Greg Schiano Rumors: Tennessee Hoping to Finalize Deal with Ohio State DC

Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano has reportedly "emerged as the focus of Tennessee's search" for a new head coach, according to Dan Wolken of USA Today.

Wolken later reported Tennessee is hoping to finalize an agreement with Schiano on Sunday. SportsCenter later confirmed Wolken's report.

Wolken added that the Volunteers have "also been engaged with [Mississippi State head coach Dan] Mullen, who has been trying to wait out Florida."  

Meanwhile, Mike Griffith of SEC Country reported that both Schiano and Washington State head coach Mike Leach were candidates, while "Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher and Mullen—arguably the most qualified coaches for the job—have seemingly leveraged Tennessee’s interest into negotiating chips for larger commitments at their current schools."

Griffith also noted that Duke head coach David Cutcliffe could be a target for the Vols. And former NFL head coach and current ESPN broadcaster Jon Gruden has reportedly spoken with Tennessee about the school's vacant coaching position, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

Suffice to say, the Volunteers appear to be casting a wide net.

As for Schiano, he went 68-67 in 11 seasons at Rutgers, helping to turn around the Scarlet Knights football program and reaching six bowl games. He left for the NFL in 2011 and went just 11-21 in two seasons as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Ohio State hired Schiano to take over the defense in December 2015. In the last two seasons, the Buckeyes have ranked in the top 10 in total defense under his guidance. 

There are mixed reviews about whether he'd be a good hire for Tennessee. Some see the upside in the move: 

But Schiano also has his detractors: 

Count Urban Meyer among his supporters.

"He was offered two head coaching jobs—two significant head coaching jobs—and he made a decision to come back," Meyer told Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com in July 2017. "I've known Greg for a long time—and he's a head coach. He will be a head coach [again]."