Is this Bizarro World? Spence rejects UT
Why in the world would he turn down UT? Perhaps he knows that playing SEC defenses week in and week out would expose his offense as the pile of garbage that it is?
Spence turns down Tennessee again
By Larry Williams (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Monday, January 7, 2008
CLEMSON - Rob Spence has turned down Phillip Fulmer and Tennessee again.
According to sources familiar with the situation, Fulmer approached Spence on Saturday and asked him to rethink his week-old decision to remain Clemson's offensive coordinator instead of pursuing the same job at Tennessee.
Spence, coming off his third year with the Tigers, said no thanks a second time.
Reached on his cell phone Sunday, Spence would neither confirm nor deny a second contact with Fulmer. He did say he's sticking with his original decision, announced two days before Clemson's 23-20 overtime loss to Auburn on New Year's Eve, to stay at Clemson.
"That stands," Spence said.
Fulmer, seeking a replacement for current Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, had Spence at or near the top of his list.
Sources said he made Spence an offer of approximately $375,000 annually on his second approach, far more than the figure the two discussed when Spence interviewed at Tennessee on Dec. 21.
The 49-year-old Spence makes $207,000 a year at Clemson but is expected to get a boost to his contract soon. The Tigers, who finished the regular season 23rd nationally in scoring offense at 34.2 points per game, finished 9-4 after the loss to Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Fulmer was also interested in Detroit Lions assistant Kippy Brown, a former Volunteers assistant, but Brown received a promotion to stay in Detriot.
A year ago, Spence turned down lucrative offers from Alabama and Minnesota. On Dec. 29, after he removed his name from consideration at Tennessee, Spence said Fulmer did not offer him the job.
Reach Larry Williams at lwilliams@postandcourier.com.
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