UT Football

[Carolina Knight]

Alabama Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt has been hired as the Tennessee Volunteers' head coach. He will be introduced in a press conference today at 1805 hours.

Further reading

• "Jermey Pruitt to be introduced Thursday as Tennessee's next football coach." University of Tennessee Athletics. 7 December 2017.

[nashvols]

Given what has transpired, a solid hire.

We'll see what happens.

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by nashvols

Given what has transpired, a solid hire.

We'll see what happens.

I agree. I knew Fulmer would do right by VOLs football. Picking a Saban coordinator sure worked out for Georgia didn’t it? Hopeful for good results in the 2018 seasons.

[Carolina Knight]

I hoped Tennessee would hire Les Miles. Jeremy Pruitt, a defensive coordinator on three national championship teams, is still a good hire.

Now hired, Pruitt moves on to two priorities. First, he has to establish his coaching staff. Second, he needs to begin recruiting.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by danielj72

I agree. I knew Fulmer would do right by VOLs football. Picking a Saban coordinator sure worked out for Georgia didn’t it? Hopeful for good results in the 2018 seasons.

Has less to do with him being a Saban coordinator, and more about what he has possibly learned...

There have been some Saban assistants that haven't done so well.



That said, I think we got a football coach with this hire....not a motivational speaker.

I also think that for a coordinator, he has an impressive track record, experience, and good mentors. He's in a really good spot as a first time HC with a former HC as his boss. You would not get that with a Currie type at AD.

Fulmer isn't the smartest guy in the room. He wasn't even the best coach on his staff when he was here. But he's a leader, and he knows how to organize people and get them to work together. He was only as good as the people he surrounded himself with.

He didn't just make a splash hire that he hoped would soothe the crazed fans, he hired a good coordinator, and he's going to give that man, Pruitt, the resources to surround himself with an excellent staff.

I'm not going to jump the gun. It's probably going to be years until we can tell if the results are there, but I like what is in place.



Also, I have been in discussions with a number of UT and non-UT people recently. One thing the non-UT people don't seem to grasp is how this entire thing played out from the big picture point of view.

If you look at it from an outsider's perspective, you might think that UT fans really screwed things up here. They thought they could get a big name hire and they ended up with a coordinator. They wanted Gruden, and Kelly, and Mullen....and they ended up with a guy that probably half the fanbase had to Google. Bunch of delusional morons, right?

Wrong.

Whether or not we cost ourselves some quality candidates in this coaching search process, there was a huge correction made at the University of Tennessee. The fans put the university, its administrators, and its donors on notice. No one person is bigger than the university; it is a community -- a family -- and whomever is in charge has to remember that their first responsibility is to the family.

We hear about "running ____ like a business" needs to be a priority, for efficiency sake, or whatnot. It's true that a lot of establishments need to be run like businesses, but we can't forget about the human side of things. Whether it is the athletic program at a major university, a local school district, or a church or charity's finances. For far too long, the administration at UT have not been good stewards to the university, its sports teams, and its brand. The people in charge have been more concerned about making money, gaining sponsorships, and getting back rather than giving back. They have lost sight in the foundation of what makes this university great. Something that is so universal that it can unite people from Memphis to Bristol: pride.

UT has a long and proud history, especially in football. While there have been ups and downs, we have felt those as a family. When I was there -- 2004-2009, under Mike Hamilton -- I felt like there was an effort to cater to corporate interests and not to students or alumni. You never got the feeling that Hamilton had UT's best interest at heart. I don't think you necessarily have to be "a UT guy (or gal)" to have the university's best interest....but it helps. So after Hamilton, we get Hart. After Hart, we get Currie. None of these guys feel.....right.

This is why, after this insane ride, that I feel better about my alma mater than I did a week ago. Two weeks ago. Three months ago.

11/27/17 - this was our reality
HC - Greg Schiano
AD - John Currie
Haslam's pulling most of the strings

12/7/17 - this is our reality
HC - Jeremy Pruitt
AD - Phillip Fulmer
Haslam's power is greatly reduced

I was not at all confident in the former. I am much more hopeful in the latter. The fact that Schiano was the first choice for Currie (Haslam) speaks volumes. Sometimes you have to hit the reset button, in multiple ways. This isn't me saying that I don't have confidence in Pruitt being our long-term solution, but we have to let him grow into that role.

But I think we have broken up some of the dysfunction in Knoxville. For the love of Christ, we shouldn't let a guy that is running the Cleveland Browns have any say on our program. Any. And we needed to restore trust and leadership to a program that was badly missing it. I think the calm, thoughtful, and powerful hand of Phillip Fulmer does that. And I hope that he will allow Jeremy Pruitt to make his own mark on the program, and provide guidance where it is needed.

There is a lot of relief from me, and other alums, when it comes to the direction of this program. Finally, an adult is in charge.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by Carolina Knight

I hoped Tennessee would hire Les Miles. Jeremy Pruitt, a defensive coordinator on three national championship teams, is still a good hire.

Now hired, Pruitt moves on to two priorities. First, he has to establish his coaching staff. Second, he needs to begin recruiting.

One day on the job and dude has assembled a *whoa* staff of recruiters and position guys. He's not being hamstrung by a budget. We are giving him the ability to succeed. I am encouraged.

[Beretta]

Beverly Davenport has laid down the law in Knoxville. Love her to pieces. We finally have a chance. May the recruiting forces be with them this first year!

[Serious Conversation]

I'm definitely encouraged, given the fiasco we had. A coordinator under Saban with years of SEC experience is probably a lot better gamble than a 7-5 MAC HC or similar.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Beretta

Beverly Davenport has laid down the law in Knoxville. Love her to pieces. We finally have a chance. May the recruiting forces be with them this first year!

Well, it's certainly been interesting in and around that office.

******

Nice job, nashvols, you had me dancing on my desk!

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Well, it's certainly been interesting in and around that office.

******

Nice job, nashvols, you had me dancing on my desk!

Yes ma'am it has! And around the social circles as well!