Apparently, Minnesota can officially cross Phillip Fulmer off their coaching to-do list.
Just two days after praising the Gophers’ situation, Fulmer has told Jimmy Hyams of WNML in Knoxville by way of Mr. SEC.com that the Minnesota job “is not a good fit” for the former Tennessee coach.
Tuesday, Fulmer’s comments seemed to indicate that he might have an interest in the opening and set off a whole round of speculation regarding the vacancy.
“Minnesota has great potential, and with its new facilities it’s a place you could recruit to,” Fulmer told the Knoxville News Sentinel on Tuesday night. “I believe it’s a place where you can compete.”
By all appearances, it won’t be Fulmer doing the competing, at least not in Minnesota. As we wrote Wednesday, and if nothing more, these rumors kept his name out there and reminds other schools that he still has a desire to return to coaching. Provided it’s a situation he finds palatable -- re: Southern fried -- of course.
So, with Fulmer yanking his name from consideration, the Gophers can now focus on their pursuit of Boise State’s Chris Petersen, Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh and TCU’s Gary Patterson, in that order.
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