Duke head coach David Cutcliffe is not beating around the bush—he is here to stay.
Cutcliffe, who was expected to be highly coveted for a number of vacant head coaching jobs this offseason, quashed any rumors of leaving Duke in his weekly postgame teleconference Sunday.
“I can tell you right now that I’m going to be coaching at Duke next year,” Cutcliffe said. “I’m very happy here. This is where I’m going to be. I can put that to rest because that is a fact.”
Cutcliffe was expected to be heavily recruited by Tennessee, where the Blue Devil coach served an assistant and coordinator from 1982-1998, most notably grooming quarterback Peyton Manning as his quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. The Volunteers fired coach Derek Dooley Sunday following their loss to in-state rival Vanderbilt, leaving them just one loss away from their first winless season in SEC play in the program’s history.
In five years at the helm for the Blue Devils, Cutcliffe has posted a 21-38 record, but is a leading candidate for ACC Coach of the Year after leading Duke to its first bowl eligible season since 1994.
Despite the fact that Tennessee played a major role in his coaching past, Cutcliffe was clear that he considers Duke to be both the present and future of his coaching career.
“We have great people here,” Cutcliffe said. “I’m fortunate to be here. I love this institution and I love the people that are here. I feel very strongly about that.”
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