The Buccaneers have hired longtime college and NFL veteran coach Butch Davis to serve as the team’s senior assistant on defense, according to a report by Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com. A source told PewterReport.com that Davis had yet to sign a contract with the team, but appearances suggest that he is indeed close to joining Greg Schiano’s staff.

The hiring of Davis as a senior defensive assistant is a curious one due to the fact that the Bucs have yet to settle on a defensive coordinator. University of Florida defensive coordinator Dan Quinn reportedly turned down the chance to be Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator earlier in the week.

Davis began his NFL coaching career with the Dallas Cowboys under Jimmy Johnson, coaching the defensive line from 1989-1992 before becoming the team’s defensive coordinator from ’93-’94. He then moved on to the college ranks where he served as the head coach for the Miami Hurricanes from 1995-2000. He went 51-20 with Miami with winning records in five out of six seasons.

Davis had previously coached the Hurricanes defensive line from 1984-88, winning a national championship with Johnson, who served as Miami’s head coach, in 1987.

It was Davis’ tenure as head coach that he hired Schiano to serve as the Hurricanes defensive coordinator from 1999-2000. Schiano and Davis became friends during their time together in Miami.

Following the 2000 season, Davis left for the NFL where he was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2001-04 before being fired after going 24-34 in four seasons.

Davis was hired by the University of North Carolina to serve as the team’s head coach from 2007-2010 where he amassed a 28-23 record, including three straight 8-5 seasons before he was fired after the 2010 season following NCAA violations for Tarheels players receiving illegal payments.

The hiring of Davis comes on the heels of the Buccaneers reportedly hiring longtime NFL offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye to serve as the team’s offensive senior assistant. The Bucs have interviewed John Shoop, who served as North Carolina’s offensive coordinator/quarterback under Davis from 2007-11, for the vacant offensive coordinator job. Shoop served as the Bucs quarterbacks coach in 2004 under Jon Gruden.

Shoop served as Chicago’s offensive coordinator prior to coming to Tampa Bay from 2001-03, and then coached in Oakland from 2005-06, coaching quarterbacks (’05) and tight ends (’06).

Other assistant coaches that have reportedly been hired by Schiano include several assistants from Rutgers, including Jeff Hafley, Tem Lukabu, Bob Fraser, Jay Butler and P.J. Fleck. At Rutgers, Hafley coached defensive backs, Lukabu coached outside linebackers, Angelichio coached tight ends, Fraser coached linebackers, defensive line and was also a defensive coordinator during his tenure, while Butler was the strength and conditioning coach.

The Bucs have also hired Randy Melvin, who will likely take over as the defensive line coach. Melvin has previously coached with Schiano at Rutgers as the team’s defensive line coach from 2002-03 and again in 2010.

The Buccaneers have yet to officially confirm any of the reported signings.