Texas Tech Football: The Latest on Tommy Tuberville and the Miami Coaching Job

Reports are swirling about current Texas Tech head football coach Tommy Tuberville being considered for the open head coaching position at the University of Miami.

Tuberville has just completed his first season at Texas Tech, where the Red Raiders finished 7-5 and are headed for an appearance against Northwestern in the Ticket City Bowl on January 1, 2011.

Reports from around the country include the following.

Jorge Milian at The Palm Beach Post reported yesterday that “a university source said Miami remains interested in...Tuberville.” This source also listed Kevin Sumlin of Houston, Randy Edsall of UConn and Bo Pelini of Nebraska among Miami’s potential candidates.

According to The Miami Herald in an article published yesterday, Tuberville is “among the coaches who have spoken to UM about the job.”

Kirk Bohls at The Austin American Statesman reported yesterday afternoon that per an unnamed but “highly placed Big 12 official”, Tuberville has informed Tech officials that “he will not further pursue the head coaching vacancy at the University of Miami.”

This source went on to say that though they thought Tuberville could compete for the job, he basically was not interested.  “They called and talked to him, but he didn’t want to visit them.”

Don Williams at The Lubbock Avalanche Journal reported yesterday that Tuberville had not yet responded to a request for information on whether or not he had spoken to Miami officials regarding their search for a new head coach. 

Williams further reported that outgoing Texas Tech AD Gerald Myers had no knowledge of talks between Miami and the current Red Raider head coach.

Tuberville was an assistant at Miami from 1986 to 1993 and spent his final season at the “U” as the Hurricanes' defensive coordinator.

After spending 1994 in College Station as the Aggies’ defensive coordinator, Tuberville took the head coaching job at Ole Miss, where he stayed from 1995 to 1998.  It was at Ole Miss that he infamously stated, in reference to leaving Oxford, “they’ll have to carry me out of here in a pine box.” 

Just a couple days later, Tuberville announced that he was leaving Ole Miss for Auburn.