--Frost wouldn't be even close to a "home run" hire--he doesn't have the track record. Promising, sure; but that's a long way from "home run" hire. Saban was the archetypal home-run hire. And there are a a bunch of promising candidates--all of whom would be facing a very high hurdle if they took this job--namely, winning in the SEC.
--Kiffin was an inexplicable hire? That's revisionist, 'we're pissed at Kiffin cuz he stiffed us' history. I thought at the time that hiring him was a coup. He is an excellent offensive coach--and he brought his Dad with him and put together a crack staff. He stiffed us, and he was immature in some ways, but I liked the boldness of the hire.
--Tennessee is a place to win a national title? Well, we did not terribly long ago, true, but the fact is it is hard for any SEC program save bama to win a national title--too many tough games. We play bama, florida and georgia every year, for starters: That makes UT a very hard place to win a national title. That's not to say that we don't have lots in our favor--but a brutal schedule is not a recipe for a title.
--the Vols have "loads of talent"? Really? Fans overestimate our talent. What was Jones know for as a recruiter? Landing three-star players. He was a pretty decent recruiter, all things considered, but we're not loaded with talent. We're SO talented that we haven't won an SEC game! Sure, we've got coaching issues, and injury issues; we also have talent issues. Those talented players that we do have are ALWAYS hurt. UT has become Injury U.
We need someone with FOUR qualities, IMO. First, he has to be passionate about the Vols--as Jones was. We need to hire somebody who wants to be here and wants to win the SEC with Tennessee. Second, we need somebody with some charisma who can recruit--another good Jones quality. You can't overstate the importance of recruiting. Third, we need somebody who is X/O smart--tactically smart--and who can win close games, something Jones struggled to do. Finally, we need somebody who has the confidence and management skills and /experience/ to do the job and do it well--somebody who won't be overwhelmed by the job and by the SEC. That's why I want somebody who has some P5 head coaching experience--not a coordinator, and not a guy who's done well at a small school for two years. Alas, we'll probably end up hiring someone considered a "comer" and hoping for the best.