Phillip Fulmer
Rocky Slop
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Here is a question I have pondered for two weeks now.
Will the University of Tennessee football program be the Tennessee we once knew ever again?
Jeremy Pruitt has only coached 14 games in Knoxville and you get the feeling his job is on the line.
The Volunteers are 5-9 under Pruitt, and the program seems like it can’t get out of its own way.
It is bad enough to lose at home to Georgia State a team UT was favored to beat by 26 points, but to top that off Tennessee snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory last weekend against BYU with less than 20 seconds left in the contest.
The Vols gave up a tying FG and then folded in overtime to the Cougars.
What is wrong with this program? Here are my thoughts:
Recruiting: Tennessee does not recruit on a high level like it once did.
The Volunteers don’t even get the top players in Tennessee any longer. That used to be a given.
In the 1990’s Tennessee used to be a national brand in recruiting. The Vols dipped into New Orleans and plucked Peyton Manning. They dipped into Mobile, Alabama and plucked Tee Martin. Tennessee dipped into Georgia and grabbed Jamal Lewis, and had a foothold in the Atlanta area, and would cherry pick, Florida, Texas, and California.
That brand is gone now, but it must be rebuilt. Nashville is a growing city and High School football in that city is pretty good, but Georgia, Alabama, and LSU are more likely to pull a high ranked player out of Nashville than the University of Tennessee. That is totally unacceptable.
Head Coaching: The last three hires have been a nightmare. Lane Kiffin came in and threw discipline out with the bath water. Derek Dooley was a last resort because nobody wanted the job, and Butch Jones just could not bring the consistency needed to lead a program like Tennessee. Now Jeremy Pruitt, who was hand-picked by Phillip Fulmer, seems to be struggling as well.
Phillip Fulmer: This may not be popular, but I think Tennessee needs a clean break from the old guard in Knoxville and that starts with Phillip Fulmer, who at almost 70 years old needs to enjoy his family and grandchildren.
Fulmer, learned how to coach under Johnny Majors and then turned around and helped push King Johnny out the door in 1992 so he could take over, needs to be pushed out to pasture now for a permanent retirement.
He has been a great ambassador for the University but it is time for a fresh start in Knoxville. Making Fulmer AD was a temporary solution, and a not permanent one.
Fulmer led UT to great things in the 1990’s, but 1998 was 21 years ago. A fresh approach is needed.
Tennessee’s 0-2 start is as ugly as it gets. The program hasn’t started 0-2 since 1988. The Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, and Alabama games don’t look winnable right now.
Right now, the Vols are facing a must win scenario against Chattanooga Saturday to possibly avoid a disastrous 1-6 start.
The Flag Ship University in the State of Tennessee facing a must win against UTC is blasphemy.
Tennessee Football is currently like an abandoned factory in the Rust Belt. Once a symbol of manufacturing greatness, but now in decay. The University of Tennessee football program needs to modernize into the 21st Century.
On December 31, 2019 the worst decade in Tennessee football history will mercifully end. Will this proud program swallow its pride and make the changes needed to be relevant again?
I hope so a win in Knoxville used to mean something, but everyone seems to be winning there now.
UT was once here before and in 1977 brought in a Vol legend Johnny Majors to rebuild the brand. When will it be “Football Time in Tennessee” again?
It wasn’t a quick fix in 1977 and it won’t be now, but it can be done. The SEC misses and needs a relevant Big Orange.
I Don’t Look Good In Orange
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Last week Tennessee completely botched hiring a new football coach. As you recall they announced they were hiring Greg Schiano. He’s currently Ohio State’s defensive coordinator.
He’s best known for being the head coach at Rutgers and Tampa Bay. There was massive backlash from the fan base. From comments on social media to protests on campus, Vol fans expressed that they were not happy with that move.
This led Athletic Director John Currie to be fired by the University of Tennessee. He just started his AD position April 1, 2017. Currie also courted Oklahoma State’s Mike Leach, NC State’s Dave Doeren, Duke’s David Cutcliffe and Purdue’s Jeff Brohm. They also were interested in Dan Mullen but he accepted the job at Florida.
Now they had to hit the reset button. They hired their legendary former coach Phillip Fulmer as the new AD. That was a great move. Fulmer coached at UT from 1992 – 2008, compiling a 152-52 record. He also won the inaugural BCS National Championship in 1998. It’s interesting to see how things come full circle because Fulmer was forced out of Knoxville in 2008. Since then the program has not had any stability.
Things are so bad that fans actually want Lane Kiffin back. Kiffin was hired to replace Fulmer and he went 7-6 in 2009, his lone season in Knoxville. He bolted for USC in January 2010, which obviously upset many students and fans. He’s currently trolling Tennessee about the vacant coaching position.
I’ve had to wonder with everything going on, is this considered a good job to have? The Vols are coming off a 4-8 season and they went winless (0-8) in conference play. Honestly, in the right circumstances this can be a top 25 job if the fans can have realistic expectations. That’s a stretch with any SEC fan base outside of Vanderbilt and Kentucky though.
I have a few reasons that this can be a good position. The first thing is the recruiting base. Just proximity to Georgia, Florida, Alabama and the Carolinas mean they can attract talented recruits.
Also, the SEC East is pretty weak so a quick turnaround is very possible. Other than Georgia, the rest of the division is struggling. I expect Florida to get better but they also have a new head coach so it will take a couple of years for them to get better.
Unfortunately, the opponent from the SEC West that they play each year is Alabama. They haven’t beaten the Crimson Tide since 2006.
Next year they also play Auburn. If the Tigers are as good or better in 2018 that will more than likely be a blowout loss.
I do think they should realistically win seven games next season. The wins should come against ETSU, UTEP, South Carolina, Charlotte, Vanderbilt, Mizzou and Kentucky. The two games that can go either way are West Virginia and Florida.
There are a few names that are being considered for the job. Former LSU coach Les Miles might be a good candidate. He has experience coaching in the conference and recruiting in the South.
In his twelve seasons in Baton Rouge he went 114-34, winning two SEC Championships and a BCS National Championship in 2007.
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables and SMU head coach Chad Morris are also in the mix.
I think they all have obvious strengths and weaknesses but I don’t see them as bad candidates. At this point Tennessee needs to hire a coach so they can try to salvage their recruiting class.
