FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee interviewed Wednesday morning with Tulsa Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham for the Golden Hurricane’s vacant head coaching position, Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino said.
McGee, 37, is a native of Tulsa and is thought to be in Cunningham’s top tier of candidates. Another top candidate, Tulsa associate head coach Bill Blankenship, reportedly interviewed on Wednesday as well.
The Tulsa World reported Wednesday that Joe DeForest, the associate head coach at Oklahoma State, was thought to be scheduled for a Thursday interview with Cunningham. TCU co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Justin Fuente is also reportedly a candidate.
With less than three weeks remaining until national signing day, Tulsa is expected to make its hire within the next several days.
McGee has interviewed for two head coaching posts in the past three days. He spoke with Connecticut Athletic Director Jeff Hathaway on Monday about the Huskies’ vacant position, but it appears former Miami offensive coordinator Mark Whipple has emerged as the leading candidate for that job.
McGee would seem a natural fit at Tulsa, where he was a star quarterback for his father, Larry McGee, at Booker T. Washington High before going on to college at Arizona State and Oklahoma.
McGee has landed a handful of top recruits out of Oklahoma for the Razorbacks during his three years at Arkansas, including freshman All-America offensive guard Alvin Bailey, cornerbacks Eric Bennett and David Gordon, linebackers Terrell Williams and Jarrett Lake, offensive lineman Denton Simek, and defensive tackle Robert Thomas, a 2009 signee who went to Coffeyville (Kan.) College and has recommitted to the Hogs.
Tulsa’s offensive coordinator last season, Chad Morris, has accepted the same job at Clemson and was in South Carolina on Wednesday before a scheduled media conference today. There was speculation Morris was a strong candidate for Tulsa’s head coaching job, but Cunningham would not comment on whether Morris interviewed before leaving for Clemson.
Clemson Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips told The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C., he expected Morris to stay with the Tigers, where he is working on a multi-year deal with an annual salary of $450,000.
“We’re proceeding with finalizing his contract here,” Phillips told The Post and Courier. “We’ve been working with his attorney. We’ve finalized the terms. I’m proceeding as if he’s going to be with us.”
McGee did not respond to a phone message Wednesday.
Sports, Pages 17 on 01/13/2011