Earlier Sunday, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes was named the Naismith Trophy Coach of the Year, and now, it appears that he’s emerged as a “serious candidate” for the UCLA job, per 247Sports’ Evan Daniels.

UCLA has whiffed on all of its potential hires thus far, most recently TCU head coach Jamie Dixon. Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin has also been linked to the opening, too. UCLA originally targeted John Calipari, but Kentucky locked him up with a lifetime contract.

UCLA fired head coach Steve Alford on December 31st, and it still hasn’t hired his replacement.

Barnes has coached at Tennessee for the last four seasons compiling a 88-50 overall record, with the 2019 season his best thus far. The Vols finished 31-6 and lost to Purdue in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Vols set a record for the most consecutive wins with 19 on the way to a program record 31 total wins.