Well, today is the day Volnation. Next year there will be a new head coach roaming the sidelines in Knoxville, TN. This is like one of those things you knew was going to happen, but you didn’t know it until it actually happened. I’m still in a little bit of shock…that it actually happened.
So, I figure a little look in the past at our newly departed coach as well as a quick look ahead is definitely warranted.
The year was 1992….
I was at the Tennessee vs. Memphis State game when Johnny Majors ‘resigned’ as the head coach at UT. You know what? I remember being very excited. Fulmer had beaten Georgia and Florida, and Johnny just lost to Bama again. To me, the change was an easy decision. I remember hearing some fans in the stands chanting “we want Johnny!!!” I thought they were idiots. I mean, had they not seen what Phil did earlier in the year? ‘Johnny Ball’ had officially been laid to rest. No more 3 yards and a cloud of dust. The Fulmer era would be bombs away…….and it was that way for the first few years.
The Golden Age…..
The success in the 90’s is well chronicled and I’m not going to rehash it all, but the reality is the only sin Fulmer made in the 90’s was not beating FL with enough regularity. And ‘sin’ is still a strong word considering that Florida was one of the most dominant teams in the country, and the most dominant team in the SEC since some of the Bear’s Bama teams in the 60’s and 70’s. Being 2nd to that……ok, not too shabby……collected two SEC titles and a national title of his own. Not too shabby indeed. Oh, and need I mention his record against Alabama? Nick Saban not withstanding, Fulmer will go down as one Tennessee coach that owned Alabama. One of the primary reasons his predecessor wasn’t retained.
The 90’s were heady times on The Hill……titles, talent, bowls…..you name it we had it. I was glad that my time at Tennessee as a student took place during this time period. Looking back, I now realize how fortunate I was. One day, Fulmer will too.
The Fall from Grace…..
This decade has not been as kind, and unfortunately for Fulmer, this is just a culmination of what has been going on at Tennessee for the past 6 or 7 years. The W/L records are just now catching up to what systemically has been wrong with us over that time span. Talent can hide a lot of shortcomings. Our talent level isn’t sub par, but it’s nowhere near what it was. Without overwhelmingly being able to ‘out talent’ the competition by fielding basically an NFL farm team, Fulmer has found it very difficult to compete with teams that have better coaching and as much or more talent than we have had. The bowls this decade, w/l record against his contemporaries this decade, home w/l, top ten record, SEC title game record this decade……..all those things have been building over time. Attempts to fix those issues have been made. They have failed.
“It’s just business, nothing personal.”
All said and done, I don’t dislike Phil Fulmer. He’s been great for this program and university, and no one can question his devotion to all things Tennessee. But, wanting this change has never been about Phil Fulmer, the man, with me. It’s about the direction of the program in relation to competing with the powers in the SEC in today’s SEC. Phillip Fulmer is a throw back, at least in the terms of what the SEC used to be. He’s the bridge to the Pat Dye’s, Johnny Majors, Vince Dooley’s, Gene Stallings etc….of the SEC. This for me is a sad thing. Fulmer’s departure is the official closing of the book on that era of SEC football. When it was about “it’s our guy vs. your guy”. When it really was the state of Tennessee against the state of Alabama. The coaches, players etc…were from the state. How on earth could anyone not from Tennessee or Alabama or Georgia etc…coach at those schools?
Maybe that’s just my recollection of what I thought when I was a kid. Everything was bigger than life back then. The coaches were iconic in nature, and they all had that “ah shucks” demeanor that just oozed Southeastern Conference. It was a whole conference of Bobby Bowden’s. I don’t know. All I do know is, good or bad, that era is over. Today’s SEC is mechanical, tight lipped, and straight faced a la Urban Meyer, Nick Saban and Les Miles. None of those guys are even from the South. They have closer ties to Ohio State and Michigan than any of the programs they currently preside over. For some reason, that still feels a little dirty…….
A New Hope…….
So, now we move forward. We tip our hat to the folks that got us here, and proceed to adapt to what the SEC has presented as the most difficult conference in college football. You need coaches and players. So who is on Mike Hamilton’s list? I’m pretty sure there will be a search firm involved in this, and a decision will be made sometime in the next couple of months or so. No doubt this will be the topic that dominates any discussion about UT football up to and after that decision is made. Make no mistake; this hire will not please everyone. The only thing that will please everyone is a few more W’s. Also, make no mistake that may take a while. I don’t know what you expect going in to next year, but I would expect some short term shortcomings. Any new coach will likely need 4-5 years to get a full class in, install his system, get his culture in place etc…. the two year National Title contender is a rare find I might add…….. A few other things to consider……who, if anyone, will be retained off the current staff? The timing of the new hire, will it I coincide with finishing up this recruiting class? Will it be in time to maybe salvage some of the kids currently committed? What kind of staff will he bring in? Point is…….a lot to speculate on until it’s actually done.
Oh, and the rest of the conference isn’t going to wait on us to catch up. When/if they can, the rest of the conf will take their shots at us week in and week out. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be a climb back up the mountain. But, that’s part of the fun of it right? It is as long as the direction is UP……
Based on the past decade’s issues at Tennessee, on and off the field, one of the things I think you have to have for the next coach is a sense of accountability at the top. What you want to see is a team that is prepared and disciplined. At least that’s what I want to see. Even in defeat, you can see it translate on the field, just as you can see the current state of affairs at UTK on the field when they aren’t disciplined and prepared to play. To have a coach that will simply have a doctrine of “we will not get beat because we were not prepared to play” would go a long way in my book. Really, it has to start that simple. If it’s really about direction of the program, then this is what it’s about.
Who??????????
Well, that’s the $64,000 question now isn’t it? The rumor mill has been going for a while now. Some are realistic, some are not in my opinion, but here’s a brief list of folks and some random thoughts…….
David Cutcliffe, Duke-Obviously he has to be on the list. I don’t know how exciting his name is, but I can’t believe that he won’t get a phone call. In the end, I think Hamilton moves in another direction as he tries to cut ties with anything that seems “old hat”.
Butch Davis, UNC-You have to at least gauge his interest right? You don’t want to be looking back on this decision never having asked the question.
Will Muschamp, TX-The hot commodity among coordinators today. Rumors have him linked to Clemson, websites devoted to his hiring at UT etc……..bloody sidelines aside, I think he’s a very good defensive coordinator, but I’m not convinced he’d be a ‘great’ head coach. Just my opinion.
Brent Venables, OK-Another commodity at defensive coordinator. Not near the hoopla surrounding him as his counterpart at TX, but has been part of Bob Stoops staff for a while and has fielded very solid units at OK for a very long time.
Gary Patterson, TCU-viewed as a up and comer. I don’t know a whole lot about him other than he looks like what I think Harry Potter will look like when he’s 40+……?
Brian Kelly, Cincy-another up and comer, offensive minded guy that has had Cincy a very competitive Big East team. My hang up…….what has he really done? It’s not like he won the league or anything while at Cincy.
Lane Kiffin-This is an intriguing story. He’s still going to be dealing with his NFL issues, but he fits a lot of what many UT fans think this program needs……youthful presence, offensive minded, supposedly good recruiter etc…. This is the one guy that I think of first, but……well, that’s just it…….there’s a but…….he got a raw deal at Oakland, but the question is can he really lead a program like this at this point in time in it’s history? His experience at USC under Carroll with out a doubt is more suited for college football than the NFL.
Chris Pederson, BSU-The next big thing? No doubt he’s continued Dan Hawkins’ success, and parlayed that in to a BCS bowl win against OK and Bob Stoops. And as fancy as all that looked, a couple of questions still exist about him……can he build a program? And what happens when the last of this current talent makes its departure? Not ready for primetime me thinks.
Some of the not so realistic names:
Pete Caroll…….just forget it.
Bob Stoops……My personal pipe dream, but even for Saban like money, I don’t see him leaving Norman for any reason.
John Gruden….Can’t see him leaving the NFL salary and I’m not so sure he’d be a great fit in college anyway.
Steve Spurrier…..enough already……when looking for someone to basically start over with, the last person on my list is a 70 year old guy that doesn’t win anything at South Carolina……that, and he hates recruiting.
Bill Cowher…he’ll be coaching next year…..in the NFL.
Mike Leach….ok, Saturday night not withstanding, what exactly has he done except finish 3rd or worse in the Big 12 South year in and year out? It’s a gimmick offense that will get shut down by much more physical defenses in the SEC. Clemson the ACC might be better served by the Mike Leach spread.
Tommy Tubberville……um…..no.
Steve Spagnuolo….his next stop is a head coaching job in the NFL.
I think that’s about it for now. It’s been a pretty eventful day, and I’m sure the longer the search goes on the more anxious big orange nation will get.
But, if there was ever something to be patient with……it’s this. I have no desire to wind up with a Mike Dubose, Mike Shula, Ray Goff or Brad Scott type hire. Take your time, pony up the cash and make a good, informed decision. Please.
And for those of you going to the Wyoming and, in particular, Kentucky games this year make sure you send Phil out on a positive note. What’s done is done, and like him or hate him, good or bad……..he does deserve that. Remember, it’s not been all bad under his watch. And he should be thanked for his time here.
Go Vols.