4/8 Update: Barnes is staying at Tennessee.
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has reportedly emerged as a serious candidate for the UCLA job.
Barnes is coming off an incredible season where he led the Vols to a 31-6 mark and a Sweet 16 appearance, with Tennessee losing to Purdue in one of the best games of the NCAA Tournament.
And that has seemingly made him an appealing candidate for the Bruins, according to 247Sports’ Evan Daniels.
Sources: Rick Barnes has emerged as a serious candidate in UCLA's head coaching search | Story: https://t.co/konFUXJjXg pic.twitter.com/tmDvIX5G8E
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) April 7, 2019
The Bruins, who fired former coach Steve Alford last December, were set to hire TCU head coach Jamie Dixon before the two sides were unable to come to an agreement on his buyout.
UCLA also expressed interest in Kentucky head coach John Calipari, which led to the Wildcats offering him a lifetime contract to stay in Lexington.
Meanwhile, Barnes is 88-50 overall in his four seasons with the Vols and would seem to have very little incentive to make the move at this point in his career.
However, UCLA has traditionally been one of the best jobs in the country, and the school could offer a huge financial package to secure Barnes.
The Bruins went 17-16 this season and have not advanced beyond the Sweet 16 since 2008.
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