Danny White’s background provides realistic possibility of Lane Kiffin returning to Tennessee

Danny White has been hired as Tennessee’s athletics director.

He has served in the same capacity at Buffalo (2012-15) and UCF (2015-2021).

At Buffalo, White hired Lance Leipold away from his alma mater, Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he won six NCAA Division III national championships (2007, 2009–2011, 2013–2014).

White hired Scott Frost as head coach at UCF.

When Frost departed for the same position at his alma mater, Nebraska, after a 13-0 2017 season, White hired Josh Heupel. Heupel came to UCF from Missouri as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

In this Nov. 2, 2019, file photo, Central Florida athletic director Danny White stands on the sideline at the team’s NCAA college football game against Houston in Orlando, Fla. Tennessee has hired UCF athletic director Danny White as the Volunteers’ new athletic director Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, just three days after announcing the firing of football coach Jeremy Pruitt and athletic director Phillip Fulmer’s retirement. (AP Photo/Willie J. Allen Jr., File)

White tends to be creative in a hiring process, going in a direction where others are not thinking.

That thought process could realistically go in a direction of Ole Miss’ head coach Lane Kiffin.

White previously served as senior associate athletics director at Mississippi between 2009-12. He was associate athletics director for development at California State-Fresno from 2007-09, where Kiffin played collegiately as a quarterback.

In 2006, White served as assistant athletics director for development at Northern Illinois. At that time, Joe Novak was head coach for Northern Illinois. Novak currently serves on the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions.

Novak previously discussed with Vols Wire, Tennessee’s current internal investigation within the UT football program.

White’s brother, Brian White, is the vice president and director of athletics at Florida Atlantic, where Kiffin served as head coach before taking the Ole Miss job.

Oct 10, 2009; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin shakes hands with Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt after the game at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee defeated Georgia 45-19. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-USA TODAY Sports

White’s background of creating a national spotlight on programs he has been in charge of allows for a return of Kiffin as the Vols’ next head coach. Kiffin’s return to Rocky Top, a position he held in 2009 before leaving for Southern Cal, would create a national spotlight for Tennessee’s program.

At Buffalo, White branded the Bulls’ program as the University of New York. During his tenure at UCF, White claimed the Golden Knights as the 2017 national champions after finishing 13-0 and being left out of the College Football Playoff.

During Kiffin’s lone season at Tennessee, he branded the 2009 campaign as “It’s Time.”

Details on Danny White’s Tennessee contract

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