Rick Hart

University of Kentucky quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator Randy Sanders said he has talked with University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletic director Rick Hart about the Mocs’ vacant football coaching position.

Sanders, a Morristown, Tenn., native who spent 22 seasons at the University of Tennessee as a player then a coach, including seven as the Vols’ offensive coordinator, said Saturday morning that he and Hart had talked in the past few days, though he wouldn’t disclose the circumstances of the conversation.

“We have talked, and that’s about all I can say,” said Sanders, who was in Murfreesboro during the week attending a coaching clinic and the high school state championship games. Sanders is in his third season at Kentucky after resigning during Tennessee’s 5-6 season in 2005.

Hart will not comment on any specific candidates in the search to replace Rodney Allison, a search that is now nearly seven weeks old. The Sanders interview was only part of a busy week for Hart, who met with Lambuth University coach Hugh Freeze on Tuesday and UT Martin coach Jason Simpson on Wednesday morning. If Hart met with anyone other than those three offensive coaches, he’s not sharing that information.

What Hart did say during a lengthy conversation Friday afternoon was that he made a lot of progress in the search during last week’s road trip.

“It was productive — I learned a lot and shared a lot of information,” Hart said.

If Hart wants to share some information with Richmond defensive coordinator Russ Huesman, a UTC graduate, Huesman won’t be available to talk for at least another week after his defense shut down three-time defending national champion Appalachian State in a 33-13 win on Saturday.

On the other hand, Appalachian State linebackers coach Dale Jones, who was a teammate of Sanders’ at Tennessee and whose name has also been mentioned as a potential candidate, is now available.

Hart said he would like to have a coach in place as soon as possible, but there remain coaches involved in the playoffs that he wants to talk to.

and he has said he will not hire anyone until he’s talked to every person he thinks might be a good candidate.