TENNESSEE DENIES OFFER TO KIFFIN

Tennessee Athletics Director Mike Hamilton says reports that he has offered Lane Kiffin the Volunteers head coaching job are false.”I have not made an offer to anyone,” Hamilton said. “I am not going to talk about specifics in the search, just to say that the process is not complete.”Kiffin, who was fired this season as head coach of the Oakland Raiders, is a former USC assistant who is considered a strong candidate for several college openings. Various media reports have suggested that Kiffin is already beginning to put together his staff of assistants, and that former Ole Miss head coach and current New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Ed Orgeron will be his defensive coordinator.But the job at Tennessee hasn’t been filled yet. Hamilton says he plans to hire a head coach by mid-December, and in addition to Kiffin, the big names that have been mentioned include Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden.