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"We have not offered the job to anybody," Hamilton said. "If anybody has said that, that would be incorrect information."

"Our traditional model at the University of Tennessee is that we evaluate these kinds of things on a year-end basis," said Hamilton in an exclusive interview with the News Sentinel on Tuesday and his first public comments in weeks on the subject. "That doesn’t preclude you from doing something different.

"But our typical model is that you let the seasons play out and then you evaluate them appropriately and give the student athletes and coaches their best chance to be successful in any particular year."

Hamilton said finances won’t be an issue if a change is made. He said there is a $7 million reserve in place to cover such unforeseen expenses. That would nearly cover the cost of the football coaches’ buyouts, which Hamilton said could be over $7.5 million. That figure depends on whether coaches are hired elsewhere.

UT also will receive an extra $15 million from the SEC’s new deal with television partner ESPN, which would give UT more flexibility to fire and hire coaches.