Records: Phillip Fulmer was willing to be Vols football coach, involved in search before he was AD

Days before Phillip Fulmer was appointed Tennessee's athletic director, the former Vols coach confided that he would be willing to be the football coach once again.

That is the latest revelation from documents obtained via a records request by USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee, which also show Fulmer's involvement in the Tennessee coaching search prior to his appointment as athletic director on Dec. 1.

According to UT President Joe DiPietro's phone records, Fulmer told a prominent Tennessee donor "all they would have to do is ask" him to be the Vols football coach as he was from 1992-2008.

More: Records detail final hours of John Currie's tenure as Tennessee Vols athletic director

John "Thunder" Thornton passed that information to DiPietro on Nov. 29 after a "long talk" with former Alabama athletic director Bill Battle the previous day. Part of their chat was about the likelihood of Fulmer coaching Tennessee again, which prompted Thornton to ask Fulmer.

Thornton's message references former Tennessee athletic director John Currie and UT booster Jim Haslam.

"Bill, Phillip and I hunt and fish a good bit together," Thornton wrote to DiPietro. "We talked about Bama's loss Saturday and our search. Bill asked me if Phillip would consider coaching UT. I told him I doubted it because I didn't think he'd work for Currie. This morning I asked Phillip that question and he replied 'all they would have to do is ask.' So, there's another option for you but probably not one Jim would go along with. Thunder”

More: Former Vols AD John Currie says Tennessee people are 'wacko' in text exchange with reporter

DiPietro replied he was "surprised by Phillip's interest in coaching again." Thornton said Fulmer "was feeling bad for the university that he loves" and that he would only return to coaching at Tennessee, where he won the 1998 national title.

"I understand. He's a great and special man," DiPietro responded.

Records indicate Fulmer became actively involved in Tennessee's coaching search the day before Thornton asked him if he would coach UT again.

Currie sent a message to Jordan Bazant — the agent for N.C. State coach Dave Doeren — on Nov. 28 that pointed to Fulmer coming along for a meeting with Doeren. The meeting Currie anticipated with Fulmer and Doeren was tentatively set for Friday, Dec. 1, in either Charlotte or Asheville.

At the time, Currie was in Dallas in pursuit of Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and keeping Fulmer briefed on the process.

More: Former Tennessee Vols AD John Currie pursued Dan Mullen for coaching vacancy, records show

"Had a great call with coach Fulmer — he is fired up!!!" Currie wrote to Gundy on Nov. 28.

After a potential Gundy deal fell apart, Currie scrambled to get a meeting with Doeren moved up.

"Is there any chance we could fly straight Raleigh now and pick him up and bring him back to Knoxville now? He and I can visit on the plane to and then take him to phillip's house and then back to Raleigh before morning so he can home visit," Currie wrote to Bazant late on Nov. 28.

Currie flew to Raleigh and stayed at the Hampton Inn by the airport with a Nov. 29 meeting set up with Doeren.

A message sent to Currie by a pilot only identified as Ken referenced bringing Fulmer along on a flight on Nov. 29.

More: University of Tennessee settles with John Currie for $2.5 million

"I need his cell phone number so I can coordinate with him for the gate etc," Ken wrote.

With Currie already in Raleigh waiting to meet with Doeren, Fulmer flew by himself to join the meeting.

"Coach fulmer just told our candidate how awesome you are and that you changed the academic culture," Currie said in a text message to Joe Scogin, UT's senior associate athletics director and assistant provost

After the meeting with Doeren, Fulmer flew back to Knoxville and Currie stayed in Raleigh with hopes of closing the deal with Doeren. Early in the morning on Nov. 30, Currie messaged Washington State coach Mike Leach.

Bazant soon messaged Currie, telling him Doeren was "fired up." Meanwhile, Currie was on his way to Los Angeles chasing Leach in what he described as a “back up plan” in case Doeren backed out

Currie sent a text and said, "Today will be epic one way or another." He fired another text, "Please let chancellor (Beverly Davenport) know that I️ tried to call her first before I️ texted joe and her back. We can get this done. They should get. Phillip on call to talk about candidate."

Davenport summoned Currie back to Knoxville on Nov. 30. He was suspended with pay the next day, Fulmer was installed as athletic director and Jeremy Pruitt was hired as Tennessee's football coach on Dec. 7.