After its original plan to hire Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano as its new football coach fell through amid widespread private and public backlash, Tennessee endured a whirlwind few days as its coaching search meandered from one candidate to another.

Who exactly did the Vols and now-former athletic director John Currie really pursue in those four frantic days?

The timeline and movement of the search was cleared up a little more by the Thursday night release from Tennessee of Currie's correspondence during the Vols' search, particularly his social media messages with coaching candidates.

(Want the latest scoop on Tennessee football and basketball? Make sure you're in the loop — take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Vols newsletter now!)

John Currie

According to those messages, released by the University in response to public records requests from multiple media outlets, Currie swapped multiple messages with then-Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, the agent for North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren and Washington State coach Mike Leach.

Interestingly, Currie and Schiano swapped only three messages the night of Nov. 26, also known as the infamous "Schiano Sunday" when the hire was torpedoed by intense public and private resistance.

Currie's first contact was with Mullen. Clint Dowdle, who works for agency CAA Sports, told Currie on the night of Nov. 22 that Mullen wanted to set a time to talk to Currie two days later, the Friday morning after Mississippi State's regular-season finale against Ole Miss on Thanksgiving night.

Currie first contacted Mullen early that Friday morning.

Just before noon on Saturday, Nov. 25, Mullen messaged Currie: "Good luck today. Talked with Peyton last night. Look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

According to the messages, Currie told Dowdle to sent Mullen a memorandum of understanding, and the two appeared to have contact scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 26, but his last message to Mullen on the night of Nov. 25 -- "So tomorrow work?" -- went unanswered.

Mullen was hired on Florida's coach that Sunday.

Tennessee already had made contact and apparently had set up a meeting with Gundy for Monday in Oklahoma City, according to the message Gundy sent Currie the night of Nov. 25.

On the morning of Nov. 27 after the Schiano hire collapsed, Gundy messaged Currie: "I adjusted my schedule for today after I heard the news yesterday. I can shake loose in Dallas tomorrow."

Later that night, Currie messaged Jordan Bazant, Doeren's agent, to ask if he could call him.

Mike Gundy

Currie arrived in Dallas that Monday night to interview Gundy the next day, while that morning Bazant was trying to set up a potential meeting between Doeren and Currie at the annual coaches convention in New York City the following Monday.

Instead Currie said he and Phillip Fulmer were planning to meet with Doeren in North Carolina on Friday morning.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, Nov. 28, Currie told Gundy he was "standing by" for him, sent him an MOU for his attorney to look over and expressed how Fulmer was "fired up" after speaking with him about Gundy.

Shortly after 9 p.m. that night, though, Currie messaged Bazant that "Gundy is (out)," to which Bazant responded, "Lets get this done."

Currie flew to Raleigh that Tuesday night and met with Doeren on Wednesday after arranging conversations with his athletic director.

At 3:52 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, Nov. 30, Currie first reached out to Leach: "Coach - Currie here. You available for a call?"

Leach responded immediately and told Currie he'd call in five minutes.

Later that morning, Bazant messaged Currie that Doeren "is fired up" and added to Currie "really need to hear from you."

That was their final message.

(ENJOY VIP ACCESS TO GOVOLS247 WITH A FREE SEVEN-DAY TRIAL)

Mike Leach

Seven hours later, Leach messaged Currie that Thursday afternoon that he was available for Currie's text message while he was "on the bike path by the water."

Currie and Leach shared no messages for a five-hour span until Leach messaged Currie shortly after midnight on Friday, Dec. 1: "It was great to meet and talk to you. You’re a good man and I hope you come out of this ok and we can work together."

While Currie was flying back to Knoxville, Leach sent further messages to Currie: "Let me know if I can ever do anything for you. I truly wish I had gathered you up and we had the first of many beers together. I wish you and your family the best."

Leach asked Currie to keep him posted in his final message, to which Currie responded with his final message.

"My two best friends picked me up at the airport. There are good people here."

Currie was suspended by Tennessee Chancellor Beverly Davenport later Friday morning and Fulmer supplanted him and hired Jeremy Pruitt a few days later.

———————————————

Contact PatrickBrown at patrick.brown@cbsinteractive.com or on Twitter, and follow GoVols247 on Facebook.