Cutcliffe staying at Duke

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:34 PM DURHAM, North Carolina (Ticker) -- One day after Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer announced he was stepping down at the end of the season, Duke coach David Cutcliffe said he is not interested in the Volunteers' job.

Cutcliffe is a close friend of Fulmer and served as his offensive coordinator from 1992-1998, fueling speculation that he would be a logical candidate to succeed him at Tennessee.

"To put an end to any speculation, I'm at Duke," Cutcliffe said Tuesday during his weekly news conference. "I'm staying at Duke."

Cutcliffe is in his first season at Duke and has the Blue Devils in contention for their first winning campaign since 1994. They are 4-4 heading into Saturday's game against North Carolina State.

"Tennessee is not even part of the thought process," said Cutcliffe, who in one year has matched Duke's win total from the previous four seasons combined under Ted Roof.

Cutcliffe reacted strongly when he learned of Fulmer's ouster on Monday.

"Obviously this is a very personal situation that happened," Cutcliffe said. "Phillip Fulmer is one of the best friends I have in this world. I am saddened to see the end of a great era in college football."