Tennessee turns to Fulmer as AD

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee has turned to its familiar past to comfort its uneasy fan base in an attempt to rescue what has been a tumultuous and embarrassing football coaching search.

The man Volunteer faithful blamed for the chaos: John Currie. Chancellor Beverly Davenport, who watched as the search was bungled seemingly at each turn, finally had enough.

So she turned everything over Friday to Phillip Fulmer, naming the College Football Hall of Famer Tennessee’s new athletic director. Fulmer replaces Currie, who was suspended and placed on paid leave just eight months after taking the job.

The chancellor said at a news conference that Fulmer will be Tennessee’s athletic director “for the foreseeable future” and “take the reins of our search.” In the meantime, the school is investigating whether it can fire Currie for cause.

“I think with the background that I have here and as well as we’ve done at different times here, with the facilities and leadership we have here, I definitely think there will be people that will be interested,” said Fulmer, who coached Tennessee to the 1998 national title.

Getting any coach interested in this job has proved challenging ever since the Nov. 12 firing of Butch Jones.

Tennessee was close to hiring Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano on Sunday before that deal fell through amid a public backlash.

Reports linked Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and Purdue’s Jeff Brohm to Tennessee’s vacancy, but both stayed with their respective teams. North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren agreed to a new contract w ith the Wolfpack on Thursday after speaking with Tennessee officials.