“We’re about to have this all wrapped up.”
Those are the words of Vanderbilt Board of Trust and search committee member John Ingram. They were uttered this afternoon. They were uttered in regards to Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin.
The Tennessean reports that vice chancellor David Williams — the man who has been running the VU search — has not returned phone calls all day.
Ingram said “There is a lot of clutter out there, and that’s what it is — clutter,” when asked about reports that Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain and Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville (oh, please) have recently expressed interest in the Vandy job.
Vanderbilt is about to have a coach. A coach who has no real ties to the South and whose offense at Maryland didn’t engender a great deal of love from Terp fans. And he’s someone who 95% of SEC fans had never heard of prior to Vandy’s search.
In other words, he’s exactly the type of coach we believed would accept the monumental task of trying to win where no one else has won.
UPDATE – VandySports.com is reporting that a Friday press conference is expected. The site also claims that Franklin “will earn close to Kentucky first-year head coach Joker Phillips in terms of salary and compensation.”
Phillips made $1.7 million this past season, ahead of only Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen and Vandy’s last coach, Robbie Caldwell. Given that Mullen is expected to get a bump at MSU, Franklin will likely be the SEC’s lowest-paid head coach.
