UPDATE: A source very close to Tennessee's coaching search process told WBIR Wednesday night that Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm was interviewed by Tennessee but was never offered a contract.
Chancellor Beverly Davenport did not play any role in nixing a deal because there never was a deal as has been reported on social media, the source said.
The source also told WBIR that as of Monday morning, both Phillip Fulmer and Peyton Manning were working with Athletics Director John Currie in the coaching search.
Sources confirm to WBIR that the search has turned to North Carolina State's Dave Doeren.
Doeren led the Wolfpack to an 8-4 record and a second place finish in the ACC Atlantic division in the 2017 regular season and is 33-30 in five seasons at NC State.
Doeren previously coached Northern Illinois to two MAC championships, a BCS bowl berth and a 23-4 record in two seasons with the Huskies.
ORIGINAL STORY: Tennessee is in talks with Jeff Brohm to be its next head coach, though a deal is not imminent, per our partners at GoVols247.com.
Brohm, 46, has just completed his first season as coach of the Purdue Boilermakers of the Big 10 Conference. Purdue posted a 6-6 record in 2017, an improvement from its 3-9 record a year prior. The program is bowl eligible for the first time since 2012.
Before his time in Indiana, Brohm spent four years at Western Kentucky University, three of which came as a head coach. He led the Hilltoppers to back-to-back Conference USA titles in 2015 and 2016; the team finished the 2015 campaign ranked No. 24 in the nation in the AP Poll. The Hilltoppers went 30-10 (19-5 in Conference USA play) under Brohm. The 2016 Hilltoppers led the nation in scoring offense, posting 45.5 points per game.
Possible? Yes. Discussions? Yes. Done deal or imminent? No.
Let’s not go down this path again.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) November 29, 2017A Louisville native, Brohm played quarterback for his hometown Louisville Cardinals from 1989 to 1993. He went 15-10 as a starter with 44 total touchdowns and 5,451 career passing yards. His father, Oscar, also played quarterback at Louisville and coached high school football.
Brohm played two games against the Vols in 1991 and 1993. Brohm fractured his ankle in the fourth quarter in the ’91 game, when the Cardinals hosted Tennessee.
He played seven seasons in the NFL, with stops in San Diego, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay. He played for the Orlando Rage of the short-lived XFL in 2001.
Purdue ranked 76th among 129 FBS teams in total offense, averaging 390 yards per game. That mark placed the Boilermakers sixth among 14 teams in the Big 10 Conference.
By comparison, the Tennessee Vols were 124th in the nation in total offense, with 291 yards per game, by far the worst in the Southeastern Conference.
Told by both sides that no deal is in place between Tennessee and Purdue's Jeff Brohm and not close to being done at this point, although there have been discussions.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) November 29, 2017
Brohm has played for coaches like Howard Schnellenberger at Louisville and Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay and Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos. He’s served as an assistant for Bobby Petrino at Louisville and Western Kentucky and Schnellenberger at Florida Atlantic.
Brohm also pursued a career in baseball during his summers off in college. The Cleveland Indians drafted Brohm in the fourth round of the 1990 MLB Draft. He played two abbreviated seasons as an outfielder, hitting .214 with four home runs over 51 games.
Tennessee (4-8, 0-8 SEC) is coming off its worst season in program history.
UT fired Coach Butch Jones on November 12 after the Vols’ 50-17 loss at the hands of division rival Missouri.
SOURCE: Nothing is imminent regarding a #Tennessee coaching hire. Reports that a deal is almost done w/ #Purdue coach Jeff Brohm are not accurate.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 29, 2017
"We're going to hire the best coach for the University of Tennessee," Athletics Director John Currie said at the time.
Currie said he was looking for someone with "integrity and a commitment to doing things the right way.” Currie said he would not use a search firm to seek a replacement for Jones.
"We expect a coach to have a dynamic that will enable him to lead us where Tennessee football can and should be," Currie said.
Tennessee signed a memorandum of understanding with Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano to be is next head coach Sunday. The move was met with overwhelmingly negative reception from Vol fans, boosters, and former players. UT then backed out of the deal.
Team 122 will kick off the 2018 season Saturday, Sept. 18 against West Virginia. The neutral-site game will take place at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.