You heard it here first...

**Ironlung** · November 25th, 2008, 06:34 PM

Assume what you want, if not for the coaching staff turnover Thomas would have went to UT more than likely. I'm not saying it was a 100% certainty, but I think it was more than 50/50. It's not a bad thing, VT got a good one. I'd rather lose the coaches than gain a great player. Believe what you want, I'm just going on stuff that he and his family said.

**gcdevil22** · November 26th, 2008, 02:34 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ironlung</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Assume what you want, if not for the coaching staff turnover Thomas would have went to UT more than likely. I'm not saying it was a 100% certainty, but I think it was more than 50/50. It's not a bad thing, VT got a good one. I'd rather lose the coaches than gain a great player. Believe what you want, I'm just going on stuff that he and his family said. </div></div>

it's not an assumption...he is a VT commit, and was a VT lean from day 1...it would only be an assumption for a school who was never in the running to make up "what-if" scenarios and say they would have landed him...*ahem*

**UTVols2** · November 26th, 2008, 10:26 AM

To add just a little bit more fuel to the fire and also you have to consider the source but one can dream. This is what wikipedia now says about Lane Kiffin on his page.

"On November 26, 2008, sources close to the University of Tennessee program revealed that Kiffin had accepted the head coach position at that school and would be announced as such at a press conference on Monday, December 1. Additionaly with the development of Kiffin to Tennessee, USC QB commitment Matt Barkley will visit Tennessee the first weekend of December sources close to Kiffin have said."

**greencrest1272** · November 26th, 2008, 10:42 AM

As a long time Vol hater, Kiffin coming to Knoxville is quite worrisome.

**imported_GC_Quincy** · November 26th, 2008, 10:02 PM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: UTVols2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">To add just a little bit more fuel to the fire and also you have to consider the source but one can dream. This is what wikipedia now says about Lane Kiffin on his page.

"On November 26, 2008, sources close to the University of Tennessee program revealed that Kiffin had accepted the head coach position at that school and would be announced as such at a press conference on Monday, December 1. Additionaly with the development of Kiffin to Tennessee, USC QB commitment Matt Barkley will visit Tennessee the first weekend of December sources close to Kiffin have said."
</div></div>

Anyone can edit anything on Wikipedia. You have to take that site with a grain of salt.

**Biggin** · November 26th, 2008, 06:20 PM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: vthokie22</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ironlung</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Assume what you want, if not for the coaching staff turnover Thomas would have went to UT more than likely. I'm not saying it was a 100% certainty, but I think it was more than 50/50. It's not a bad thing, VT got a good one. I'd rather lose the coaches than gain a great player. Believe what you want, I'm just going on stuff that he and his family said. </div></div>

it's not an assumption...he is a VT commit, and was a VT lean from day 1...it would only be an assumption for a school who was never in the running to make up "what-if" scenarios and say they would have landed him...*ahem* </div></div>

god you're pretentious

you're the only one assuming that the situation would have not been different if the UT staff hadnt been in turmoil

the situation will never happen, so how can you possibly assume if it did happen nothing would change?

and the part about barkley talking to kiffin, i would bet cold hard cash that barkley doesnt change his commit, or even think about going to UT.

**gcdevil22** · November 26th, 2008, 07:27 PM

i guess we can assume then that if Tyrone Willingham had not done so bad at Washington that Thomas would've been headed there...not 100%, of course, but at least 50/50

bottom line, all summer WHEN THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO STAFF CHANGE IN SIGHT, Thomas did not have the Vols anywhere near the top of his list, so how in the world he saw into the future that UT would fire Fulmer is beyond me...maybe we're getting not only a great player but a psychic

**Biggin** · November 26th, 2008, 07:30 PM

we can assume that if ty didnt do such a shitty job, thomas MAY have went there.

MAY, COULD HAVE, POSSIBLY

i dont know about the kid, didnt keep up with his recruitment, so i cant say either way, but if lung says the kid had some interest in UT, i believe it.

**Ironlung** · November 26th, 2008, 07:43 PM

I'm just going by what the kid said back in the summer and what I was told by a member of his family. Drew has his finger firmly up Beamer's ass with a watch clearly on the pulse of VT football, so I bow out to him. VT only gives out 18-28 scholarship offers a year any how and all of them commit to VT.

I'm sure a huge part in his decision of eliminating UT wasn't just the coaching change. One look at the offense against UCLA is enough to send anyone looking in another direction.

**Ironlung** · November 26th, 2008, 08:17 PM

Back on topic.....

Tennessee sets its sights on Kiffin

November 26, 2008 6:57 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton took some heat from donors and boosters for announcing Phillip Fulmer's firing before the season had ended.

That said, the last thing Hamilton is going to do is upstage Fulmer's final game at Tennessee, which is being dubbed "Phillip Fulmer Appreciation Day" on Saturday against Kentucky.

With reports circulating Wednesday that former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin had been offered the Tennessee job, Hamilton was adamant that he hadn't offered the job to anybody.

In the end, that may be just a formality.

The 33-year-old Kiffin has been at the forefront of Tennessee's search for some time, and barring some sort of snag in the process, will likely be announced as the Vols' next coach early next week.

Already, Kiffin has been talking to people about coming with him, including his father, Monte Kiffin. The elder Kiffin is the defensive coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one of the foremost defensive minds in all of football.

Getting his dad to come with him would be a coup, and it's not all that farfetched, either. Sure, Monte Kiffin makes far more with the Bucs than Tennessee could ever afford to pay him, but the lure of getting the whole family back together again may be too hard to pass up.

Kiffin has also talked with former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron, who's now an assistant on the New Orleans Saints' staff. Orgeron and Kiffin worked together on the Southern California staff earlier this decade, and both are renowned for their recruiting abilities.

How realistic it is that Kiffin would be able to get both his father and Orgeron remains to be seen. Orgeron may also have some other opportunities, possibly at LSU if Les Mies makes some changes on his defensive staff.

The Vols gauged the interest of a wide array of coaches, including current NFL head coaches Jon Gruden and Lovie Smith and former NFL coach Bill Cowher.

Kiffin, though, emerged as the leader from a short list that also included Cincinnati's Brian Kelly and TCU's Gary Patterson.

And you want to talk about great ironies.

Kiffin is 5-15 as a head coach in 1 ½ seasons with the Raiders (albeit an impossible situation with Al Davis) and would be replacing a guy who's 151-52 in 17 seasons and was in the SEC Championship Game last season ... and got fired.