We get asked a lot about any inside tips and news of who is next in line for the vacant job after Coach Phillip Fulmer is pushed out the door this weekend. Dave and Thomas have been pushing to land ex-Raiders coach Lane Kiffin for the upcoming Tennessee Vols coaching position.  Of course we’re not sure Tennessee A.D. Mike Hamilton is really listening to us but there are more and more rumors this week that Kiffin will be the next Tennessee Vols football coach.

Here’s what we know.  Several coaches have already turned down the job and a handful of coaches are on the short list of candidates.  The obvious ones have that are out of the running are Duke coach David Cutcliffe, North Carolina’s Butch Davis, Tampa Bay’s John Gruden, Bill Cowher,  Texas Tech’ Mike Leach, and any coach over the age of 50 and/or was mentioned for the position more than 10 years ago.  This includes Steve Spurrier.  We’re not sure why his name keeps popping up but c’mon.  Really?

The short list of coaches mentioned this week are ex-Raider/USC guru Lane Kiffin, Gary Patterson of TCU, Tim Brewster of Minnesota and Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly. All are good picks but the word is Kelly is out (not going to move) and Brewster isn’t going to be let out of Minnesota without a fight.  We’re not sure about Patterson but our sources are mum on his candidacy.

It’s trendy to pick successful programs like Texas Tech’s Mike Leach as places to land a coach but the reality of trying to buyout a Leach or a Butch Davis just are outrageous.  Even if those programs were to let those coaches go, and they’re not, UT is still in debt to Fulmer for $6 mil and justifying a huge buyout of a coach plus a huge salary is just not practical.

We Heart Lane Kiffin

We Heart Lane Kiffin

That’s why we believe the match-up of Lane Kiffin is perfect.  He’s available. He’s qualified. And he’s not tied down to any other school or team.

First, we must point out that being in Knoxville we hear a lot of things.  Keeping a secret in this town when it comes to football is pretty hard to do.  Kiffin has been in town a few times already and even spotted with ‘influential’ people playing golf and hanging out. However, UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton has been quoted this week as saying that “no offer yet for Kiffin to be Vols new head coach.”

But don’t let that little bit of news change you.  Hamilton has also been rumored to want a head coach ASAP.  Meaning with UT’s game this Saturday against Kentucky we will not only see the end of the Phillip Fulmer era but we could see the Lane Kiffin era start right up.  Yes, that week.

ESPN also mentioned that Kiffin is “assembling a staff for Tennessee, possibly including Ed Orgeron, former head coach at Ole Miss” which only helps fuel the fire.

We believe Lane Kiffin will be the next coach at Tennessee because it’s a great fit for both parties.  Kiffin is an offensive and QB coach from his days at Fresno State, Colorado State, and USC.  Just what we need. He was good enough to replace Norm Chow at USC and we believe he’s good enough to replace Fulmer.  His record gets spotty when he left USC to become the NFL’s youngest coach for the Oakland Raiders only to be ousted by bat-shit-insance Al Davis.  Also keep in mind that even though Kiffin is a talent he’s still in his early 30’s.

We don’t take his firing by Al Davis from Oakland as too much of a black spot on the resume.  Not many people who leave Oakland have many good things to say about their experience. After the Kiffin firing, former Pro-Bowl players like Warren Sapp and Rich Gannon spoke out about Davis being a problem owner and even calling in plays during the game.

Ron Higgins, a writer for the Commercial-Appeal, thinks we’re wrong.  In fact, he thinks that Kiffin is a horrible candidate for the job and that by UT hiring him it is downgrading it’s program.  We think Ron is a great humor writer.