UTC's David Blackburn says no official contact with UT on job

[LWSVOL]

I am not criticizing the effort on Strong. He had a good resume. You do the best you can. Even Jones for all is flaws had a decent resume but I am highly critical of the Kiffin and Dooley disasters. They could have both been avoided and we are still paying the price for them.

I would not disagree they were a disaster. Why it cost Hamilton his job which he knew if the decision to let Fulmer go didn't produce he would have to leave.

Listen, I'm in the camp (and I believe there is plenty of data to back it up) that says whenever you have to hire a new coach you are more likely to pick a failure than someone that will be successful. Many elite programs have gone through years of failures before hitting on an elite solution.

 

[orange parmejohn]

Strong accepted and the wife convinced him otherwise over night. He was scheduled into Knoxville and called to decline after saying yes..

I'm not saying it makes any logical sense but I think he would have been way more successful in Knoxville than he was in Texas.

 

[LWSVOL]

The year Fulmer was fired.

there were not that many at that time.

the Kiffin deal was pretty much finalized when Fulmer announcment was made on 11/3. all the details were not worked out but there was agreement to come here.

Anyone else interviewed after that was more of a show than being serious because Hamilton knew what he wanted. Some on the list in the previous post I made were talked to in 2008. They remembered that and it played into their refusal to talk a year later.

 

[BAJAvol]

I'm not saying it makes any logical sense but I think he would have been way more successful in Knoxville than he was in Texas.

16-21 at Texas may be the worse coaching job I have witnessed in recent years. Other than Dooley

 

[LWSVOL]

I'm not saying it makes any logical sense but I think he would have been way more successful in Knoxville than he was in Texas.

he would have had an easier time recruiting to Tennessee than Texas (his strength in recruiting is in the Southeast) and his acceptance by Tennessee would have been better than at Texas IMO

 

[BAJAvol]

there were not that many at that time.

the Kiffin deal was pretty much finalized when Fulmer announcment was made on 11/3. all the details were not worked out but there was agreement to come here.

Anyone else interviewed after that was more of a show than being serious because Hamilton knew what he wanted. Some on the list in the previous post I made were talked to in 2008. They remembered that and it played into their refusal to talk a year later.

Makes sense to have someone you've already spoken with prior to letting someone go that has been here for a long time with success. What I've never understood was where did Hamilton's infatuation with Kiffin come from? seemed kinda random. Maybe it was the young energetic part that he liked. Which was a complete 180 from Fulmer.

 

[LWSVOL]

Makes sense to have someone you've already spoken with prior to letting someone go that has been here for a long time with success. What I've never understood was where did Hamilton's infatuation with Kiffin come from? seemed kinda random. Maybe it was the young energetic part that he liked. Which was a complete 180 from Fulmer.

I think the young brassy part was a part of it but I also think the recruiting success at USC played a big part into it. Kiffin knows recruiting and knows you have to have good coaches who can get stud players. USC had great class runs while he was there on that staff.

Kiffin also promised to bring his Dad who was a renowned defensive coordinator across all football.

Kiffin would have ended up at Washington rather than Sark if UT hadn't gotten him. I think Kiffin was enamored with competing in the SEC. remember his jabs at Florida and others in his PC.

 

[jakez4ut]

Im curious as to who all was interviewed in 08. Little before I started following so in depth and it would be interesting to know.

after Fulmer was let go, that search was pretty tight lipped. Kiffin was always on the list, i do remember that. but he was hired pretty quick, so there wasn't a lot out there that tangible as to who may have actually said no at that point. others here probably have more info on that search specifically.

but in 2009 and 2012, there's some more clarity...
i know Mushcamp and Cutcliffe said no. Brian kelly was in the mix i think, but wound up at ND obviously. not sure how far that actually got, but i think it got further than many of us know.

i can't remember for sure, but i think Doug Marrone was involved in either 09 or 12 as well, but that didn't happen, for whatever reason.

after Dooley, Gruden was in play, but it fell thru...probably money, some others here have more insight on that, but it's pretty well known, that he was in play at that point.

charlie strong agreed in principle to the job, before Louisville compelled him to stay and ultimately say no.

Mike gundy said no as well after using TN get his.

cutcliffe said no, again.

there were others, mostly pipe dream type candidates that probably didn't even return the call.

long story short, it was a pretty big dose of reality in 09, and it was especially big when we "wound up" with Dooley a year later.

and butch was down the list as well.

but i think all of that, as LWS said, had a lot more to do with the condition of the program at the time, more so than just the money...

from 08 to 12, we had Fulmer, Kiffin, Dooley and hired butch. that's not exactly a great track record that warrants serious candidates at that time. financially, we were a mess, administratively we were a mess, we were talent deficient, and completely irrelevant on the field.

if you kind of follow the track at other places, generally mosts programs will go thru a couple/three coaches before pressing the right button. Bama did, GA did, LSU did, Ohio State and MIchigan did.

but it took the right coach, right time, right situation, and the money to make that happen.

and for what it's worth, it appears that Tennessee is to that point now as well. there's no doubt we're better off today than we were back then. the financials are way better today, and we should see some pretty good stability in the very near future from an administrative standpoint, and football wise, it's in much better condition now.

the table is set much better than it was then, now all we need is an administration that decides what the priorities are going to be going forward. if being and 8-9 win program is the priority, we're there. it's more, questions will have to be asked, and answered as to what needs to happen to do more.

 

[landscapingvol]

most did not interview. they accepted call and declined to speak about job. Not sure I can recall all of them. Do you mean 2010? it was before hiring Dooley

in no particular order except my memory

Mendenhall

Whittingham

Calhoun

Kelly

Patterson

Gundy

Cutcliffe

Muschamp

Golden

Sumlin (he didn't turn them down but they did speak with and likely would have went that direction had Dooley said no. negotiations might not of worked but who knows)

Sumlin, Cutcliff, and Muschamp could have all been viable options if it weren't for Athletic Department bumbling. I agree with you on Sumlin but the AD dropped the ball on Muschamp and Cutcliff. I don't blame Cutcliff for turning it down. Probably dodged a bullet with Muschamp although we probably would have been better off in the long run. But money certainly played a factor in Golden, now granted he was still relatively inexperienced at the time and he hasn't had a great record since but he had a track record of success at the time. That is the crux of it, at least you can say that you tried if he had failed. There is no fault in that. At times we don't even bother to try with the hires that we have made.

 

[landscapingvol]

there were not that many at that time.

the Kiffin deal was pretty much finalized when Fulmer announcment was made on 11/3. all the details were not worked out but there was agreement to come here.

Anyone else interviewed after that was more of a show than being serious because Hamilton knew what he wanted. Some on the list in the previous post I made were talked to in 2008. They remembered that and it played into their refusal to talk a year later.

Aka David Cutcliff

 

[TNnative]

Great business acumen and leadership skills has nothing to do with where you went to college.

Well you are from NC, so you don't hear the gripes of the locals. And though you may be correct in your assertion, you just don't get it.

It may mean nothing up there, but I assure you it means a great deal to the residents of this state.

 

[KBVol]

OP, officially we can;t contact anyone. Until we have a chancellor in place (chancellor makes the hire) there is no one to officially make contact.

Be patient, this will be over by Christmas.

Great news imo.

 

[BAJAvol]

after Fulmer was let go, that search was pretty tight lipped. Kiffin was always on the list, i do remember that. but he was hired pretty quick, so there wasn't a lot out there that tangible as to who may have actually said no at that point. others here probably have more info on that search specifically.

but in 2009 and 2012, there's some more clarity...
i know Mushcamp and Cutcliffe said no. Brian kelly was in the mix i think, but wound up at ND obviously. not sure how far that actually got, but i think it got further than many of us know.

i can't remember for sure, but i think Doug Marrone was involved in either 09 or 12 as well, but that didn't happen, for whatever reason.

after Dooley, Gruden was in play, but it fell thru...probably money, some others here have more insight on that, but it's pretty well known, that he was in play at that point.

charlie strong agreed in principle to the job, before Louisville compelled him to stay and ultimately say no.

Mike gundy said no as well after using TN get his.

cutcliffe said no, again.

there were others, mostly pipe dream type candidates that probably didn't even return the call.

long story short, it was a pretty big dose of reality in 09, and it was especially big when we "wound up" with Dooley a year later.

and butch was down the list as well.

but i think all of that, as LWS said, had a lot more to do with the condition of the program at the time, more so than just the money...

from 08 to 12, we had Fulmer, Kiffin, Dooley and hired butch. that's not exactly a great track record that warrants serious candidates at that time. financially, we were a mess, administratively we were a mess, we were talent deficient, and completely irrelevant on the field.

if you kind of follow the track at other places, generally mosts programs will go thru a couple/three coaches before pressing the right button. Bama did, GA did, LSU did, Ohio State and MIchigan did.

but it took the right coach, right time, right situation, and the money to make that happen.

and for what it's worth, it appears that Tennessee is to that point now as well. there's no doubt we're better off today than we were back then. the financials are way better today, and we should see some pretty good stability in the very near future from an administrative standpoint, and football wise, it's in much better condition now.

the table is set much better than it was then, now all we need is an administration that decides what the priorities are going to be going forward. if being and 8-9 win program is the priority, we're there. it's more, questions will have to be asked, and answered as to what needs to happen to do more.

Thank you for the info. It's interesting reading about stuff like that. I agree with you that we are in much better shape than those three times. In my opinion, when a program fires a big time coach like Fulmer, it somewhat scares off a few coaches. I think the UGA job would attract big time names. And it may have, and their AD was just set on Smart. It really is all about timing. A great college coach washing out of the NFL. Some guy having huge success at a smaller school (Meyer).

I really hope we have an athletic department that is not content with 8 wins every year for a financial reasons. 8 wins will never get you to Atlanta nor a big time bowl. So you lose out on $ there. Yea the bowls are split but the sugar bowl is still going to get your school more. More ticket sales, more apparel, more everything when you're a consistent 10-win top 10 team.

 

[LWSVOL]

Aka David Cutcliff

Calhoun wouldn't even take the call after Kiffin left.. he remembered the sham Hamilton pulled.

it is pretty easy to be interviewed for a position and determine quickly if someone has interest in you or not. Think Patterson was another who laughed at us.

 

[jakez4ut]

Thank you for the info. It's interesting reading about stuff like that. I agree with you that we are in much better shape than those three times. In my opinion, when a program fires a big time coach like Fulmer, it somewhat scares off a few coaches. I think the UGA job would attract big time names. And it may have, and their AD was just set on Smart. It really is all about timing. A great college coach washing out of the NFL. Some guy having huge success at a smaller school (Meyer).

I really hope we have an athletic department that is not content with 8 wins every year for a financial reasons. 8 wins will never get you to Atlanta nor a big time bowl. So you lose out on $ there. Yea the bowls are split but the sugar bowl is still going to get your school more. More ticket sales, more apparel, more everything when you're a consistent 10-win top 10 team.

well, going back to 2008 in my way back machine, while there was some questions on Kiffin, by and large, he was "the guy" they wanted, and they got him.

all the other stuff that happened since, was compromised by his departure less than a year later.

bad luck? bad management? whatever you want to call it...the hire of lane kiffin in and of itself wasn't a bad thing at the time. and by all accounts, TN had moved on, had their guy in place before Fulmer was let go, and at the time, appeared to have handled it....really well.

hindsight being what its, we now know different.

 

[jakez4ut]

Calhoun wouldn't even take the call after Kiffin left.. he remembered the sham Hamilton pulled.

it is pretty easy to be interviewed for a position and determine quickly if someone has interest in you or not. Think Patterson was another who laughed at us.

i believe you're correct.

 

[BAJAvol]

well, going back to 2008 in my way back machine, while there was some questions on Kiffin, by and large, he was "the guy" they wanted, and they got him.

all the other stuff that happened since, was compromised by his departure less than a year later.

bad luck? bad management? whatever you want to call it...the hire of lane kiffin in and of itself wasn't a bad thing at the time. and by all accounts, TN had moved on, had their guy in place before Fulmer was let go, and at the time, appeared to have handled it....really well.

hindsight being what its, we now know different.

I would really like to see where Tennessee would be at right now had that staff stayed. I can't stand the SOB but something tells me they would have done well here. He had everything. Huge AD support since it was his guy, Huge Fan support, Money, Facilities, Resources, etc. Tennessee was an excellent situation for him.

When he got to USC and the NCAA put the hammer down....I had a feeling it would come off the tracks. When the man that hired him was dismissed, I knew then it would not end well for him. Haden hated him the day he was hired and seemed to make it his mission to fire him.

 

[LWSVOL]

Thank you for the info. It's interesting reading about stuff like that. I agree with you that we are in much better shape than those three times. In my opinion, when a program fires a big time coach like Fulmer, it somewhat scares off a few coaches. I think the UGA job would attract big time names. And it may have, and their AD was just set on Smart. It really is all about timing. A great college coach washing out of the NFL. Some guy having huge success at a smaller school (Meyer).

I really hope we have an athletic department that is not content with 8 wins every year for a financial reasons. 8 wins will never get you to Atlanta nor a big time bowl. So you lose out on $ there. Yea the bowls are split but the sugar bowl is still going to get your school more. More ticket sales, more apparel, more everything when you're a consistent 10-win top 10 team.

from an athletics program standpoint, the next AD is going to have a lot of work to do.

While football is better today then 5-6 years ago it is still not stable. Lot of unrest coming off this season with the head coach and looking like plenty of assistant changes about to happen.

What is going to be the new administrations expectations for 2017 and what happens if they are not met? Another search?? Realistically, Tennessee football could have been in Atlanta the last two seasons and didn't make it. How many close calls will the current head coach get?

When you look at basketball, the men's program has struggled for several years. The current coach is long in the tooth and how long do you go with him??

The baseball coach is on thin ice and very likely if it hadn't happened that we were getting an new AD he would have been let go after this past season. How well does he need to do this next season to keep job?

the Lady Vols continue to struggle and look lost on the court. How long will Holly continue to lead that program.

So the new AD is coming into a situation that could be looking at many changes on the horizon.

 

[jos3ywales]

Your not crazy, I remember seeing that same article and thinking to myself that we was doomed and we was going to become a Vanderbilt. I was/am afraid this new admin will concentrate on academics and put athletics on the back burner. Now don't get me wrong academics are important and the main reason for a "college" but I want the best of both worlds.

Im glad someone else seen it too, I thought maybe I was losing my mind.

 

[jakez4ut]

from an athletics program standpoint, the next AD is going to have a lot of work to do.

While football is better today then 5-6 years ago it is still not stable. Lot of unrest coming off this season with the head coach and looking like plenty of assistant changes about to happen.

What is going to be the new administrations expectations for 2017 and what happens if they are not met? Another search?? Realistically, Tennessee football could have been in Atlanta the last two seasons and didn't make it. How many close calls will the current head coach get?

When you look at basketball, the men's program has struggled for several years. The current coach is long in the tooth and how long do you go with him??

The baseball coach is on thin ice and very likely if it hadn't happened that we were getting an new AD he would have been let go after this past season. How well does he need to do this next season to keep job?

the Lady Vols continue to struggle and look lost on the court. How long will Holly continue to lead that program.

So the new AD is coming into a situation that could be looking at many changes on the horizon.

good points. obviously most of us think in football terms primarily, but you're right.....there's immediate issues needing addressed, and several on the horizon as well.

from a priority standpoint, you'd think football is 1st on the list though, right? men's bball has a bit of a shelf life before you really have to do anything.

women's bball and baseball though, could see changes in the near future, but again, don't you have a little time to deal with those....

1. football
2. w bball
3. baseball
4. m bball

fair?

 

[BAJAvol]

from an athletics program standpoint, the next AD is going to have a lot of work to do.

While football is better today then 5-6 years ago it is still not stable. Lot of unrest coming off this season with the head coach and looking like plenty of assistant changes about to happen.

What is going to be the new administrations expectations for 2017 and what happens if they are not met? Another search?? Realistically, Tennessee football could have been in Atlanta the last two seasons and didn't make it. How many close calls will the current head coach get?

When you look at basketball, the men's program has struggled for several years. The current coach is long in the tooth and how long do you go with him??

The baseball coach is on thin ice and very likely if it hadn't happened that we were getting an new AD he would have been let go after this past season. How well does he need to do this next season to keep job?

the Lady Vols continue to struggle and look lost on the court. How long will Holly continue to lead that program.

So the new AD is coming into a situation that could be looking at many changes on the horizon.

Agreed. The dollar drivers have to be a top priority of course. I think its pretty common knowledge that this staff will not be more than an 8 win average staff. I think it will be hard to lure assistants that will truly make much of a difference since we more than likely wont offer long term deals. I think David (if he is in fact the new AD) should go ahead and start having those conversations with people. No way to avoid it. I think basketball will be ok from a coaching stand point for now. But his recruiting efforts will leave the basketball team as a 20 win mountain peak.

Holly is a disaster. Its just too much for her and someone needs to realized that before she has a mental break down on the damn sidelines.

baseball I couldn't even begin with.

Disclaimer: I hope to God I am wrong with football and by some grace, it turns around. But just being brutally honest.

 

[jakez4ut]

I would really like to see where Tennessee would be at right now had that staff stayed. I can't stand the SOB but something tells me they would have done well here. He had everything. Huge AD support since it was his guy, Huge Fan support, Money, Facilities, Resources, etc. Tennessee was an excellent situation for him.

When he got to USC and the NCAA put the hammer down....I had a feeling it would come off the tracks. When the man that hired him was dismissed, I knew then it would not end well for him. Haden hated him the day he was hired and seemed to make it his mission to fire him.

short term, i feel pretty comfortable in saying, given the condition of the East, he would have won the east at least 2-3 times. he could recruit, and i have no doubt he did wonders with Crompton, so i felt good about player development.

the downside is that it would have likely ended regardless, and the NCAA would have been knocking on the door at some point....so a) he would have won, probably fairly big and b) he'd of probably been fired or quit by now due to NCAA issues.

 

[LWSVOL]

good points. obviously most of us think in football terms primarily, but you're right.....there's immediate issues needing addressed, and several on the horizon as well.

from a priority standpoint, you'd think football is 1st on the list though, right? men's bball has a bit of a shelf life before you really have to do anything.

women's bball and baseball though, could see changes in the near future, but again, don't you have a little time to deal with those....

1. football
2. w bball
3. baseball
4. m bball

fair?

i think it is baseball 2 and w basketball three. Getting the # 1 class probably bought Holly a couple of years.

 

[landscapingvol]

Calhoun wouldn't even take the call after Kiffin left.. he remembered the sham Hamilton pulled.

it is pretty easy to be interviewed for a position and determine quickly if someone has interest in you or not. Think Patterson was another who laughed at us.

Do you blame Patterson? I can't speak on Calhoun but Cutcliff was not treated very well either

 

[BAJAvol]

short term, i feel pretty comfortable in saying, given the condition of the East, he would have won the east at least 2-3 times. he could recruit, and i have no doubt he did wonders with Crompton, so i felt good about player development.

the downside is that it would have likely ended regardless, and the NCAA would have been knocking on the door at some point....so a) he would have won, probably fairly big and b) he'd of probably been fired or quit by now due to NCAA issues.

I'd say you're correct haha. But the NCAA has proven to be a joke. If we were winning 10-12 games a year, they would probably be looking the other way. Would really look away if we were in the playoff hunt.