seasons is .562, so I'm not buying that. He took a Tampa Bay team that went 9-7 in 2001 and went 12-4 in 2002, and won the SB.  After that, his TB teams went 45-51 from 2003 through 2008.  Just like one hit wonder SB quarterbacks, there can be one hit wonder SB head coaches. Again, I like Coach Gruden, but I think the giddy fanboy "thought" is based on an inflated view of his actual head coaching accomplishments.

I would attempt to answer the question by asking one...Why do NFL teams pursue him fairly often still?  One would deduce that this is because he's viewed as someone desirable to be their coach.

The NFL to College transition is somewhat uncharted territory because, well how many times do we see it?  NFL is seen as "the next step" for college coaches so there's not really a lot of data there off the top of my head.  But if TN could land the guy who NFL teams court, just on that basis, you don't see the allure here?

Why has ESPN done 8 seasons of Jon Gruden QB camp with the guy?

I honestly can't understand why anyone wearing orange isn't giddy at the thought of JG as our coach.  

Sorry, I'm not giddy at the thought in the least and don't see why I would be. I understand the NFL thing; heck, they retread head coaches all the time.  I also understand the name impact on recruiting, especially in the short term.  I'm just not that impressed.  If he's hired, I'll be behind him 100 percent and hope he's a home run hire, as I always do.  Giddy?  Nope.

...and Gruden is announced in the next couple days.

How crazy is Neyland going to be on Saturday?

I like Gruden, but why is he so wanted?  Do NFL head coaches generally do well in college?  Also, while he won a Super Bowl as head coach, his overall record in the NFL was just 100–85 (.541). Outside of his SB season, he was 2-4 in the post season.  Yep, he would be a big name, splash hire, and that would clearly help in recruiting for at least a while, but I have never really understood the allure.

Paying $8MM after this season is a testament to the screwed up world of college football.  It's absolutely crazy that any school will be a party to a contract that won't allow termination of a coach for cause (without any future payments) for lack of winning, but I guess that's the stupid, unconscionable college football world in which we now live. Absolutely ridiculous.  I quit watching college football on TV a few years ago, and I don't miss it in the least.  I do like seeing family and friends at tailgates, so hopefully that will continue.  But, if this next hire results in a huge contract for a "name" coach based on not much more than hope, then I'll end my days as a donor and attending games.  It's no big deal, as they won't miss my money and I'm rarely able to attend games anyway, but I hate what our "fans" have become. Oh, and any people who root against the Vols so the coach will be fired are not true fans, regardless of how much they or their supporters proclaim or protest that they are (or how much they donate, etc.).  I hope the next hire is a great one, regardless of name, splash, etc.  I'll cross my fingers but not hold my breath.