Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL ó Butch Davis says he is committed to building No. 19 North Carolina’s program, even though his name has come up as a possible candidate for the opening at Tennessee.
Asked directly about the Tennessee job after practice Tuesday, Davis said “the long and short of it is, the administration and I are completely and firmly committed to building a championship football program at North Carolina. My family and I are very happy in Chapel Hill.”
Davis has guided the Tar Heels (6-2, 2-2 ACC) into the national rankings for the second time this season, and they are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2004.
“I guess the easy answer is, in some respects, obviously, you’re flattered a little bit. (It) kind of goes with the territory” of being at a high-profile program, Davis said. “It’s kind of an unfortunate thing, all the speculation and stuff, for any coach. There’s lots of coaches that deal with that. … I think coaches today, you just kind of grin and bear it.”
Davis is often mentioned when high-profile jobs open. Last year, there was speculation he would be interested in the Arkansas job because of his ties to the school.
“In 34 years, I haven’t seen anybody successfully” avoid speculation, he said. “You just kind of gut it out until they hurry up and name somebody at a place, and then ó like in the case of Arkansas last year ó the sooner, the better.”
Davis built a national championship team at Miami before jumping to the NFL after the 2000 season. After being fired by the Cleveland Browns, he returned to college football with North Carolina in 2006.