Spurrier says he’s not interested in UT/Davis ‘very happy in Chapel Hill’/Cutcliffe:’I am at Duke, staying at Duke’‏‏‏

Here’s what the area coaches are saying about the possibility of them taking the Tennessee job now that Fulmer is on his way out. We also list the opinions of BigC Cecil Carr, the man who sent us this info, on the speculation of these coaches going to UT.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Just imagine, 106,000 orange-clad Vols fans cheering for their beloved Tennessee. And trotting out to the sidelines under a neon visor, Tennessee coach Steve Spurrier.

It could have happened. South Carolina’s head coach said so Monday night after practice, had the Vols job come open four years back when Spurrier had flopped in the NFL and looked to return to the college game.

Now, with Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer set to end his tenure, Spurrier says he’ll only go back to Neyland Stadium as the opposing coach.

“This is going to be my last gig right here,” the 63-year-old Spurrier said Monday night.

Speculation about Spurrier, who grew up in Johnson City, Tenn., pulling for U-T, taking over Tennessee had started on Internet message boards long before the Gamecocks placed the final straw on Fulmer’s broken back, 27-6, this past Saturday night.

BigC Cecil Carr’s remarks:I couldn’t see ol Steve coaching the Vols. A lot of people on this sited blog thought he might be interested.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Butch Davis says he is committed to building No. 19 North Carolina’s program, even though his name has come up as a possible candidate for the opening at Tennessee.

Davis told four reporters after practice Tuesday evening that he and his family are “very happy in Chapel Hill.”

When asked directly about the Tennessee job, Davis said both he and North Carolina’s administration “are completely and firmly committed to building a championship football program at North Carolina.”

Davis seemingly has been a hot commodity ever since he started at North Carolina after the 2006 season. He was mentioned as a possible candidate last year at Arkansas — his alma mater — but maintained that his focus always was on the Tar Heels.

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke coach David Cutcliffe quashed any speculation about him returning to Tennessee to replace his good friend and former boss, Phillip Fulmer.

“I’m at Duke, staying at Duke,” Cutcliffe said Tuesday.

Cutcliffe twice served on Tennessee’s staff and spent eight years as the Volunteers’ offensive coordinator. He came to Duke last December after a two-year stint in Knoxville and has called Fulmer “the best football coach I’ve ever been associated with.”

During a meeting earlier in the day with his Duke players, Cutcliffe said he debunked rumors that named him as a potential candidate to replace Fulmer, who’s being forced out at season’s end after 17 years with the Volunteers.

“The extent of what he said was that it’s a nonfactor, and that we should focus on North Carolina State,” offensive lineman Fred Wilson said. “I don’t worry at all. The few short months that I’ve spent with coach Cutcliffe, I’ve learned to take him at his word. When he says something, he means it, and I wouldn’t dare question it.”

Cutcliffe’s 4-4 start is the best by a first-year Duke coach since Fred Goldsmith opened 8-4 in 1994. The Blue Devils haven’t been at .500 this late in a season since 1998, when they also were 4-4 before ending the year with three straight losses.

He said said he was being proactive “just to put an end to any speculation,” adding that he spoke to recruits who said other coaches had told them that “it’s a done deal” he was headed to the Volunteers.

“Certainly, prospects are being hit by it, people who we’re recruiting are being hit,” Cutcliffe said. “I tried to call as many of them as I can call just to settle it down. It’ll settle down quickly. If I’m recruiting against us, I’m going to use it, too. Those (rival coaches) were predictable. They did what I thought they would do.”

*****All from govolsxtra.com*****