Two names – Chattanooga AD David Blackburn and former UT coach Phillip Fulmer – continue to generate all the buzz as Tennessee presses on in its quest to find a new athletic director to replace Dave Hart, who will officially step aside this summer, but could be replaced earlier than that.
With new chancellor Dr. Beverly Davenport now officially in office in Knoxville, the search is expected to pick up steam quickly.
Blackburn spoke to the Erik Ainge Show on WNML-FM in Knoxville on Friday morning. You can listen to the entire segment here, but Blackburn left no doubt that he would be interested in returning to the place where he spent decades as a staffer.
David Blackburn on UT AD job: "If asked, I would love to. It would mean the world to me to be able to lead that institution that led me."
— 99.1 THE Sports Animal (@SportsAnimal991) February 17, 2017
Blackburn has emerged as a fan favorite in Knoxville due to his Tennessee connections, his solid work with the Mocs and his overall reputation as a rising start in the sports administration landscape. The interest is certainly there on his end, so we’ll see if the powers that be at UT have the same feelings in the coming weeks or months.
