Tennessee now placing focus on Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy

Tennessee has turned its attention to Mike Gundy in a bid to fill its head coaching vacancy, according to multiple outlets Tuesday.

Knoxville (Tenn.) radio station WNML reported about the Volunteers' interest in Gundy, who has coached at Oklahoma State for the last 13 years. He is the longest-tenured and winningest coach in Cowboys' history and hasn't had a losing season since his first year in Stillwater, Okla.

ESPN later reported that Gundy has had phone conversations with Tennessee representatives about the head coaching position.

Gundy was rumored to be a candidate the last time the Tennessee job was open in 2012.

The 50-year-old reached an agreement with Oklahoma State on a new five-year contract in June that replaced the previous one that was set to expire in December 2019.

The talk swirling around Gundy comes two days after the Volunteers backed out of the hiring agreement involving leading candidate Greg Schiano following a public backlash and campus protests.

Tennessee reportedly had a deal in place with the Ohio State defensive coordinator on Sunday morning, but it fell through by the end of the day after the university heard from the fan base, state representatives and local business owners.

The outcry stemmed from Schiano's time on the staff at Penn State in the early 1990s, with fans expressing outrage with his alleged connection to convicted child sexual abuser Jerry Sandusky. Schiano spent five seasons at Penn State, four as the defensive backs coach on the staff with Sandusky, who was defensive coordinator.

The Volunteers fired Butch Jones on Nov. 12, the day after they lost 50-17 at Missouri to fall to 0-6 in Southeastern Conference play. The Volunteers then lost their final two games to finish 4-8 overall and 0-8 in the conference. Jones had a 34-27 record in five seasons at Tennessee.