Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart speaks to reporters in Knoxville in this file photo.KNOXVILLE – Less than 24 hours after a couple of doors slammed shut, another one appears to be opening as the University of Tennessee heads into the 19th day of its search for a new head football coach.
After Louisville’s Charlie Strong discussed his decision to remain the Cardinals’ coach Thursday morning, the smoke surrounding the Volunteers’ search for Derek Dooley’s replacement centered on Cincinnati’s Butch Jones.
A report by 247Sports labeled the Bearcats’ third-year coach as the “front runner” for the Tennessee opening, though it’s unclear if the 44-year-old, who has a 50-29 overall record in six seasons as a head coach at Central Michigan and Cincinnati, holds an offer to be the coach or even has met with UTofficials.
One source close to the Vols program did confirm to the Times Free Press a Cincinnati Enquirer report that the Bearcats have a team meeting scheduled for 7:30 this morning, though the source could not specify the reason for the meeting. Cincinnati, which lost 45-23 to Dooley and the Vols in Knoxville last season, went 9-3 this season with losses to Toledo, Louisville and Rutgers.
The Bearcats play Duke in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte on Dec. 27.