JOHN ADAMS

John Adams: David Blackburn says he hasn't been officially contacted about Tennessee AD job

John Adams

USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

As soon as Tennessee announced last August that Dave Hart would retire as athletic director this year, David Blackburn’s name popped up as a likely successor.

Rarely have so many members of the local media been of the same mindset. The consensus: Hiring Blackburn would be a no-brainer.

He already had proved himself in his current position as Chattanooga’s athletic director. He had served in various roles in the UT athletic department. He’s a Tennessee native and UT grad.

Chattanooga athletic director David Blackburn

He also has intangible assets that wouldn’t be included on a resume. People who know him well describe Blackburn as a genuinely good guy who would be intent on doing the right thing.

Company uses social media to endorse David Blackburn as Tennessee athletic director

Amid all the endorsements, one UT fan considered the school’s hiring record and raised doubts as to whether the school would hire someone as qualified as Blackburn. “It would make too much sense,” he told me.

Maybe he’s right.

Blackburn said Monday that he has never been officially contacted about the UT athletic director’s job.

“If contacted, I would be interested,” he said. “If they want to interview me, I absolutely would.”

He’s also quick to say how happy he is in his current position and how grateful he is to Chattanooga. And he understands why Tennessee is taking its time in the hiring process.

“I think they want the new chancellor (Beverly Davenport) to get her feet on the ground first,” he said.

Davenport’s feet will officially hit UT ground Wednesday. She has said hiring an athletic director will be one of her first priorities.

The groundwork at least has been laid. A search firm has been hired, and a search committee has been formed. And former Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer, who was fired after the 2008 season, has emerged as the leading candidate.

Ironically, when Blackburn’s name was first connected to the UT job, Fulmer said Blackburn would be a great fit. But for whatever reason, the powers-that-be weren’t sold on Blackburn. When they cooled on Blackburn, that created an opening for Fulmer.

The makeup of the search firm and search committee is an obvious sign Fulmer has the inside track.

The Turnkey search firm is headed up by Gene DeFilippo, a longtime friend of Fulmer’s. Also, there are strong Fulmer supporters, including quarterback Peyton Manning, on the search committee.

“I didn’t see him wanting (the athletic director’s job),” said Blackburn, who still refers to Fulmer as "Coach." “He had retired and been away (from UT) for eight years.”

John Adams: Could Phillip Fulmer have a second coaching act at Tennessee?

Although Hart’s effective retirement date is June 30, UT can hire a replacement sooner. The time in between has fostered considerable speculation about the job.

One storyline has Fulmer being hired as athletic director and Blackburn as the No. 2 man in the athletic department.

But Blackburn said he wasn’t interested in such a role since he already has been an associate AD at UT, and is happy at Chattanooga running his own department.

It remains baffling why UT isn't enamored with Blackburn. There was earlier speculation that prominent Tennessee booster Charlie Anderson, who is on the search committee, was opposed to Blackburn because Blackburn argued against the hiring of football coach Derek Dooley in 2010. Tennessee fired Dooley three losing seasons later.

Anderson refuted that in a 247Sports story by John Brice in which he said he had nothing against Blackburn.

Asked about his opposition to Dooley, Blackburn was careful not to offend anyone, including Dooley or then-UT athletic director Mike Hamilton.

“Nothing against Derek,” Blackburn said. “I just thought we needed to catch our breath and take our time.”

Former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin left UT on January 12, 2010. At the time, Blackburn contended that it would be a mistake to make a quick hire just to try to salvage the recruiting class.

He believed UT would have a better chance of hiring a top-flight coach after the national signing date in February.

“But that wasn’t my call,” he said.

In almost four years as Chattanooga’s athletic director, Blackburn has distinguished himself with his coaching hires. In the 2015-16 school year, Chattanooga won Southern Conference championships in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball.

His track record at Chattanooga and his strong Tennessee connections surely will get him an interview. But UT might have made up its mind and is merely waiting for the new chancellor to sign off on Fulmer.

After all, hiring Blackburn would make too much sense.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JohnAdamsKNS.

More John Adams Headlines: