Early Reaction to Cutcliffe's Hire

Here's some great reaction to the hire in the Knoxville News-Sentinel's from a Tennessee angle. The article says that Cutcliffe is anticipated to stay with the Vols through their bowl game, which is the Outback Bowl against Wisconsin on Jan. 1. It also has some great reaction from Tennessee's players about what they learned from their offensive coordinator during his stint as their coach.

The same newspaper also has a great commentary piece by one of their columnists on the hire, citing in particular how Cutcliffe re-instilled discipline into the Vols offense when he became offensive coordinator in late 2005.

Bill Cole's latest in the Winston-Salem Journal confirms the hire of Cutcliffe and has some interesting reaction to it from one of Duke's outstanding commits, Ohio TE Kenny Anunike.

Alleva: "I'll probably have something for you tommorow"

That's what Duke's AD told reporters with the News & Observer as he was leaving his office at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

And according to the Herald-Sun, that something will come at 5:00 tomorrow, when David Cutcliffe will be announced as Duke's next football coach.

As soon as any press conference is confirmed, we'll let you know here, and check back after it happens for streaming audio from the event.

ESPN Reporting Cutcliffe is "Done Deal"

ESPN.com's Chris Low is reporting that Cutcliffe to Duke is a lock and that an introductory press conference will occur on Monday. The above report was revised from an earlier report on SportsCenter that described the hiring as a "Done Deal" and said that an announcement could come as early as Tonight.

However, we called Duke Sports Information Director Art Chase, who said that the reports were "not true." Additionally, Duke President Richard Brodhead told the News & Observer this afternoon that the job is still open as of today.

It remains to be seen how this will turn out, but the preponderance of reports makes us think that the odds are pretty large that Cutcliffe is the man.

Our friends over at The Blue Zone have just posted some interesting commentary about a Cutcliffe hire.

Cutcliffe says no offer has been made

Cutcliffe is on the record now, saying that he hasn't been offered the job and that it would be "arrogant" for him to have assumed that he will get it.

Earlier, this AP wire report said that Cutcliffe said he hasn't been offered the Duke job yet. As it stands now, it seems that Cutcliffe will be meeting with Duke AD Alleva sometime today, and an offer is possible, but as it stands it seems that the Knoxville paper's report from yesterday may have been a bit premature.

WRAL's website is reporting that the search committee will convene this afternoon, so this could be another sign that the wheels are starting to roll on finalizing a hire.

Not so fast...Friday Morning Update

Bill Cole in this morning's Winston-Salem Journal says that no offer has yet been made, and that Duke has narrowed the search down to Cutcliffe and former UCLA HC Karl Dorrell. The Herald-Sun says much the same thing.

Also, this morning's News and Observer update has some interesting comments from Cutcliffe on his health. Cutcliffe had to take two years off from coaching after undergoing a triple bypass procedure.

Here's a good read from Frank Dascenzo with an interview of Archie Manning, who gives a ringing endorsement for Cutcliffe and his offensive philosophy.

Continue to check back as the day progresses, as I'll be monitoring the situation and posting the latest as soon as I see it.

Cutcliffe offered job, expected to accept

Duke might have it's man.

According to this report in the Knoxville News, Tennessee OC David Cutcliffe has been offered the Duke head coaching job and is expected to accept the offer.

I'm going to hold back on my opinion on this one until it becomes more official and I hear him at the press conference, but on the surface it looks like a decent hire. What do you think?

Cutcliffe in the Lead

That's according to David Glenn, who quoted a Duke source that raved about the Tennessee OC in his latest blog post.

"(Cutcliffe) was very, very impressive," a Duke source said. "With some coaches, the more you delve into the details of their background, the less you like them. With (Cutcliffe), the more you learn, the more you like. He's an impressive person and an impressive coach."

Glenn also mentioned the name of Atlanta Falcons OC Hue Jackson as another candidate that has been interviewed by Alleva. Jackson was a finalist for the opening in 2003 before it went to Ted Roof.

Thursday Update - Noon

Finals week has kept me away from the blog over the last few days, but here is the latest I've heard and read.

1) Tennessee OC David Cutcliffe was on campus Wednesday to interview for the job, making him the fifth coach to interview with Duke AD Joe Alleva. Cutcliffe was 44-29 in six seasons with Ole Miss, and he only had one losing season at one of the tougher coaching situations in the SEC. He's also a noted quarterbacks tutor, as he's coached both Manning brothers.

2) Former Georgia Tech HC Chan Gailey and Louisiana-Monroe HC Charlie Weatherbie have had their names linked to the position, although there is no indication yet whether they've officially spoken with Alleva or have an interview planned.

3) Tom Dienhart's blog on the Sporting News site says that Dorrell might be the front runner for the job right now and that Gailey's name has surfaced to him, too.

Sunday Afternoon Update

Sorry for the long delay between posts, but here is the latest that I've heard and read:

1) A comment on this blog mentioned that former Southern Miss HC Jeff Bower is a lock to become the next coach and that an announcement is forthcoming. Although I've heard nothing of the sort that a deal has been reached, I have heard that Bower would be interested in the position if Duke contacted him.

I think that Bower would be a good hire. He's offensively-minded, won 119 games (with only 2 losing seasons) in 17 years at Southern Miss, and his teams were often in the top 10 of D-I graduation rates. He'd be a nice fit.

2) Air Force HC Troy Calhoun is out as an option for the job, according to the Herald-Sun. I was skeptical about Calhoun's interest in the job when I first heard his name, as he's already in a "destination" job at his alma mater.

3) This report in the N&O has updates on Terry Bowden and David Cutcliffe. Despite plenty of speculation about his candidacy for the job, Cutcliffe apparently hasn't been contacted by Duke. Bowden, meanwhile, says that he is "intrigued by the job," but that he hasn't been contacted yet by Duke.

This report from CSTV.com, however, says that Duke has contacted Cutcliffe. Don't quite know who to believe on this one, but I don't think that Cutcliffe is on the front burner for the Blue Devils right now.

4) I got a tip from a reader that said a Richmond TV station has reported that Duke has contacted Spiders HC Dave Clawson to inquire about his interest in the job. Clawson reportedly had no comment. Remember, Clawson's team shut the Blue Devils out in the 2006 season opener in Durham.

Cutcliffe Not Contacted Yet

According to Tennessee AD Mike Hamilton, Vols OC David Cutcliffe has not been contacted by any schools in regards to a head coaching vacancy. Cutcliffe, who coached Eli Manning and Deuce McAllister during his six full seasons at Ole Miss (44-29 record), had been mentioned by some as candidate for the job.

There are some concerns, however about Cutcliffe's health—he left an assistant job at Notre Dame in 2005 and spent a year out of coaching after undergoing a triple bypass in 2005. Ironically, his leave of absence at Notre Dame provided a job opportunity for Duke OC Peter Vaas, who filled Cutcliffe's former position as the Fighting Irish's QBs Coach.

UPDATE (12/4): Cutcliffe told the N&O that he wants to get back into head coaching and that he'd be receptive to such an offer.