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GoVols247: Tennessee's hire of Austin Thomas falls through

GoVols247 reported on Saturday night that complications regarding Thomas's responsibilities were the snag that left the Tennessee alum mulling over whether to go through with the joining the staff of new Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt.
Credit: Calvin Mattheis
Dec 7, 2017; University of Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt speaks during his introduction ceremony as Tennessee's next head football coach at the Neyland Stadium. Credit: Calvin Mattheis/Knoxville News Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK

Tennessee's hire of LSU general manager Austin Thomas is off.

Sources close to the situation indicated on Sunday afternoon that a deal between the two sides has fallen through and unlikely to be revived.

GoVols247 reported on Saturday night that complications regarding Thomas's responsibilities were the snag that left the Tennessee alum mulling over whether to go through with the joining the staff of new Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt.

Thomas never signed any deal with Tennessee and was not in Knoxville this weekend, sources told 247Sports.

The 31-year-old behind-the-scenes star at LSU turned down an impressive effort from the Tigers to retain him to return to Tennessee. Thomas is from the Nashville area and earned his undergraduate degree at Lipscomb and his master's degree at Tennessee. He began his career in college football as a recruiting intern for the Vols in 2008 during the final year of the Phillip Fulmer coaching regime.

Fulmer is now Tennessee's athletic director.

Thomas worked at USC and Bowling Green and spent most of the past five years at LSU, where he was a valued member of the program who oversaw the Tigers' entire recruiting operation and had a hand in nearly every aspect of the football program.

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