Greg Schiano's Contract Agreement Wasn't Signed by Tennessee's Chancellor

Tennessee could have a legal battle on its hands after backing out of a deal for Greg Schiano to be the school's next football coach.

According to Chris Low of ESPN, both Schiano and athletic director John Currie signed a memorandum of understanding to fill the position, but it was not signed by university chancellor Beverly Davenport.

Lawyers are expected to argue whether this constitutes a legally binding deal that would cause the team to provide Schiano with some form of compensation.

The school was set to announce the hiring of the Ohio State defensive coordinator Sunday, but fan backlash caused the team to back out of the deal, per ESPN.

"I deeply regret the events of yesterday for everyone involved," Davenport said in a statement, via Wes Rucker of 247Sports. "The university remains steadfast in its commitment to excellence, and I look forward to John Currie continuing the search to bring the next head football coach to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville."

While the entire situation reflected poorly on the program, it could avoid further issues based on the latest revelation. An athletic director told Low that the memorandum wouldn't be considered binding without the chancellor's signature.

ESPN's David Pollack also noted the importance:

In any case, Tennessee will have to look elsewhere to hire a new head coach.