Vols Athletic Director John Currie is on leave with pay and former UT head football coach Phillip Fulmer has been appointed to perform the role of athletic director, UT Chancellor Beverly Davenport announced Friday.
Currie met with UT Chancellor Beverly Davenport briefly Friday as fervor over the search for UT's next head football coach continues to reach new levels.
The meeting was short -- around 10 minutes long -- and there was no indication as to what the Currie and Davenport discussed behind closed doors.
WBIR 10News reporter Michael Crowe met Currie as he left the meeting, asking what they had discussed.
Currie's reply: "I can't say anything to you just now."
Just saw @john_currie walk into UT Chancellor Davenport’s office at 9:08a. Was in there about 12min, walked out.
— Michael Crowe (@MichaelReports) December 1, 2017
I chatted with him for a sec—he said “I can’t say anything to you just now” and got in the elevator @wbir
Receptionist said Davenport wasn’t available because she was in a meeting. No emotion to speak of from Currie as he left @wbir
— Michael Crowe (@MichaelReports) December 1, 2017
Currie has been criticized by many fans for how the search has been handled, with messages of "Fire Currie" appearing across social media and elsewhere.
The latest report from NBC Dallas showed that Washington State head coach Mike Leach is in talks with Currie to become the next coach. Our partners at govols247.com report that Vols athletics director John Currie was in Los Angeles Thursday to meet with Leach.
Sources said he was prepared to make an offer to Leach before he was called back to Knoxville by UT administrators.
The coaching search has taken a number of twists and turns, with passionate fans weighing in at every step of the way as new stories and rumors broke, and others were flat-out denied.