Tennessee HC Rumors: Vols 'Closing In' on Deal with Purdue's Jeff Brohm

The Tennessee Volunteers are reportedly "closing in" on a deal with Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm, according to Jimmy Hyams of 99.1 Sports Radio WNML. 

Hyams later reported the school will announce the hire "soon" and said Brohm has a buyout of $5 million that drops to $4 million on Dec. 5.

However, Brohm visited 2018 Purdue commit Cory Trice on Wednesday and reportedly told Trice he's not leaving for Tennessee, per Chris Jung of Kentucky New Era.

Chris Low of ESPN added that he was "told by both sides that no deal is in place between Tennessee and Purdue's Brohm and not close to being done at this point, although there have been discussions."

Hyams added that the school interviewed SMU head coach Chad Morris on Tuesday evening but prefers Brohm. Earlier on Tuesday, Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reported that the Volunteers had reached out to Brohm and NC State head coach Dave Doeren.

Tennessee's coaching search has been something of a circus. The team has reportedly contacted Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy and Duke's David Cutcliffe, per ESPN, and both Gundy and Cutcliffe turned down the position.

Additionally, rumors have swirled around former NFL head coach and ESPN analyst Jon Gruden. And then there was Greg Schiano, who was set to take the job before an impassioned public outcry against him—largely based on unsubstantiated rumors from his time at Penn State, but likely aided by his mediocre track record as a head coach—ultimately convinced the school to go in a different direction.

That hasn't inspired trust in a program that has had just four winning seasons since 2009 and has gone through three head coaches and two interim coaches in that span.

As for Brohm, he went 30-10 in three seasons with Western Kentucky (2014-16) and 6-6 with Purdue last year after the school was a combined 9-39 in the four seasons prior. 

Feldman and Gil Brandt of NFL.com certainly believe his hire would be a home run: 

Indeed, hiring a coach like Brohm—believed by many to be an up-and-comer in the profession—would be a positive ending to a whirlwind process.