Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE
Larry Fedora reportedly joins Charlie Strong and Mike Gundy on the narrowing list of Tennessee candidates.
Update: Andrew Carter reports there's been no contact between Larry Fedora and Tennessee.
The Tennessee Volunteers are down to three candidates for their vacant head coach position, according to VolQuest.com, which claims Tennessee will interview North Carolina's Larry Fedora today (Fedora's in New York City, as is Tennessee AD Dave Hart). The final three are reportedly Fedora, Charlie Strong and Mike Gundy.
The Volunteers are looking to replace Derek Dooley, who was fired Nov. 18. The Vols went 5-7 this season under Dooley. In his three seasons leading Tennessee, the Volunteers were 15-21 with a 4-19 record in the SEC. In the last two years, the Vols were just 1-14 against SEC opponents.
Fedora guided the Tar Heels to an 8-4 record this season. They were 5-3 in the ACC. Fedora spent the previous four seasons coaching Southern Mississippi. He led the Golden Eagles to a 34-19 overall record and two bowl game wins. Here's Tar Heel Blog on Fedora:
In my opinion, I don't see Fedora leaving unless he gets promised the world. Even then, UT is a bit of a mess right now and as Andrew Carter astutely points out, if Fedora had wanted an SEC job, he could have taken the Texas A&M job last year in his hometown. There are also indications Strong and Gundy are ahead of Fedora in the order of preference so we are probably still two or three moves away from this being something to really worry about. Still, don't be shocked if this ends with Fedora getting a little extra time and cash out of UNC just to make sure Fedora is happy.
Strong, the coach at Louisiville, reportedly interviewed for the position Friday and remains the most popular choice among fans. Strong led the Cardinals to a 10-2 record this season in his third season with the team. Louisville will play in the Sugar Bowl against the Florida Gators.
Gundy has coached Oklahoma State the last eight seasons. In that span, the Cowboys are 66-35 with a 38-28 record in the Big 12. They've won four bowl games with Gundy at the helm. After going 7-5 this season, the Cowboys will play the Purdue Boilermakers.
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