(Latest on the coaching search Tanner flying out November 28th)
We’ve reached the super-sensitive stage of the search. It’s the nitty-gritty time when Ray Tanner is conducting in person interviews, and most candidates certainly don’t want that kind of information to leak out, especially if he’s a sitting head coach. News that you interviewed for a job in season while holding another does not sit well with the current fanbase.
Friday morning we did get information that Tanner was flying out of Columbia to interview two candidates. Destination to us, unknown. One thing we knew from the beginning of the process was that Tanner did not plan to fly using a university plane that could be tracked by all. He had an alternative plan. Checking the two Columbia airports Friday morning, the only departure that caught our eye was one from Columbia Metro. That was a private charter plane headed to Oklahoma City, which of course is only 20 miles away from the University of Oklahoma and assistant head coach Shane Beamer. Coincidence? Possibly. Bingo on our investigation? Perhaps. We just can’t say for sure as of early Saturday morning. And if that was the Tanner plane, where he went from Oklahoma City and how he traveled also is an unknown. That charter from Columbia left Oklahoma City after only a couple of hours on the ground and flew to Opa-Locka Executive Airport outside of Miami. We don’t believe that flight is part of the search.
It’s not likely Tanner saw Louisiana coach Billy Napier on this trip. First, he interviewed Napier virtually earlier in the week. Second, Napier has been dealing with Covid-19 for over a week. And thirdly, Napier has a game Saturday at UL-Monroe and said earlier in the week he plans to coach in it. So, can’t see an in-person interview fitting into that scenario.
Some media outlets, not this one, have played up the name of West Virginia coach Neal Brown as a candidate. He, like Beamer, has this weekend off because West Virginia and Oklahoma were supposed to play but the game was postponed. Brown is in just his second season in Morgantown and appears committed to building that program. I found this interesting take on the Brown rumors from Clark Johnson who writes for VoiceofMotown.com, which covers West Virginia:
We’ve reached the super-sensitive stage of the search. It’s the nitty-gritty time when Ray Tanner is conducting in person interviews, and most candidates certainly don’t want that kind of information to leak out, especially if he’s a sitting head coach. News that you interviewed for a job in season while holding another does not sit well with the current fanbase.
Friday morning we did get information that Tanner was flying out of Columbia to interview two candidates. Destination to us, unknown. One thing we knew from the beginning of the process was that Tanner did not plan to fly using a university plane that could be tracked by all. He had an alternative plan. Checking the two Columbia airports Friday morning, the only departure that caught our eye was one from Columbia Metro. That was a private charter plane headed to Oklahoma City, which of course is only 20 miles away from the University of Oklahoma and assistant head coach Shane Beamer. Coincidence? Possibly. Bingo on our investigation? Perhaps. We just can’t say for sure as of early Saturday morning. And if that was the Tanner plane, where he went from Oklahoma City and how he traveled also is an unknown. That charter from Columbia left Oklahoma City after only a couple of hours on the ground and flew to Opa-Locka Executive Airport outside of Miami. We don’t believe that flight is part of the search.
It’s not likely Tanner saw Louisiana coach Billy Napier on this trip. First, he interviewed Napier virtually earlier in the week. Second, Napier has been dealing with Covid-19 for over a week. And thirdly, Napier has a game Saturday at UL-Monroe and said earlier in the week he plans to coach in it. So, can’t see an in-person interview fitting into that scenario.
Some media outlets, not this one, have played up the name of West Virginia coach Neal Brown as a candidate. He, like Beamer, has this weekend off because West Virginia and Oklahoma were supposed to play but the game was postponed. Brown is in just his second season in Morgantown and appears committed to building that program. I found this interesting take on the Brown rumors from Clark Johnson who writes for VoiceofMotown.com, which covers West Virginia:
