Spurrier stays out of coaching mill

COLUMBIA — The coming college coaching rumor mill might churn his name up, perhaps quite a bit, but South Carolina's Steve Spurrier sure didn't sound Monday like a man with one foot anywhere near the door, much less out of it.

"Oh, no, no, that's very easy for me not to think about," Spurrier said.

Of course, most of the jobs that Spurrier's name might get mentioned for aren't even open yet.

Michigan's Lloyd Carr toppled the first domino Monday by announcing his retirement. Others — such as at LSU, Arkansas, Texas A&M, etc. — are almost sure to follow. "Y'all need to talk to Les Miles about that, not me," he said of the LSU coach rumored to be the front-runner for the Michigan job. "When you lose four in a row, you're not in demand too much I wouldn't think."

Last week, on his call-in show, Spurrier said he told this year's recruiting class that he'd be here for their four years.

"I certainly hope so," he said, again pointing out his team hasn't won for a month. "If we keep going like this, I may get fired before their tenure is over. So, you've got to remember that, too."

Spurrier said he didn't think his name was "out there." He said he didn't think it would be, even if the LSU job becomes available.

More coach chatter

Spurrier had something to say about other coaches whose names are floating around message boards and talk-radio shows.

One was North Carolina first-year coach Butch Davis, whose name is coming up in conjunction with the Arkansas coaching job. Houston Nutt is reportedly going to step down there.

"When you're hot you're hot, and when you're not you're not," Spurrier said. "And we're not right now. That's what sort of surprising about Butch Davis. He's not too hot right now but I keep seeing his name out there."

Spurrier added he thought Davis being an Arkansas native changed that tune a bit. UNC, right now, is 3-8.

And, he added, he thinks Nutt might hang on there. Arkansas is 7-4 heading into this week's LSU game. "I sort of think he's going to survive it all," Spurrier said of Nutt. "They're a pretty good team."

Without a Captain

Spurrier confirmed Monday that cornerback Captain Munnerlyn is done for the year with a broken bone in his left foot. He'd said last week that Munnerlyn, the team's best cover corner, was likely finished.

Spurrier said the sophomore planned to have to the foot looked at by a Charlotte specialist either Monday or today.

The team will decide on replacements for Munnerlyn later in the week. Secondary coach Ron Cooper said Stoney Woodson and Carlos Thomas will be the first cornerback options. True freshman Addison Williams and walk-on Mike Newton might also see snaps.