Former Florida coach Steve Spurrier said earlier on Thursday that Mike Leach should get the Tennessee job and it looks like he may have predicted the future. There have been several people reporting that his name is catching steam and that a deal is being worked on.
Nothing is official as of yet, but this is probably the closest Tennessee has come to signing a coach after almost inking Greg Schiano before the fan base freaked out. Several other coaches have already turned down the job so the Vols are definitely not on their first option for a coach, but Leach should be a good one. At the very least he will be entertaining with his press conferences and should be a hoot at SEC Media Days with his quirkiness and willingness to answer just about any question in the most creative way imaginable.
The Vols have publicly cycled through candidates so far, with the whole Greg Schiano debacle sparking off a panic in Knoxville. In addition to N.C. State's Dave Doeren turning down the job, Tennessee has also reportedly been turned down by Duke coach David Cutcliffe and Purdue coach Jeff Brohm.