Paul Finebaum recalls how Tennessee nearly hired Mike Leach during tumultuous 2017 coaching search

In 2017, Tennessee opted to fire Butch Jones as head coach. The Volunteers then embarked on a search to replace him and wound up hiring Jeremy Pruitt for the job.

Somewhere along the line, Mike Leach came up — and that cost athletic director John Currie his job.

Paul Finebaum told the story on “First Take” Tuesday shortly after Mississippi State announced Leach’s death at age 61 from complications due to a heart condition. It turns out Leach was a serious candidate for the Vols’ head coaching job, but university officials had their concerns about hiring him. That didn’t stop Currie from extending a fateful offer, though.

“A couple years ago, Tennessee made a change,” Finebaum said. “They replaced Butch Jones, and the athletic director went out and secretly met with Mike Leach and offered him the job. Coach Leach told me this story later. Because of his [irreverence], the school was nervous about it. The chancellor found out, recalled the athletic director, fired the man on the spot and they ended up hiring Jeremy Pruitt — not a name that you’ll probably see in the college football Hall of Fame anytime soon.

“Think about Mike Leach at Tennessee. Well, it’s easy to think about Mike Leach at Tennessee because Josh Heupel, one of his disciples, has taken Tennessee in two years to within a whisker of the College Football Playoff. If he had had the complements of talent of Tennessee or Alabama or schools like that, he would have won national championships.”

Leach was in his third season with the Bulldogs after leaving Washington State in 2019, but it’s worth wondering how much different college football would be if he ended up getting that Tennessee job. But now, it’s Heupel’s show, meaning the Volunteers are part of Leach’s lasting legacy.

Mississippi State coach Mike Leach dead at 61

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach has died after a medical situation that unfolded on Dec. 11 and was later identified as a massive heart attack. He was 61 years old.

According to the release from Mississippi State, Leach passed away from complications due to a heart condition on Monday night, December 12.

In a statement, the Leach family said: “Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather. He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity. We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world.  Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father’s life.”