Reports: Tennessee going after Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy
After the Greg Schiano debacle, Tennessee has apparently set its sights on a sitting head coach.
That man is Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy.
With Matt Campbell and David Cutcliffe off the table, Jimmy Hyams first reported Tuesday morning that Tennessee representatives have spoken to Gundy. In the hours since, many others have also reported Tennessee’s contact with Gundy (For Rivals subscribers, VolQuest.com has a thorough update).
With Duke's David Cutcliffe and Iowa State's Matt Campbell out of the picture, Tennessee has turned its coaching search focus to Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. Three sources told me UT has interviewed Gundy, perhaps in Dallas. UT offered Gundy in 2012 but he said declined.
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) November 28, 2017
I’m told Mike Gundy scheduled to meet with Tennessee in Dallas today. One source says Gundy is serious about leaving Oklahoma State. Another isn’t: “You might as well say (Nick) Saban is up for the Rice job.” Stay tuned
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 28, 2017
#Tennessee is focusing in on #okstate's Mike Gundy. Would expect #Vols might have to pay around $6 million or more to get him to leave his set-up in Stillwater & his alma mater. If not, keep an eye on Dave Doeren & Jeff Brohm: https://t.co/Vu8AgKMLvR
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 28, 2017
Per Brett McMurphy and 247Sports, Gundy was scheduled to meet with Tennessee officials, including athletic director John Currie, Tuesday in Dallas.
Sources told me Mike Gundy notified Oklahoma State officials, as required by his contract, of his intention to speak with Tennessee about Vols’ job. That meeting scheduled today in Dallas.
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 28, 2017
Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel wrote Monday that a Gundy-Currie partnership could be an odd fit:
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has been involved with the Tennessee job in past openings. He’s a proven winner, and his mullet and antics would likely be embraced by the Tennessee fan base. He and Currie would not be a good match, as they are about as similar as Donald Trump and Barack Obama. Gundy has been openly petulant with his bosses for years in Stillwater, which isn’t attractive to future employers (and Currie knows this well from his tenure in the Big 12). But Tennessee officials may not be making this decision with Currie’s preferences in mind. And, well, Gundy has won big – five seasons of double-digit victories in the past eight years. That could be six with a bowl win.
Thamel also mentioned Purdue’s Jeff Brohm and Washington State’s Mike Leach as potential candidates.
As Thamel noted, Gundy’s name has been mentioned with Tennessee in the past (he reportedly turned the Vols down in 2012). He’s been linked to other jobs, too. Last offseason, he reportedly met with officials from Baylor before BU hired Temple’s Matt Rhule. And before Florida hired Dan Mullen, it was reportedly in contact with Gundy.
Gundy, an Oklahoma State alum, has been the Cowboys’ head coach since 2005. He has a 113-53 (69-42 Big 12) record at OSU. The Cowboys finished the regular season at 9-3 with a win over Kansas on Saturday.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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