Donnie Tyndall's future at Tennessee clouded by NCAA investigation

UPDATED:

Donnie Tyndall is out as the University of Tennessee's head basketball coach.

The University of Tennessee Athletics told WBIR on Friday morning that an announcement will be made Friday about the men's basketball program.

Previously reported:

Donnie Tyndall is at a crossroads at Tennessee.

Tyndall's future as Vols basketball coach depends on an NCAA investigation into alleged rules violations at Southern Miss on his watch in 2012-14. There are multiple reports that UT officials expected to be notified of the results of the NCAA probe on Thursday.

As of Thursday afternoon, several UT administrators had met at sites on campus but there was no definitive word on the findings of the NCAA investigation.

UT released a statement on Thursday saying it had no comment on the matter.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If the NCAA investigation finds Tyndall guilty of significant infractions, UT should fire him immediately. After the Bruce Pearl fiasco, it is unacceptable for the program to have two of its past three basketball coaches tainted by NCAA violations.

Based on a clause in Tyndall's contract, he could be fired for cause and not be owed a buyout if he is found to have committed a major rules violation at either his previous coaching stop or at his current post at UT. Otherwise, his buyout currently is $3 million.

But would UT do the right thing? Who knows? University leadership is short on, well, leadership. Four years ago, Chancellor Jimmy Cheek initially stood in full support of Pearl and said he would be retained even after it became clear Pearl had lied to NCAA investigators. Cheek eventually changed his mind and signed off on the firing of Pearl.

And then there is Dave Hart, UT's athletics director. Hart hired Tyndall. The two have a good relationship. Hart has defended his vetting of Tyndall, although the depth of the Southern Miss investigation suggests he did not dig deep enough into the coach's past before hiring him.

Hart appears inclined to stick with Tyndall unless the NCAA's findings are too damning.

Frankly, it doesn't look good for Tyndall. There are multiple reports he had a second meeting with NCAA investigators since the Vols' season ended with a loss to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament on March 13. Tyndall's first meeting with investigators was before the start of the season.

In sum, UT could be looking for its fourth basketball coach since the firing of Pearl in March of 2011. Tyndall was hired to replace Cuonzo Martin on April 22, 2014. Martin, who succeeded Pearl, resigned at UT in order to take the California job.

It is important for UT to get closure on this — one way or another.

If Tyndall remains as coach, he could finalize his recruiting class with the approach of the spring signing period, which begins April 13.

If a change is required, UT could jump into coaching search mode immediately. Several jobs currently are open, including Alabama, Arizona State and DePaul.

As far as recruiting goes, Tyndall recently said he was pleased with where the Vols stood with some quality prospects. But there is no question his unsettled status has had a negative impact.

Guard Chris Clark of Virginia Beach, Va., initially committed to the Vols but flipped to Virginia Tech just hours after Southern Miss announced it was under NCAA investigation for possible violations when Tyndall was coach. UT currently has two commitments — Shembari Phillips, a guard from Marietta, Ga., and Admiral Schofield of Zion, Ill.

Recently, Tyndall and his staff have been pursuing at least one junior-college big man in an attempt to fill a major need for next season.

Tyndall has declined to comment on specifics about the Southern Miss case. Two weeks ago, he told The Tennessean the investigation "really hasn't bothered me because I'm one of those guys that understands you can only control the controllables."

Now he is waiting to find out just how much he can control.

Reach David Climer at 615-259-8020 and on Twitter @DavidClimer.