Sources: Bucs haven't finalized deal with Butch Davis

It appears as though Butch Davis will be working with new Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano as he makes the transition from the college game to the pros.

A FoxSports.com report late Thursday said Davis would be a part of Schiano’s Bucs staff, but two sources with knowledge of the situation told The Tampa Tribune a deal to bring Davis to Tampa was still not finalized.

Davis, who has been rumored to be on the Bucs radar since Schiano was hired as the ninth head coach in team history a week ago, would be joining the team as a special assistant to the head coach, according to one of the sources.

The report said Davis, who has had head coaching experience at both the college and pro levels, most recently at the University of North Carolina, will work closely with Schiano and whoever the Bucs hire as defensive coordinator.

Schiano has been in the process of building a staff since he was introduced as the ninth head coach in team history last Friday, but the team has yet to announce any hirings.

Davis, 60, began his coaching career at the high school level in 1973 and first earned recognition during a two-year run as the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys from 1993-94.

Davis’ Cowboys defenses ranked 10th and first overall in yards allowed, and second and third overall in points allowed during the 1993 and ’94 seasons, with the first ending with the Cowboys winning the Super Bowl.

Davis’ success in Dallas earned him his first head-coaching position, at the University of Miami. He guided the Hurricanes for six seasons, compiling a 51-20 record that included a second-place finish in the BCS standings in 2000.

Davis then moved on to his first NFL head-coaching job, but he struggled in his attempt to turn the Cleveland Browns into winners and resigned after four years, a 3-8 start in 2004 and a 24-35 record.

Davis was out of the game for nearly two years following his stint with the Browns, but the University of North Carolina ended his exile in November 2006 when it named him head coach.

Much like Schiano at Rutgers, Davis took over a struggling program at UNC. The Tar Heels posted winning seasons in three of their previous eight years before Davis came on board, but their fortunes soon turned.

Though the Tar Heels won only four of 12 games during Davis’ first year, they were considered a far more competitive team than before, as they lost six games by a touchdown or less, including two to teams ranked in the top 15 of polls.

The Tar Heels then produced three straight winning seasons under Davis, who compiled a 28-23 regular-season record at UNC before he was fired in July 2011 amid an NCAA investigation of academic misconduct and allegations of players receiving improper benefits from agents.

Two months later, UNC officials announced the forfeiture of all its victories from the 2008 and ’09 seasons, saying that its own investigation revealed players had competed during those seasons while ineligible.