Is Pruitt Tennessee’s last big time chance?

[dcm3w]

Pruitt wins big here = Pruitt goes to Bama when Saban retires

Pruitt doesn’t win much of anything here = another coaching change in the next 5-10 years.

I know that’s cynical, but it’s the reality. So no, Pruitt is not the long term guy unfortunately. But if he wins big and goes to Bama, we will have our pick of whoever we want.

That's fine with me if Pruitt wins big here and then leaves for Bama. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to keep him but if he puts us in national championship contention then we are in waaaaay better shape than the past decade.

 

[LA vol7]

It’s a tenuous situation no doubt about it! Can u say Nebraska, Miami, USC, etc. it’s not as easy as it looks like it should be. There were those who said Bama would never be elite again. It takes the right coach

 

[dcm3w]

So my take on this is:

Pruitt is the right guy but maybe the wrong time. I feel like he is doing a good job of picking up after 3 bad coaches and a decade of dumpster fire. I think with his development and football savvy (bringing in top asst. coaches helps) will do fine but he'll need some "luck" to swing our way. If he gets that "luck" swing and has us upset teams the ways Mullen's MSU Bulldogs did then I believe we can finally be back to the team that no one wants to play.

However, if he doesn't get that luck and he fizzles out. I can see us being a mediocre team for a long time until we finally land that coach who happens to be innovative and resourceful with the talent around him. Similar to a Frost type coach.

 

[VolFanInHawaii]

There's too much money, pride, tradition, resources, and so on for any coach to be our "last big time chance". sure, every hire we get wrong makes it harder to climb back up, but it's never impossible.

 

[chattavol420]

It’s Pruitts “chance” period. Most guys only get 1. There’s no question that he knows it. Will he make it? Time will tell. I sure as hell hope he does. He’s been a top tier assistant and the no1 program so he’s been around that level of success.

 

[LordVOLdemort]

Pruitt wins big here = Pruitt goes to Bama when Saban retires

Pruitt doesn’t win much of anything here = another coaching change in the next 5-10 years.

I know that’s cynical, but it’s the reality. So no, Pruitt is not the long term guy unfortunately. But if he wins big and goes to Bama, we will have our pick of whoever we want.

I’m not sure that he leaves if he does well here. He wins here, we back up the truck. We are one of the richest programs in the country with a large fanbase.

Even if that happens, at least we will be winning again and maybe promote within or lure another big name. Right now we are grasping to stay afloat in the bottom of the SEC.

 

[livefaith]

Can't criticize the ADs all that much for the football hires.

If a really good coach had wanted to come to UT the AD would have hired him.

The coach has to want to come to UT. The AD can beg, genuflect, offer loads of cash and the coach may still find lots of reasons not to come.

Patterson?

 

[DiderotsGhost]

I honestly am not sure why you would say that. What in your opinion is the limiting factors that would prevent an Arkansas from winning at the highest level, but not a TN?

Arkansas has a very rich history, but as the recruiting terrain evolves, it continues to disfavor them. Alongside of Kentucky, Arkansas has one of the weakest pools of home state talent in the SEC. That limits them. Albeit, with all the money coming into the SEC these days, it's possible for Arkansas (and even Kentucky) to compete for a national title with the right coach and the right magical set of circumstances. But they have much larger hurdles than us.

South Carolina has surpassed Arkansas in many ways, and it goes back to recruiting. South Carolina is a good state for football talent. Arkansas is not. So even though South Carolina is one of the least storied programs in the SEC, I'd now consider them to have better "fundamentals" for potentially winning a national title than Arkansas.

There are 7 or 8 programs in the SEC that should be seen as having legit national title hopes: Georgia, LSU, Florida, Bama, us, Auburn, A&M, and then maybe South Carolina.

I think it's still very difficult to compete for a national title at Ole Miss, Miss State, Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Mizzou. Not impossible, but much more difficult to win big at those programs.

 

[volintheham]

Pruitt wins big here = Pruitt goes to Bama when Saban retires

Pruitt doesn’t win much of anything here = another coaching change in the next 5-10 years.

I know that’s cynical, but it’s the reality. So no, Pruitt is not the long term guy unfortunately. But if he wins big and goes to Bama, we will have our pick of whoever we want.

Dabo is first in line for Bama. Pruitt will make his mark here and unlike the previous mentioned so called “coaches” we actually have one, finally. With an AD who is similar to Dickey. Just get ready as you can see with our new players. Lines and beef, not just skill positions, is the key.

 

[butchna]

Patterson?

Will never leave TCU. Too rooted and the wealthy boosters won’t let it be about money.

 

[butchna]

Dabo is first in line for Bama. Pruitt will make his mark here and unlike the previous mentioned so called “coaches” we actually have one, finally. With an AD who is similar to Dickey. Just get ready as you can see with our new players. Lines and beef, not just skill positions, is the key.

Depends on when offered. If the job was offered today he’s gone yesterday. Simply hasn’t had time for himself or his family to become Tennessean imo.

 

[volgrad500]

Arkansas has a very rich history, but as the recruiting terrain evolves, it continues to disfavor them. Alongside of Kentucky, Arkansas has one of the weakest pools of home state talent in the SEC. That limits them. Albeit, with all the money coming into the SEC these days, it's possible for Arkansas (and even Kentucky) to compete for a national title with the right coach and the right magical set of circumstances. But they have much larger hurdles than us.

South Carolina has surpassed Arkansas in many ways, and it goes back to recruiting. South Carolina is a good state for football talent. Arkansas is not. So even though South Carolina is one of the least storied programs in the SEC, I'd now consider them to have better "fundamentals" for potentially winning a national title than Arkansas.

There are 7 or 8 programs in the SEC that should be seen as having legit national title hopes: Georgia, LSU, Florida, Bama, us, Auburn, A&M, and then maybe South Carolina.

I think it's still very difficult to compete for a national title at Ole Miss, Miss State, Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Mizzou. Not impossible, but much more difficult to win big at those programs.

All good points. I honestly don't know enough about Arkansas to add much, but on a superficial level, it almost feels like A@M's inclusion into the SEC has hurt them. It allows Texas kids to play in the SEC without going to nearby Arkansas.

 

[Elhanan]

I think Fulmer brought in Chaney and/or Tee to be Pruitt’s replacement if things go sideways.

 

[livefaith]

Crazy thot ... I'm gonna wait until we beat Vandy before putting any mental energy into the Pruitt follows Saban debate.

 

[SalVolinus]

We’ve seen the carousel go round for over a decade now. Each time it seems we fall further and further down.

We started with Kiffin, who was one of the hottest names in the market and by most accounts a real get for a program that was just a couple years removed from playing in the SEC championship game.

Once that mattress fire burned out we went with a Dooley, a mediocre at best head coach who had some success (albeit only when compared to a historically bad program’s track record).

That too fizzled out. Our next move? Butch Jones. A coach that had a fair amount of success at a much smaller school (and also lost to the coach we had just fired). But still a man with head coaching experiences.

Now we have gone to Pruitt. A top tier assistant who has proven his worth in that arena, but has no head coaching experience (maybe at the high school level?? I don’t think so).

What’s next? Tennessee is becoming a school more known for sending head coaches to the ranks of interns than for winning big time ball games. Is Pruitt our last “big fish” candidate?

I don't think there's much truth in your post, or premise to be quite honest.

Dooley, was by all means, the worst hire of the bunch - and that was 3 coaches ago. To say Butch Jones was an increasingly worse hire than that? The guy had 2 conference championships at the time, and ended up accounting for two 9 win seasons in a row at UT. We then followed that up with hiring Pruitt, the defensive coordinator at Alabama. Which means we did the exact same thing as Georgia.

So, in short, I'll give you credit - Kiffin to Dooley was a massive drop. But the 2 hires after that have been improvements on each other. Furthermore, it's college football and programs are never truly dead or safe. Within the last 10 years, many Penn State fans didn't think they'd be able to find 85 kids that wanted to put on their jersey. Clemson literally couldn't find anyone to take their HC job so they paid a coordinator named Dabo Sweeney to take over on an interim basis. Meanwhile, programs like Tennessee, Miami, Texas, Nebraska, and USC which have great tradition and enough money to purchase small countries have been struggling for a decade +.

You're a fan. Just show up and support the team - in the low points more than the high points. Nobody needs a fan when everything is going great.

 

[WoodsmanVol]

I tink the Puddytats are recruiting better these days. Thay beeting teams whe don beet. Elf whe desmize tem offhan, whe du sew et our on periwell.

 

[VolsnRavens]

Pruitt was closer to a minnow than a big fish when we hired him as HC. That doesn't mean he won't succeed (see Dabo Swinney) but let's not re-write history here either.....

Man, I don't want to drink what you're drinking. Pruitt was never a minnow. How many games and championships were Dooley or Jones ever a part of? They are minnows. Please look at the history of each of them and reassess your statement. I believe Pruitt will only fail if the athletic department fails him, and with Fulmer as the AD, a former player and NC coach, I just don't seen that happening. Call me out if it happens.

 

[LittleVol]

With the way money flows through the SEC.
No. Kentucky has shown they can rise..

I mean they beat Florida and Penn State in the same year . Also a very good Mizzou team.

Tennessee has better everything than them.
We can do the same stuff Alabama has done the past 10 years....if we get someone like Saban.

 

[butchna]

I think Fulmer brought in Chaney and/or Tee to be Pruitt’s replacement if things go sideways.

Not Chaney...he’s the Chavis of OC’s. I see Tee as a future candidate and believe that Fulmer felt bad that he couldn’t legitimately interview him for the position. Immerse him in the full experience under the mantra of Ole Alma Mater and who knows? He was never in that position at previous stops. He was hired for his recruiting and placated with titles with no intention of future consideration to lead the program.

 

[MikeVol44]

UT has remarkably found the exact wrong guys at the wrong times so it has been worse than it should have been.
But it is a matter of time considering the facilities, support, and history of UT.
We just CANNOT afford to be "patient".

WOW. I just cannot disagree more with this viewpoint.

It was IMPATIENCE that led Hamilton to hire Derek the Dufus when he could've allowed Kippy Brown to remain as interim for the 2010 season
in an effort to steady the ship.

We MUST give CJP 5 years to straighten this mess out.

 

[Backwards K]

What scares me about this thread is remembering talking with Ole Miss fans in the late 70s. The Rebs had been a national contender throughout the 60s but had not been relevant in 8-10 years. Ole Miss fans were convinced their program would not stay down long but, they haven't been relevant since 1969 and haven't been a top 10 team since the early 60s. From an outsider looking in, it doesn't appear as if they ever truly committed to being great again after Vaught retired.

Sadly, the Tennessee Board of Regents haven't really made a commitment to being great since the early 2000s. They hamstrung the program with academic guidelines that were stricter than other SEC schools, hired a couple of Athletic Directors who didn't understand UT Football and hired a succession of no name, mediocre coaches who brought the UT program to the lower levels of mediocrity. To be honest, the more time goes by, the more UT Football continues their slide into the trash bin of mediocrity with the Ole Misses of the football world.

Think about this. Vols went from two UT icons who loved Tennessee Football and were doing everything they could to make it successful. Both had bad years but "fought like heck" to get it back to the upper levels. Either one of those guys would have been a huge improvement over the succession of:
--Kiffin, a punk who was not respected by anyone in the coaching world. Didn't respect UT's tradition or the game of football. He has been given top jobs and failed at every one of them
--Dooley: a jerk who was in so far over his head, it was comical. Not respected by players, coaching staff, support staff or anyone in the University. Just a loser
--Butch: clueless as to what it took to win in the SEC. His sayings wore thin after a couple of years and he had a legacy class or 2 fall in his lap and he blew it with terrible game day decisions.
--Pruitt: a football coach but once again, UT Football went bargain basement shopping and hired someone with no HC experience at any level. So far, so good but why does UT have to hire unproven? Has assembled a great staff and is recruiting well but, there is no way to know where this coach and this program will be in 5 years.

With that, I close with; I still hate Mike Hamilton.

 

[Remy]

Truth be told Kiffin left us in the lurch, it was not the usual time of year for a head football coach to be coming or going anywhere. Dooley was pretty much one of the few willing to take it at that point, it's how we got him.

 

[Remy]

Arkansas has a very rich history, but as the recruiting terrain evolves, it continues to disfavor them. Alongside of Kentucky, Arkansas has one of the weakest pools of home state talent in the SEC. That limits them. Albeit, with all the money coming into the SEC these days, it's possible for Arkansas (and even Kentucky) to compete for a national title with the right coach and the right magical set of circumstances. But they have much larger hurdles than us.

South Carolina has surpassed Arkansas in many ways, and it goes back to recruiting. South Carolina is a good state for football talent. Arkansas is not. So even though South Carolina is one of the least storied programs in the SEC, I'd now consider them to have better "fundamentals" for potentially winning a national title than Arkansas.

There are 7 or 8 programs in the SEC that should be seen as having legit national title hopes: Georgia, LSU, Florida, Bama, us, Auburn, A&M, and then maybe South Carolina.

I think it's still very difficult to compete for a national title at Ole Miss, Miss State, Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Mizzou. Not impossible, but much more difficult to win big at those programs.

Arkansas lives or dies based on how well they recruit Texas, always have always will. Their problem is the rise of other schools that have to recruit the same state well, like Baylor, Texas Tech, and TCU, recall how many decades TCU was not competitive with many high school teams?? Oklahoma State is now competitive but back in the day there were only 3 or 4 schools that were big time programs in that area of the country, Texas, T A&M, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

We used to, although our population is larger now hence talent has elevated in state some, traditionally needed to recruit North Carolina and Georgia well. Clemson has taken over from where we were regarding recruiting IMO but we are coming back some. It's not going to be easy but Pruitt is the kind of guy I think that may be able to do it. We still need to get kids out of both Cackalacks, Georgia, and a few needs filled out of the Sunshine state to do well IMO.

 

[Backwards K]

Truth be told Kiffin left us in the lurch, it was not the usual time of year for a head football coach to be coming or going anywhere. Dooley was pretty much one of the few willing to take it at that point, it's how we got him.

Could have hired Cutcliffe. But the idiot Athletic Director wouldn't let him pick his own staff. So, we get a jerk who was in way over his head (not even winning at La Tech) instead of one of the best football coaches of the past 15 years in NCAA. So, yeah, UT had to settle for Dooley because they weren't willing to pay enough to get a real coach AND the one real coach that would take the job, they tried to make him keep some of the coaches on the current staff.

 

[FirstAndGoal]

Pruitt wins big here = Pruitt goes to Bama when Saban retires

Pruitt doesn’t win much of anything here = another coaching change in the next 5-10 years.

I know that’s cynical, but it’s the reality. So no, Pruitt is not the long term guy unfortunately. But if he wins big and goes to Bama, we will have our pick of whoever we want.

If Pruitt wins big here there is no reason to go to Alabama.

First off, I am 100% on the Pruitt train. But Pruitt will not have five years or more to turn the program around. Serious progress toward championships (at least SEC) after three years or he's gone. No more crapping around. No more Dooley/Jones try-outs. Sorry, but it's time to win again at Tennessee and keep it that way. GBO!!!