Butch Davis definitely let it be known Thursday he didn't want FIU's head football coach job. I don't know where ESPN's Joe Schad got his information for his report that Butch was out, but I know I wholly trust where I got my info.
Before that, however, I heard three different applicants' representatives were told not to bother inquiring, this would be Butch Davis' job. And 640AM midday host Andy Slater put out the idea that Thursday was a setup to make FIU athletic director and longtime Davis pal Pete Garcia look heroic by reeling in Davis when all appeared to be lost.
If that sounds ridiculous, note what UM players say they remember from 2001: being told by Davis he wasn't going anywhere, then seeing Davis and Pete Garcia on television the next day getting off the plane in Cleveland together to accept jobs with the Browns.
SportsByBrooks, who's a hawk on college football, says Davis was using his position as Tampa Bay's special assistant to get information on FIU's players from Mario Cristobal before the firing. A very well-placed source says, "That's a reach. No room for Mission:Impossible 5."
I saw Davis at several FIU practices in 2011. I can't say the same for 2012 -- maybe I saw him at one or two -- but FIU's about as welcoming as any school to NFL scouts dropping by to watch practice and ask questions.
