Reports: Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy to interview with Tennessee
Tennessee desperately needs a big name after the Greg Schiano debacle
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is now being connected to the Tennessee job, according to multiple reports.
GoPokes.com of 247Sports reports that Gundy "will meet with Tennessee athletic director John Currie at 11 am this morning [Tuesday] in Dallas. Gundy was in Oklahoma City recruiting on Monday and was asked by Tennessee to meet on that day but, Gundy told them he was busy."
Sports Illustrated's Bruce Feldman says Gundy is one of three top candidates, including Purdue's Jeff Brohm and NC State's Dave Doren. Radio host Jimmy Hyams of WNML first reported that Gundy had interviewed with the Vols.
With Duke's David Cutcliffe and Iowa State's Matt Campbell out of the picture, Tennessee has turned its coaching search focus to Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. Three sources told me UT has interviewed Gundy, perhaps in Dallas. UT offered Gundy in 2012 but he said declined.
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) November 28, 2017
However, this is where things get topsy-turvy, probably by design. Chris Landry reports that Tennessee admins feel landing Gundy is a "long shot." Gundy definitely has a reputation as a flirt in the coaching carousel. Brett McMurphy has reported conflicting accounts on the chances of Gundy actually taking the job.
I’m told Mike Gundy scheduled to meet with Tennessee in Dallas today. One source says Gundy is serious about leaving Oklahoma State. Another isn’t: “You might as well say (Nick) Saban is up for the Rice job.” Stay tuned
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 28, 2017
There has been no word yet from Oklahoma State or Gundy on the reports, though flight trackers are on the case.
The University of Tennessee's plane is flying to Stillwater, Oklahoma in just under 2 hours. https://t.co/HtHMjDOW5n pic.twitter.com/Ma27uuSvhk
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) November 28, 2017
Gundy is coming off of a 9-3 season in Stillwater, disappointing in some regards given the preseason hype and the return of quarterback Mason Rudolph and receiver James Washington. However, a bowl victory would give the Cowboys at least 10 wins for the third straight year and sixth time in the past eight seasons. There's no question that Gundy gets the most out of his players and team.
Gundy is in his 13th year as Oklahoma State's coach and has spent the better part of his nearly 30 years in coaching with the program, where he was also a quarterback in the 1980s. He's the school's winningest football coach with a record of 113-53.
This is not the first time Gundy's name has been connected with other jobs. As Hyams mentioned above, it's not even the first time Gundy has been linked to Tennessee. Gundy has leveraged these connections for new contracts in the past, and he most recently inked a five-year extension with an automatic rollover clause over the summer that started at $4.2 million and escalates by $125,000 every year. Before the deal, a previous extension between Gundy and Oklahoma State had gone unsigned.
On the flip side, Tennessee is entering desperation mode in its coaching search. Athletic director John Currie would need a big hire to mitigate the Greg Schiano debacle from Sunday. This is a long way from a certainty given Gundy's flirtations in the past with Tennessee and elsewhere. If, however, this were to come to fruition, it would mark one hell of a turnaround by Currie.
















