re: Latest rumor on Tennessee HC vacancy

I heard it is Brian Kelly from Cincy that will hired as the next head coach.

Kiffin = mistake for Tenn.

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i'd try to get butch davis.

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Butch isn't leaving UNC..It is a better gig than people realize

i think the duo is a homerun.nutt is winning with o recruits.

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So you contend that USC's quarterback coach would be hotter than their OC or their DC much less any of the other hot names being bandied about?

The only thing Coach O and Kiffin have in common is they were both position coaches at USC prior to making the jump all the way to head coach with no coordinator experience.

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You do know he was the OC after Norm Chow left up until he left USC for the Raiders, right?

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GoBigOrange86

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keep us updated

Slight update...

Rumors have reached a fever pitch. Tennessee fans and the local Knoxville media (I'm in town this week for Thanksgiving, so I've been able to keep up) are near completely confident that Kiffin has the job. While Hamilton has denied offering the position to Kiffin, some are maintaining that this is a formality. The offer has not been FORMALLY extended, but the contract is being ironed out. A true offer could be in place as early as Sunday, and an announcement may come as early as Monday.

Out of respect to Fulmer, Hamilton has been doing his best to keep mum. But it is well known that Kiffin both wants this job and feels that it's his for the taking, as his interview was apparently sterling.

There are rumors that Tennessee may make one last run at Butch Davis but do not expect to lure him away from UNC. Kiffin brings with him the hope of an all-star staff that could include his father, who is in my humble opinion a genius, and Ed Orgeron, who as I have mentioned is a dynamite recruiter and a guy who I think would bring a fire to this team on both sides of the ball.

I remain reserved about having a guy with such limited experience heading our program, but I will try to be optimistic. We have had two coaches in thirty years, and I am excited to see what some new blood in Kiffin and his (hopefully awesome) staff can do at UT.

I'll keep you guys posted. It's worth noting that Kelly and Davis remain remote possibilities.

I don't know, but that's one of the rumors. Some say he might want to end his career coaching with his son somewhere.

Well he was interested in the DC position in Oakland when Lane was there, but Davis didn't want to get rid of the DC that was already there. I won't be surprised if he leaves to go coach with his son.

here's some good info from chris low...

Entire Article: Tennessee sets its sights on Kiffin

November 26, 2008 6:52 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton took some heat from donors and boosters for announcing Phillip Fulmer's firing before the season had ended.

That said, the last thing Hamilton is going to do is upstage Fulmer's final game at Tennessee, which is being dubbed "Phillip Fulmer Appreciation Day" on Saturday against Kentucky.

With reports circulating Wednesday that former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin had been offered the Tennessee job, Hamilton was adamant that he hadn't offered the job to anybody.

In the end, that may be just a formality.

The 33-year-old Kiffin has been at the forefront of Tennessee's search for some time, and barring some sort of snag in the process, will likely be announced as the Vols' next coach early next week.

Already, Kiffin has been talking to people about coming with him, including his father, Monte Kiffin. The elder Kiffin is the defensive coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one of the foremost defensive minds in all of football.

Getting his dad to come with him would be a coup, and it's not all that farfetched, either. Sure, Monte Kiffin makes far more with the Bucs than Tennessee could ever afford to pay him, but the lure of getting the whole family back together again may be too hard to pass up.

Kiffin has also talked with former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron, who's now an assistant on the New Orleans Saints' staff. Orgeron and Kiffin worked together on the Southern California staff earlier this decade, and both are renowned for their recruiting abilities.

How realistic it is that Kiffin would be able to get both his father and Orgeron remains to be seen. Orgeron may also have some other opportunities, possibly at LSU if Les Mies makes some changes on his defensive staff.

The Vols gauged the interest of a wide array of coaches, including current NFL head coaches Jon Gruden and Lovie Smith and former NFL coach Bill Cowher.

Kiffin, though, emerged as the leader from a short list that also included Cincinnati's Brian Kelly and TCU's Gary Patterson.

And you want to talk about great ironies.

Kiffin is 5-15 as a head coach in 1 ½ seasons with the Raiders (albeit an impossible situation with Al Davis) and would be replacing a guy who's 151-52 in 17 seasons and was in the SEC Championship Game last season ... and got fired.

nice tidbit about o maybe coming to lsu if malveto gets canned.

i think kiffin will be a very nice hire for ut. he'll put some new life in that program and with orgeron he'll once again have ut as a recruiting monster.