KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee officials have reached out to Duke coach David Cutcliffe about the Vols' head-coaching vacancy, but Cutcliffe informed them he wasn't interested and plans to remain with the Blue Devils, sources told ESPN on Monday.
Cutcliffe, 63, is in his 10th season at Duke and has consistently maintained that he intends to finish his coaching career in Durham, North Carolina. He has the Blue Devils (6-6) bowl eligible for the fifth time in the past six years. In 2012, Duke ended an 18-year bowl drought, and the following season, the Blue Devils won 10 games for the first time in school history and captured the ACC's Coastal Division championship.
Tennessee targeted Cutcliffe after backing out of a deal with Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano on Sunday, after a memorandum of understanding was signed by both Schiano and Tennessee athletic director John Currie. The news of Schiano's impending hiring triggered an angry response from Vols fans and state politicians, and Tennessee nixed the deal.
Cutcliffe, who has won multiple national coach of the year awards at Duke, served two stints at Tennessee as offensive coordinator under Phillip Fulmer and was a Vols assistant coach for 19 seasons.
In 2010, after Lane Kiffin left to take the USC job, Cutcliffe had talks with Tennessee about the head-coaching job but eventually withdrew his name from consideration. The Vols then hired Derek Dooley.