Report: Tennessee is (laughably) all in on Mike Gundy
Tennessee’s coaching search has put a new meaning to the phrase, “dumpster fire”. After a disastrous episode with Gre Schiano, Tennessee is trying to figure out who and what is next. Well according to a new report, they’ve set their sites on Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy.
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
Gundy is about to play Tennessee, and maybe Oklahoma State, like a fiddle. He already turned down the Vols in 2012, when Tennessee was a much more attractive job than it is right now and when Oklahoma State was not as good of a job as it is now. OSU was in a great place in 2012, but it’s only gotten better each and every year with more success and improving facilities.
Plus, the relationship between Gundy, Mike Holder, and T. Boone Pickens appears to be as healthy as it’s been in quite some time. That wasn’t the case in 2012.
Most recently, Gundy reportedly turned down Florida’s job offer, according to The Sports Animals’ Pat Jones.
Guess what Vols fans? Florida is an immensely better job than Tennessee, which is what, maybe the 6th best job in the SEC at this point?
Then on Tuesday morning this report came down that Tennessee would double Gundy’s salary.
Tennessee is willing to double Mike Gundy’s salary ($4.2M), according to multiple reports.
$8.4M would make Gundy the third-highest paid coach in CFB.
— CRFF (@CowboysRFF) November 28, 2017
While a bidding war between Tennessee booster Jimmy Haslam and T. Boone sounds fun, I still don’t see how Gundy bolts… I just can’t. That place is a freakin’ mess. Money talks, but is his life going to change that much from $4 to $8 million per year? Not that I would know, but most things that you want to buy with $4 million you can buy with $8 million per year. It’s not until you’re getting to $20 million+ per year that you’re then taking that next jump into astronomical kind of wealth.
While the mullet would fit in well in Knoxville, that’s about the only thing that makes sense about Gundy entertaining Tennessee. Oh, that and an ego boost, adoration, and maybe even more money out of the folks in Stillwater.
