COLLEGE FOOTBALL REPORT: Auburn interviews Buffalo’s Gill

Turner Gill interviewed for coaching vacancies at Auburn and Syracuse, raising the possibility he might leave Buffalo after turning around the school’s football program in only three seasons.

Gill’s Bulls (8-5) face Connecticut (7-5) in the International Bowl on Jan. 3. He confirmed his visits with Syracuse and Auburn, and noted that there are other programs in the mix, though he wouldn’t say which ones.

Buffalo is coming off its biggest victory, having upset previously undefeated No. 12 Ball State 42-24 in the MAC championship game at Detroit last Friday.

Gill was among at least seven candidates to have interviewed for the job, according to The Birmingham News.

The others reportedly in the Auburn mix include Tulsa coach Todd Graham, Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley, Ball State coach Brady Hoke, Georgia assistant Rodney Garner, Miami offensive coordinator Patrick Nix and TCU’s Gary Patterson.

The Tigers are seeking a replacement for Tommy Tuberville, who resigned on Dec. 3 after 10 seasons with a resignation letter that said he will receive more than $5 million under a buyout clause that requires the school to pay him should it fire him.

The university released a copy of the letter Thursday to The Associated Press.

University officials have said Tuberville quit after 10 years; his mother told a newspaper he was fired.

In Tuberville’s letter to athletics director Jay Jacobs, the coach said he decided to quit “after long consideration.” It was dated Dec. 3, the day Tuberville’s departure was announced.

Tuberville wrote that he would get the buyout money even though he was quitting. Jacobs wrote a one-word response: “Agreed.”

> MISSISSIPPI STATE: Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen was introduced as the new coach at Mississippi State on Thursday to the clanging of cowbells and the cheers of about 200 fans on campus. The 36-year-old Mullen isn’t sure if he’ll coach Florida’s offense in the title game against No. 2 Oklahoma next month, calling it “a fluid situation.”

> ALCORN STATE: Alcorn State coach Ernest T. Jones has been fired days after filing a lawsuit seeking the reinstatement of seven assistant coaches, his attorney said. Alcorn went 2-10 this season in Jones’ first year.

> CENTRAL FLORIDA: The athletics department has hired an independent attorney to investigate “procedures and policies” surrounding its program. Kansas City-based Michael Glazier, who once worked for the NCAA, comes in the wake of an internal investigation following the recent collapse and hospitalization freshman running back Brandon Davis during an offseason conditioning workout Dec. 3.

> EAST CAROLINA: East Carolina coach Skip Holtz says he has withdrawn his name from consideration to become the newcoach at Syracuse. Syracuse is seeking to replace Greg Robinson, who was fired after four seasons.

> ARIZONA: Coach Mike Stoops said linebacker Sterling Lewis would be suspended for the Las Vegas Bowl after being arrested early Thursday on an extreme DUI charge. Lewis was stopped at about 2 a.m. after officers saw him driving on the wrong side of the road on Tucson’s east side, police spokesman Sgt. Fabian Pacheco said. Lewis, 21, took a breath test that registered his blood alcohol content at above .15, nearly twice the legal limit in Arizona of .08 and a level that merits an extreme DUI charge, Pacheco said.