Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart insisted that he be given full control in searching for a new football coach. But he has nothing to show for it after pursuing the likes of Charlie Strong and Jon Gruden. Well, blogger Clay Travis says that he received the following text from a prominent Tennessee boster...

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“Dave Hart couldn’t get laid in a whorehouse with a fist full of hundreds.”

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That's the kind of support that'll get you Bobby Petrino.

Apparently Tennessee went after Louisville coach Charlie Strong, but he reportedly turned down a contract offer from the Vols and will sign a lucrative extension to stay with the Louisville long term. Per Sports Illustrated...

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Louisville and Strong are finalizing a long-term extension that could be announced as early as Thursday. It’s expected to be a significant commitment in both years and dollars and will reportedly put Strong in the top echelon of coaches in the ACC.

The Louisville extension ends Tennessee’s courtship of Strong, who had one brief meeting on Sunday with Tennessee chancellor Jimmy Cheek in Louisville. That was Strong’s only direct contact with another university.

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Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy reportedly spoke with Tennessee about its available coaching position on Sunday, and could have discussions with Arkansas about its vacancy. Gundy, who played quarterback for Oklahoma State, is 66-35 in eight seasons at his alma mater, spoke with media members late Sunday night. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy just completed a 7-5 regular season.

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“I would never talk about any other jobs or any confirmation of anything that’s gone on,” Gundy told reporters on a teleconference. “I would prefer to not talk about anything other than Oklahoma State and the bowl game.”

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Here’s their report News Channel 3 in Memphis...

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"Knoxville, TN-News Channel 3 has learned former NFL coach Jon Gruden has a contract offer in hand from the University of Tennessee and a decision could be made as early as Wednesday. Part of the offer is Gruden getting a piece of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, who were recently bought by Jim Haslam, one of UT’s biggest boosters who played on the Vols’ national championship teams in the early fifties. He’s also the father of Tennessee governor Bill Haslam. A potential hangup could be over money Gruden may be owed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from his stint as head coach there that ended in 2008. The NFL is looking into the conflict of owning part of one team while getting money from another. Gruden is currently working as an NFL analyst for ESPN. He started his coaching career in 1986 as a graduate assistant at Tennessee where he met his wife, a former UT cheerleader. Gruden’s two head coaching stints in the NFL were with Oakland and Tampa Bay. He coached the Bucs to a Super Bowl win in the 2002 season."

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Tennessee's mascot Smokey gets loose and bites Kentucky kicker at Neyland Stadium Saturday...