A Look Back at the Last Hires By Teams Currently/Assumed to be on the Clock

Thought it would be interesting to look back at how things played out last time around for them.

UT

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Butch Jones wasn't Tennessee's first choice as its next football coach. The Volunteers believe the former Cincinnati coach will prove he's the right choice.

Jones becomes the Volunteers' fourth coach in six seasons, ending a tumultuous couple of days for both parties. The new Vols coach said he was taking over "the best college football program in America."

We'll be working to be champions each and every day," Jones said. "We will be a champion in everything we do. That's not only on the field but off the field."

Jones takes the job after declining an offer to become the new coach at Colorado. Tennessee went after at least two other candidates before hiring Jones.

During the 19-day search to replace Dooley, the Volunteers contacted ESPN analyst and former Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden, who indicated he wasn't interested. The Vols then pursued Charlie Strong, who said Thursday he had turned down their offer and would stay at Louisville.

Rarely in life is anything exactly what it seems to be," Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart said. "Life doesn't throw us all fastballs. It throws us curves, and then you've got some screwballs. ... You've got to be able to adjust."

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aTm

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Kevin Sumlin and Larry Fedora reportedly interviewed for the Texas A&M coaching vacancy on Monday. Sumlin is currently the coach at Houston, while Fedora is the head coach at Souther Mississippi. Both would be vying to replace Mike Sherman, who was fired on Thursday after going 25-25 over four mostly lackluster seasons.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Kevin Sumlin, one of the brightest and energetic coaches in the country, has been named the Texas A&M head football coach, Aggie Director of Athletics Bill Byrne announced today.

"It is with great pride that we announce Kevin Sumlin has accepted an offer to become the next head football coach at Texas A&M University," Byrne stated. "We began this search process a little over a week ago and spoke to many worthy and qualified candidates, but my decision, which was made in consultation with (Texas A&M) President (R. Bowen) Loftin, kept leading me to Kevin. We met this morning to finalize the offer. I believe he is the right person to lead our football program into the Southeastern Conference. First of all, Kevin is a terrific person. He is also one heck of a recruiter and he will put together a great staff."

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UF

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The first week of the Gators football coaching search has had a little bit of everything.

“Candidates” to replace Will Muschamp have included a slew of former UF assistants (Bob Stoops, Charlie Strong, Mike Shanahan, Dan Mullen, Doc Holliday), pretty much every big name with an offensive background (Guz Malzahn, Steve Spurrier, Kevin Sumlin, Hugh Freeze, Rich Rodriguez, Dabo Swinney, Mike Gundy), a pair of lesser-known offensive minds (Jim McElwain, Mark Hudspeth), some coaches with defensive backgrounds but good offenses (Gary Patterson, Todd Graham) and a pair of Kellys (Chip and Brian).


"Coach McElwain was someone we targeted from the beginning of the search," Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley told the school's official website. "The more we worked through the process and did our due diligence, coupled with our meeting and conversations with him and those around him, it was obvious he is the right person to lead the Florida Gator football program."

To settle the dispute over McElwain's $7.5 million buyout, Florida agreed to pay $3 million over six years to Colorado State and also agreed to a future game -- with a $2 million guarantee -- in Gainesville sometime between the 2017 and 2020 seasons, sources told ESPN's Brett McMurphy.

In addition, McElwain has agreed to pay $2 million to Colorado State over time, sources told McMurphy.

The $5 million being paid from Florida to Colorado State marks the largest school-to-school buyout ever.

Foley was looking for somebody with a strong offensive background, and McElwain fits that bill.

"He has a proven track record on the offensive side of the ball, has coached in the SEC, won two national championships and has had success as a head coach," Foley told the school's website. "He has recruited the South and the state of Florida and has spent time coaching at the highest level in the NFL.

"He has an engaging personality and is someone who can connect with a variety of audiences, and he operates with a high level of integrity. I welcome him and his family to The Gator Nation, and I'm looking forward to working alongside him and his staff as they build a championship program both on and off the field."

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Arkansas

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In a stunning coup, Arkansas will hire Wisconsin's Bret Bielema as its next football coach, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

Bielema, who has taken the Badgers to three straight Rose Bowls, was nowhere on the radar amid months of speculation over who Arkansas would hire.

An announcement will come Tuesday, sources told Y! Sports, but Bielema is not expected to be introduced until Wednesday.

Details of Bielema's contract at Arkansas are not yet known, but the school was said to have a major war chest for this coaching search.

Bielema was making $2.5 million at Wisconsin.

So Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long had a long time to plan his search, but it still took a while before settling on Bielema. There were preliminary talks with LSU coach Les Miles that both sides said did not result in an offer, as Miles re-upped with the Tigers. Several other names were floated over the past several weeks, while Bielema's name never hit public radar until today.

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