Shuler Not A Candidate For UT’s A.D. Job

 Send This Story To A Friend

The rumors fly fast and furious these days.  And anything tossed out on a messageboard or talk radio show has to be followed-up on by the “legit” media.

Here’s an example of that one: A Knoxville radio host blogged last week that former Tennessee quarterback and current North Carolina congressman Heath Shuler is interested in the athletic director position at his alma mater.  “Shuler is in play,” wrote Tony Basilio of WVLZ-AM.

Messageboards lit up.  I was asked about the report on a number of radio shows across the South.

When asked Shuler’s chances of landing the job, I compared them to an ice cube’s somewhere down south.  Despite comments that the UT administration is considering people from all walks of life, our sources continue to say that Goal One — and it’s a very strong Goal One — is to land a current AD from another school.

Now, as we’ve seen with Tennessee coaching searches in recent years, sometimes you’ve got to have a fall back candidate.  And perhaps that’s where a Shuler or a Phillip Fulmer could find themselves in the mix.  Obviously, Shuler has proven that he can run and win a campaign.

But a spokesman for Shuler told The Washington Post that the ex-Vol is focused on the country, not his school’s sports program.

“Congressman Shuler is focused on the very serious challenges facing our nation, including job creation and balancing our budget,” the statement read.  “He is currently and actively preparing for his next re-election campaign in 2012 and looks forward to continuing to fight for the working families of Western North Carolina in the years ahead.”

Meanwhile, UT associate athletic director Jimmy Stanton told The Knoxville News Sentinel: “The Chancellor formed a committee that is responsible for the search for the next director of athletics.  That process is underway, and I am not aware of the names of any specific candidates.”

Dan Murphy, the chairman of UT’s search committee took things a step further telling WNML-AM’s Jimmy Hyams (who is also a Knoxville radio host) that the school has “not narrowed the pool” of candidates and has conducted “no interviews yet” and made “no offers yet.” 

“We’ve got to get this thing done right,” Murphy added.

While UT is taking its time on it’s AD search — probably a smart move considering this is chancellor Jimmy Cheek’s first such search — three names continue to be mentioned most often when speaking to those close to the Tennessee administration:

Georgia Tech’s Dan Radakovich, Missouri’s Mike Alden, and Kansas State’s John Currie.  Currie is a former UT associate AD who is believed to be working back channels in hopes of landing the Volunteer gig.

But this much is clear to MrSEC.com at this point — If Tennessee lands the type of candidate it’s after… Shuler, Fulmer and other non-ADs won’t stand a chance.


UPDATE — Shuler spokesperson Andrew Whelan has told The Tennessean that the congressman: “is not seeking the AD spot and hasn’t been offered the AD spot.  We’re doing everything we can to raise money for a re-election campaign in 2012.  I can’t really speak to sportstalk radio or internet rumors, but the congressman is looking forward to his re-election in 2012.  He is running for Congress.”