It’s happening

[andywilson001]

But he’s not.....not yet.

But we can’t afford to wait til January for him to get to work.

If he’s dragging his feet trying to buy time, we need to give him a deadline. Either sign the contract by this weekend or we’re moving on to the next candidate. Time is of the essence right now. He is NOT worth waiting for.

If he would let Tennessee go without a coach through early signing just so he can help Bama win another championship, I want nothing to do with him.

 

[BowlBrother85]

Realistically, what kind of class do you expect to have regardless? Is it going to make much difference with Pruitt or whoever coming in at the last minute? What coach could possibly make that much of an impact at the 11th hour?

Get the right HC and have some patience. It's gonna take some time to rebuild.

Disagree. They desperately need Mays and Taylor back in the fold and Tennessee has a lot of young talent. This isn't 2013 by a long shot.

 

[BowlBrother85]

Incorrect..it's still his Alma Mater and he grew up in Ala. So he's still a Bammer.

No. Cutcliffe was offered the Alabama OC job by Gene Stallings in 1994 and turned it down. That's not what a Bammer would do.

 

[jasonvol18]

Realistically, what kind of class do you expect to have regardless? Is it going to make much difference with Pruitt or whoever coming in at the last minute? What coach could possibly make that much of an impact at the 11th hour?

Get the right HC and have some patience. It's gonna take some time to rebuild.

It will make a huge difference. Especially with the recruiter Pruitt is and the guys he can bring in.

 

[anthorain]

That’s not true..... Pruitt will be recruiting for Tennessee while coaching the defense for Alabama.... didn’t Kirby smart do that as well?

They aren’t the same person though. We don’t know how capable Pruitt could be at both recruiting and preparing to play the best teams in the country. Both have a great deal of pressure.

It’s not something I’d feel comfortable risking.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

I see your sentiment and know that it is deep-seated.

The players that were going to sign early will do so, especially if they like Pruitt.

If they are unsure about Pruitt, it would be hard to believe that he can sign on 12/7/17 and seal the deal for UT in 13 days, unless they were originally going to bama to play for him.

If he honors his commitment to u of a, he will honor a commitment to UT. By demonstrating this example, PERHAPS, he will inspire the rest of the fence sitters and outliers to give their all for Tennessee during February signing day...We have 21 commits. If we lose six, the ten that fill out the class will likely be as good or better.

Take a look at letting this thing play out. The contract should be iron clad with NO Escape to Tuscaloosa for any reason until UT no longer extends the deal. Small to no UT buyout, massive buyout it he wants to leave for anywhere else.

We have a lot to offer here.

The only thing we have to offer at UT is upside potential because we have hit rock bottom.

If Pruitt is the guy, he needs to burn his BAma **** and get to work for UT. WE... THE UT FANS AND BOOSTERS deserve nothing less than his very best. He can't give us that coaching for the Evil Empire. If he can't give it then **** him.

 

[VolLee]

Twittersphere blowing up

 

[WhitewaterVol]

They aren’t the same person though. We don’t know how capable Pruitt could be at both recruiting and preparing to play the best teams in the country. Both have a great deal of pressure.

It’s not something I’d feel comfortable risking.

Beats the hell out of hiring Steele.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

Twittersphere blowing up

About???

 

[508mikey]

Should offer him a bonus if he can get that recruiting class back together

 

[njvols]

I've been kinda causally paying attention to Pruitt Vanables, Tucker, etc conversations but saw article that talked about Phils top desire...restoring toughness back in the team...trenches strength. So, somewhat making sense of this is the direction over guys who seem better like Leach and Brohm, Tee, etc. Doesn't make him right or wrong but at least he seems to have a vision and team certainly needs a lot more toughness.

 

[pimo1]

He gets his last chance to ever coach a national championship team. I don't begrudge him that.

I see what U did there and don't like it

 

[Sat330pmAppt]

You can put the fire suit away, but it's more than just about this recruiting class. Pruitt needs to evaluate and hire his staff. He needs to plan for this critical offseason, including evaluating his S&C coach/program. If UT were 10-2 last year, then maybe not getting him in here until mid January would be good enough. We are not a 10-2 team. We are the worst team in UT history, and the new coach needs to be here working *NOW* to fix this. It is also not honorable to let the current UT staff swing in limbo for a month and then fire them after most coaches nationwide have already filled out their staffs. Where are they going to land in mid-January? Plus, it will make it more difficult for Pruitt to hire coaches in mid-January. Saban is not going to be cool with Pruitt taking 40 hours out of his work week to be working on getting UT straight; he will expect 80-100 hours per week to be exclusively devoted to winning for Bama.

It sucks for Bama to lose a coach in the midst of a championship run, but that's how it works. Mullen is already working for our East rival Florida instead of coaching MSU in a bowl game. Why can we not expect the same dedication? How much further behind do we need to get to avoid interfering in Bama's pursuit of glory?

Gave you a like for many of your points above.

Here’s my middle ground.

If it were a group of six bowl or below, he starts right after the press conference. He’s not a head coach.

Since it’s the playoffs, I am willing to be a lot more flexible. He needs to name his staff as soon as practical, even at the presser if possible. S&C is the #3 hire for this off-injured team that wore out in the 2nd half of games or season (both). The AD should have heard what Pruitt’s staffing plans, and consequently, received input as to whom to keep or interview. (Gillespie & Hoke). Put the AD on the phone to the recruits, along with VFL’s - we are selling them on the rest of their life, not just four years or to one HC. You spend more time with your position coach during your playing career anyway.

The balance of the current staff have been job hunting since 10/1/17 anyway - the writing was on the wall. Unless Pruittt knows he wants them on his staff coming in, thank them for their service on their exit interview with AD and let them know you’ll always take their call.

Mullen will have a head start. We can run hard too.

The run up to the 2018 season is audition time. The two deep has a ton of returning talent. Tear up the whole chart, take away their helmet stripes and show them “The Junction Boys” on the evening of 1/9/18 which is the night before classes start. Pure merit sees the field.

The students learn from the teachers. The teachers that they respect have the most impact.

JMHO and thanks for the consideration.

 

[FLVOL69]

Realistically, what kind of class do you expect to have regardless? Is it going to make much difference with Pruitt or whoever coming in at the last minute? What coach could possibly make that much of an impact at the 11th hour?

Get the right HC and have some patience. It's gonna take some time to rebuild.

We had a top 5 class before this debacle, I fully expect to salvage 90 % with a good hire and we’re nowhere as depleted talent wise as we were when Dooley was fired..

 

[gtin723]

This is beyond strange. No one in the business world would hire a CEO from a competitor and then wait a month until the competitor can launch their new product line, that would be just nuts, and that is apparently what Pruitt wants us to do.

It doesn't work like that, you give your current employer their 2weeks notice and they usually show you the door out in 15 min.

Tennessee football grosses over $110 million a year, it is a huge enterprise which has to have a coach on board that is 100% behind our players and fan base from day one.

If Pruitt feels so strongly about bama's interest then he should stay there, he is not the right guy for Tennessee.

We need a guy that wants to bury Nick, not kiss his butt.

 

[VolStubbs]

I think more kids would be more inclined to jump on board with a championship coach. It practically sells itself. You can always hire him and announce that he will be the new head coach and allow him to coach the playoffs. They wouldn't be able to mention his name without saying he's the new head coach of Tennessee.

 

[ruger1234]

I've been kinda causally paying attention to Pruitt Vanables, Tucker, etc conversations but saw article that talked about Phils top desire...restoring toughness back in the team...trenches strength. So, somewhat making sense of this is the direction over guys who seem better like Leach and Brohm, Tee, etc. Doesn't make him right or wrong but at least he seems to have a vision and team certainly needs a lot more toughness.

The 2017 vols were the softest i can remember, I'm 52 years old. At this point I don't care about wins or losses, I care about winning the battle at the LOS. Take care of that and the puzzle pieces will magically fall into place.

 

[Thorp32]

This is beyond strange. No one in the business world would hire a CEO from a competitor and then wait a month until the competitor can launch their new product line, that would be just nuts, and that is apparently what Pruitt wants us to do.

It doesn't work like that, you give your current employer their 2weeks notice and they usually show you the door out in 15 min.

Tennessee football grosses over $110 million a year, it is a huge enterprise which has to have a coach on board that is 100% behind our players and fan base from day one.

If Pruitt feels so strongly about bama's interest then he should stay there, he is not the right guy for Tennessee.

This post is spot on. IMO Pruitt balked at leaving Bama and Fulmer did the right thing tonight IN NYC and walked away. It does not excuse Fulmer's incompetence in making sure this would not be a sticking point before the second and third and possible fourth interview. Steele where are you now - Never thought I would say that.

 

[StillaWaiting]

The 2017 vols were the softest i can remember, I'm 52 years old. At this point I don't care about wins or losses, I care about winning the battle at the LOS. Take care of that and the puzzle pieces will magically fall into place.

Yup I agree with ya. For the past I don’t know how many years our O and D fronts have been completely coached inconsistently which has led to us giving up 500 yards rushing a game or having to scheme our rushing game. It’s time to Bull rush the LoS again. Come on Pruitt! Teach our kids what Bama does

 

[CA_Vol]

The playoff is during the dead period. He would recruit for UT but coach the game for Bama. Same thing Kirby Smart did. Not an issue.

There was not an early signing period then. No one knows yet how this all will affect it.

 

[Sat330pmAppt]

The 2017 vols were the softest i can remember, I'm 52 years old. At this point I don't care about wins or losses, I care about winning the battle at the LOS. Take care of that and the puzzle pieces will magically fall into place.

Exactly!

 

[VolStubbs]

This is beyond strange. No one in the business world would hire a CEO from a competitor and then wait a month until the competitor can launch their new product line, that would be just nuts, and that is apparently what Pruitt wants us to do.

It doesn't work like that, you give your current employer their 2weeks notice and they usually show you the door out in 15 min.

Tennessee football grosses over $110 million a year, it is a huge enterprise which has to have a coach on board that is 100% behind our players and fan base from day one.

If Pruitt feels so strongly about bama's interest then he should stay there, he is not the right guy for Tennessee.

It's not as strange as you're making it out to be. Here's a guy that has devoted the last year to getting his team to the playoffs, and now they're there. If I put that much time, effort and sacrifice into something like that, you better believe I'm sticking around to finish it. It doesn't mean he wouldn't be devoted to Tennessee, it would mean he finished what he started. This looks great to recruits. That's someone they can get behind.

 

[gtin723]

If Pruitt wants be HC at Tennessee, he has to be all in from day one, and that means getting as many recruits that he can to come to Tennessee NOW. One article mentioned that he wanted to finish up recruiting for Alabama? This just can't be accurate it is too insane to make sense.

He should be contacting other coach's for his staff, trying to get the very best from other schools including Alabama.

I just hope all that all these things we are hearing are not true or otherwise this guy is not our guy, he bleeds red not orange.

 

[BigBadVol]

Either you are all TN or you’re not. I understand the commitment to AL but opportunities like this don’t come along that often. Coach Gillespie is a FL alum but I bet he would tell you he is a VFL. In fact, he turned down a FL position. I want a coach that wants to be here now and sees this position for what it is. A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY!

 

[DEFENDTHISHOUSE]

If Pruitt wants be HC at Tennessee, he has to be all in from day one, and that means getting as many recruits that he can to come to Tennessee NOW. One article mentioned that he wanted to finish up recruiting for Alabama? This just can't be accurate it is too insane to make sense.

He should be contacting other coach's for his staff, trying to get the very best from other schools including Alabama.

I just hope all that all these things we are hearing are not true or otherwise this guy is not our guy, he bleeds red not orange.

I agree with this. We should pass on Pruitt.