If Not Kiffin, then Whom?

This entry is directed at the fans out there that are hardcore Volunteer fans, but bristle at Lane Kiffin’s ascension to the Head of Vol Nation.

Who would have been the better hire?

When the decision was made to force Phil Fulmer’s resignation, Mike Hamilton instantly put himself on the hot seat. Though he had just inexplicably extended Fulmer’s contract, dwindling ticket sales and a moribund ’08 squad forced a move.

But as hard as the decision to push Fulmer out was, the process of replacing him would prove even more difficult. Fulmer’s stability had been somewhat overlooked by Tennessee fans and when the cold reality of replacing him emerged, the options were fewer than most thought and the ratio between expectations and reality was predictably disproportionate.

So pretend you are Mike Hamilton and Phil Fulmer has just “resigned.” You’re a bachelor now having just broken up with your significant other and you are eager to try out your newfound freedom to see what you can find.

You check out a nightclub and start scoping out the scene. You see some drop-dead supermodel types (Pete Carroll and Bill Cowher) occupying a couple of tables in the middle of the room so everyone can notice them and their brightly colored drinks.

But they’re uber picky and you just saw them shoot down a couple guys who are significantly more attractive than you (the NFL). Do you have a shot? Not likely. Maybe you have some strong points, but they are just not that into you. Next.

You scan to your right and see some slightly less attractive, but still very appealing options (Jon Gruden, Lovie Smith, Butch Davis). But you can tell right away that they just want to use you.

They seem flirty and they even take your picture and post it on their Facebook page, but they only do it to make their current boyfriends jealous in hopes of getting a new purse (new contract extension). You spend a couple of minutes talking but leave, as you don’t enjoy being used as leverage.

You keep walking and see a group of the girl-next-door types (Brian Kelly, Mike Leach, Tim Brewster, Lane Kiffin). They aren’t in the same ballpark looks-wise as the other two groups, but they seem to bring a lot of appealing intangibles to the table and they are open to your advances.

This is where Mike Hamilton found himself late last fall.

A lot of people wanted to make a splash, but “splash” hires aren’t made when a program has been steadily decaying over a span of years unless it is a top-ten all-time program. Unfortunately, Tennessee isn’t at the point where the current condition of the program is overwhelmed by its historical relevance. So when it came time for Hamilton to shop, he had to take it to eBay instead of Saks Fifth Avenue.

But the funny thing about eBay is if you look hard enough and have a discerning eye, you can get the best available bang for your buck.

So understanding that groups 1 and 2 were not interested in letting us buy them a drink, let’s analyze group 3 and rationalize which candidate fits Tennessee the best.

Mike Leach

At first, I very much hoped that Leach would be tapped to become the new head coach. After watching an offense that was as abysmal as the third season of Heroes, there was a likely majority of Tennessee fans that were frothing at the mouth to reel in an offensive mind like Leach.

But upon further review, would Leach have been a great fit in Knoxville? Sure his innovative offense works among the pampers-soft defenses in the Big 12, but how would it fare when taking on defenses populated with future NFLers instead of future gym teachers?

Add to that the seriousness with which SEC football is conducted and Leach may have been a less than ideal fit. The pirate-fetish is pretty cool, but after a 2-game losing streak, it becomes a distraction and fodder for Game Day signs. And you don’t have to have an incredible imagination to see that the pirate angle is ripe for mocking.

Tim Brewster

Didn’t Auburn corner the market on hiring coaches with terrible records? Should Gene Chizik feel threatened by Tim Brewster? I mean anytime you can hire a guy who is 8-17 in the fast-paced and dynamic Big 10, don’t you have to pull the trigger on that?

He very well may be an awesome coach that is obscured by his program’s Minnesota-ness, but I don’t care. This would have been the most uninspired choice since James Van Der Beek as a High School quarterback in Varsity Blues. Let Kentucky take this chance in a year or two.

Gary Patterson

I’m actually a Patterson fan and I think he would have been a solid coach, but I can’t see him taking Tennessee to elite levels. There’s a Mike Smith (of the Atlanta Falcons) type quality to him, but I think he would fail in connecting with recruits and convincing them to choose Tennessee over, say, Florida.

There’s a blue collar ethic to him that would have fit in well at Tennessee and the Vols would have been able to stay under the radar while Patterson could rebuild the program’s foundation. But would he energize the program? Moreover, is he enough of a shark to raise the program to previous highs?

Brian Kelly

Though he seems to be a very nice college head coach, Cincinnati, Central Michigan, and Grand Valley State aren’t exactly what I would call proving grounds. Additionally, he doesn’t seem to have any connections or in-roads throughout the South, which is pivotal if you want to compete for recruits off the jump.

I can understand the Bruce Pearl aspect to him, but football is a different animal than basketball. Would Kelly have fit in at UT? Would he go toe-to-toe with Mark Richt and Urban Meyer and win? Would he inspire the same fat jokes that were directed at Phil Fulmer? All. Good. Questions.

On a personal note, from the little I saw of Kelly, he kind of seems like a bit of a chump to play for. Admittedly, this is pure speculation, but from some of the postseason mic’d up sessions and interviews he seems very much like a poor man’s Charlie Weis: Arrogant and mouthy without merit.

Lane Kiffin

The negatives are there: Not a great pro record, no collegiate head coaching experience. But these are conditional negatives and not something more concrete like “hates recruiting” or ‘history of sexual harassment.”

Kiffin’s positives overwhelmingly match up with UT’s needs. He is a recruiting prodigy who hired a staff of recruiting prodigies and this is exceedingly important because the biggest hurdle UT faces is in attracting prospects.

The money, facilities, and fan support is there, but there is no talent machine constantly sending All-Americans to Knoxville. The new coach had to be able to compete in the recruiting realm because it is impossible to compete in the SEC with mediocre talent.

Not only that, but there is an important intangible Kiffin brought to the table that no one else could offer.

You can argue for days about Xs and Os or experience, but the clincher for me was Kiffin’s path to this point. He is driven by the idea that it is his manifest destiny to run a big time collegiate program.

Everything he has done up until this point was in preparation for this opportunity; from skipping his senior year at Fresno State to begin coaching, all the way to subjecting himself to the senile rants of Al Davis. I don’t think that sense of urgency existed with any other candidate and that sense of urgency will extend to the manner in which he grows the program.

And in the end, I think that’s what won Kiffin the job. Regardless of your personal feelings towards him, I don’t believe a better candidate existed in relation to what Tennessee needed as a coach and what was available on the market.