Tennessee Coaching Candidates Really Aren't Interested, and Here's Why

Usually when coaches say they're not interested in a head coaching job, it could mean anything from from, "Let's wait 'til the season is over with my own team," or "Let's see how the contract shapes-up first."

But in the case of Butch Davis and other college coaches who have said, "Thanks, but no thanks." They really mean they're not interested, and go away. 

You would think that a three-million plus dollar salary would entice even the most entrenched coach to at least have a look and kick the tires, but most coaches understand the problems that come with the job and they don't want any part of it.

Instead of landing a "high profile" coach, the Tennessee Volunteers will have to settle for someone who wants to "step up" their resume rather than just switching schools.

Tennessee Athletic Director Mike Hamilton may still believe that Tennessee is a "premier" job, but few head coaches do.

First of all, despite the talent that exists there, there is no way of knowing how many athletes there will jump ship once someone else is named. 

There are two reasons for that.  First, some players really liked Phillip Fulmer, or want to jump a sinking ship.  Secondly, there are many who won't put up with the discipline a new coach would be sure to institute.

To say that Fulmer was lax on discipline is like saying the titanic ended up short on buoyancy. 

In fact, the award given to the team with the worst discipline and arrest records is called "The Fulmer Cup" in honor of Phil.

That can be fixed by benching, kicking off, or running off the malcontents.

Nick Saban went through that when he inherited "Club Shula."  But unless you have the nation's number one recruiting class, like Saban did, to replace the talent vacuum left by departing players, you could languish for years.

Then there is the "Bear Bryant Syndrome" that exists at Tennessee.

This is a program that has always hired from "within the family." Any mistakes made by an "outsider" will simply be magnified by the fan base and the administration.

Coaches outside the area have no recruiting "ins" as Saban and Mark Richt had, and it could take a while  for an "outsider" to make good inroads in this crucial area.  Given the coaching talent here, recruiting is a tough one now in the SEC.

Plus, who wants to match wits with Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and Mark Richt every year with a fan base whose going to expect a Nick Saban type turnaround in a year or two at the most?

And the 800-pound gorilla in the room is that Tennessee just fired a coach with one of the best winning percentages in football, who delivered a national championship to the school and is only one year removed from playing in the SEC championship game. 

Is this a school that says "Doing a good job 90 percent of the time gets loyalty from us?"

So while Hamilton and fans have this "super wish list" in their heads, the ugly truth may take a while to set in.  Most, if not all, on their initial list will really mean it when they used the traditional line, "I have no interest in becoming the head coach at Tennessee."