The coaching search revisited

[Atlanta917]

I thought Pruitt was a very iffy hire. He’s proving me right. The good news is he can get better and if he doesn’t, UT can always find the right guy somewhere else.

Freeze is probably at the top of a lot of lists. I actually think Brady, the ex OC of LSU, would be a nice hire if paired with a veteran DC who can recruit, like Muschamp when he gets fired. That LSU turn around speaks for itself.

 

[99gator]

1)Because all programs go thru ebbs and flows for various reasons (coaching, recruiting changes, conference changes, evolution of the game, etc). Every major football power has been through it

2)not at all. But all programs go thru losses to terrible teams and have average years. To act like us losing to Ga State was worse than Bama losing to La Monroe or Florida losing to Ga Southern is silly. We need to improve. No one is saying we don’t. But firing a coach every 2-3 years for another unproven coach is just roulette at this point

The dude who lost to LA-Monroe was in year 1 and went 12-0 the next season with a 4th quarter lead against the eventual national champion in the SEC title game. Then, he won the national title in year 3.

The dude who lost to Georgia Southern got fired.

One of the things that is remarkable about Tennessee is that while I am supposedly a troll (all rival fans are), almost every single season since 2010, Tennessee has fallen below my expectations. Not a sunshine pumping fan's expectations. A rival fan's. One of the few years that wasn't true was last year. I had them 7-5 and they got there in the strangest of ways.

I had them 5-5 this year and most would have said that was way too low. They aren't going 5-5.

I can't even remember a year when Tennessee "beat everyone they were supposed to beat".

 

[Jaws]

Freeze is probably at the top of a lot of lists. I actually think Brady, the ex OC of LSU, would be a nice hire if paired with a veteran DC who can recruit, like Muschamp when he gets fired. That LSU turn around speaks for itself.

All good suggestions. Freeze would be a helluva get for UT in my opinion.

 

[Atlanta917]

All good suggestions. Freeze would be a helluva get for UT in my opinion.

Freeze would be a good pick up for anyone. Costly with the new contract though. Just think Brady would be a sneaky good back up option if he’s willing to leave his NFL OC job.

 

[Credo]

Freeze beat Saban twice. That alone makes him elite and the top of any coaching list. Just hold your nose and don’t ask how the sausage was made

 

[Rickyvol77]

By home run I mean a level of basic competence.

What Lane is doing at OM gives reason for hope and optimism. Same with Mullen at UF. Somehow LSU falls into a national championship with Orgeron. UGA hits it right out of the gate with Smart post Richt. Auburn has even won with Gus and knocked of Bama a few times.

Yet here we are with a not ready Lane followed by Dooley, Jones, and now Pruitt.

You can’t make this ‘ish up. It’s absurd.

I’m at the point where I’m just going to accept the fact we are what we are. Not really interested in watching Bama roll of 20 in a row against us and UF annually kicking our teeth in. I don’t see us beating UGA either in the likely near future. This isn’t fun and I can’t remember the last time it was.

What has Lane done at ole miss?
he has lost to Florida, Bama by 3 TDS or more
He lost to Arkansas by 2 TDs
He’s lost to Auburn
He’s beaten South Carolina and Vandy
He beat Uk by 1 pt after they missed two chip shot FGs

The UK game is the only difference between what he and Pruitt has accomplished on the field. And I think Pruitt has underachieved as well

 

[EconVol92]

The dude who lost to LA-Monroe was in year 1 and went 12-0 the next season with a 4th quarter lead against the eventual national champion in the SEC title game. Then, he won the national title in year 3.

The dude who lost to Georgia Southern got fired.

One of the things that is remarkable about Tennessee is that while I am supposedly a troll (all rival fans are), almost every single season since 2010, Tennessee has fallen below my expectations. Not a sunshine pumping fan's expectations. A rival fan's. One of the few years that wasn't true was last year. I had them 7-5 and they got there in the strangest of ways.

I had them 5-5 this year and most would have said that was way too low. They aren't going 5-5.

I can't even remember a year when Tennessee "beat everyone they were supposed to beat".

I don’t consider you a troll in the least.

Your opinions don’t have anything resembling a troll but more of an outsiders view not distorted by a lot of our own bias towards our team.

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

Agree but people now a days are too young to remember the rebuilding jobs in the 70s and 80s where Tennessee lost to Army and Rutgers and Virginia etc. The new generations think anything less than a 4 year rebuild is worthy of immediate firing. And what’s worse is they incorrectly assume some “hot” coach who is doing well with weak schedule at a completely different situation would do better.
I remember when people on this board wanted the likes of Fleck, Franklin, Leach, Tubberville, Ferentz, Harbaugh, Kelly, Chizik, Miles, Richt, Fuente, Rodriguez, Cristobal, Hawkins, Brohm, Johnson, Frost, etc and they are all fired or struggling

There is no “dream” coach that would win big here or anywhere else. They are ALL a game of hit and miss.

 

[PlanetVolunteer]

Other schools actually finish rebuilding in a year or 2. Tennessee has been rebuilding for a decade

Thats the one thing I cant get out of my head.

So many schools that immediately turn around in a year or two. They usually have an OFFENSE.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

many words, limited value

I'm gonna have to ask you to stfu.

You probably walk up to groups of strangers and offer them advice, too.

Don't do that.

We're not your family. We're not your friends. You're a Florida fan. If you want to be friendly and supportive, go to a Florida fan board.

Here on VN.com, please restrict yourself to talking smack. You know, what opposing team fans are expected to do.

Know your role. Thanks.

 

[RDU VOL#14]

Saw this on Twitter this morning...

 

[MaTaLa]

I couldn't take Kiffin in your shoes either.

It's one thing to take back a woman who's cheated on you. It's another thing to get on your hands and knees and beg the woman who has cheated on you to come back.

No bueno.

If I was you, that'd be my narrative, as well.

 

[lilesrt]

Let’s rewind the clock a little.

• How quickly we forget. The last coaching search was a mess from the get go. It resulted in an AD getting fired and Fulmer having to come to the rescue in the first place.
• The hires from that year have been an epic fail. The “A” list were Chip Kelly and Scott Frost. I’ll cut Frost some slack because I think he had more work to do than anyone else, but it’s still a fail at this point. Dan Mullen was largely viewed as a shoulder shrug hire. Not bad, but not all that great either. Jimbo has had some success and A&M has gotten better every year. The only guy to win a championship at this point…..Mario Cristobal. Yep, Cristobal. But, there are a lot of Willie Taggarts in that group.
• I think people need to remember what a home run hire is at this point. Once in a blue moon, you have a guy build a dominant program at a doormat. But, that’s extremely rare. You’re normal “home run hire” is a guy like Matt Campbell who hasn’t won anything, but has done as well or better than anyone else who’s coached where he is. Campbell isn’t going to win the Big XII, so judging him that way is not fair. IMO, this is the kind of candidate you need to look for. A head coach, with experience, who has overperformed where he is even if the results don’t appear to be spectacular on the surface. He's 40 years old. He's been a head coach at 2 places. His first head coaching gig was at 32 years old.

Pruitt has failed, IMO. But, why would I pass judgment that way? Is it because he hasn’t won a championship? No. Is it because he’s 0-8 against Florida, Georgia, and Alabama? No.


He has failed because he has not separated Tennessee from the “other” pack out there in the league. By failing to do that, Tennessee did not go bowling in 2018. They robbed themselves of a better bowl in 2019. What bowl do they go to at 9-3 instead of 7-5? And they are going to fail to go to a bowl game this year. That isn’t because of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. That’s because of Vanderbilt, Georgia State, BYU, Kentucky and Arkansas.


At this point, they were supposed to be clearly better than the also rans of the league and they aren’t. The other obvious thing is to start naming things Tennessee does really well or does at the level they need to. I can’t think of any.


But, the reality is the “home run hire” is a fantasy, not just at Tennessee, but everywhere.

JMO

Scott Frost hasn’t had success at Nebraska for much of the same reason he wouldn’t have had success at Tennessee. Both are flawed programs. There is something deeply internally wrong within the UT Athletic Department. Much is probably true at Nebraska.

 

[MaTaLa]

I'm gonna have to ask you to stfu.

You probably walk up to groups of strangers and offer them advice, too.

Don't do that.

We're not your family. We're not your friends. You're a Florida fan. If you want to be friendly and supportive, go to a Florida fan board.

Here on VN.com, please restrict yourself to talking smack. You know, what opposing team fans are expected to do.

Know your role. Thanks.

My homie!

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

Let’s rewind the clock a little.

• How quickly we forget. The last coaching search was a mess from the get go. It resulted in an AD getting fired and Fulmer having to come to the rescue in the first place.
• The hires from that year have been an epic fail. The “A” list were Chip Kelly and Scott Frost. I’ll cut Frost some slack because I think he had more work to do than anyone else, but it’s still a fail at this point. Dan Mullen was largely viewed as a shoulder shrug hire. Not bad, but not all that great either. Jimbo has had some success and A&M has gotten better every year. The only guy to win a championship at this point…..Mario Cristobal. Yep, Cristobal. But, there are a lot of Willie Taggarts in that group.
• I think people need to remember what a home run hire is at this point. Once in a blue moon, you have a guy build a dominant program at a doormat. But, that’s extremely rare. You’re normal “home run hire” is a guy like Matt Campbell who hasn’t won anything, but has done as well or better than anyone else who’s coached where he is. Campbell isn’t going to win the Big XII, so judging him that way is not fair. IMO, this is the kind of candidate you need to look for. A head coach, with experience, who has overperformed where he is even if the results don’t appear to be spectacular on the surface. He's 40 years old. He's been a head coach at 2 places. His first head coaching gig was at 32 years old.

Pruitt has failed, IMO. But, why would I pass judgment that way? Is it because he hasn’t won a championship? No. Is it because he’s 0-8 against Florida, Georgia, and Alabama? No.


He has failed because he has not separated Tennessee from the “other” pack out there in the league. By failing to do that, Tennessee did not go bowling in 2018. They robbed themselves of a better bowl in 2019. What bowl do they go to at 9-3 instead of 7-5? And they are going to fail to go to a bowl game this year. That isn’t because of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. That’s because of Vanderbilt, Georgia State, BYU, Kentucky and Arkansas.


At this point, they were supposed to be clearly better than the also rans of the league and they aren’t. The other obvious thing is to start naming things Tennessee does really well or does at the level they need to. I can’t think of any.


But, the reality is the “home run hire” is a fantasy, not just at Tennessee, but everywhere.

JMO

Forget a home run hire.

I would settle for them hiring a coach that doesn't have an air of douchebaggery around them for a change that everyone could get behind.

Kiffin: mouthy punk who initially got by on his daddy's name

Dooley: had a superiority complex with all his analogies regarding WWII and inane slogans ( opportunity is nowhere ) who also got by on his last name

Jones : road Kelly's coattails and was just an all around jackass used car salesman especially when the pressure started getting to him

Pruitt: been getting beat like a drum for 3 years now by great teams, decent teams, and lousy teams and his big response this season has been to remind everyone he used to coach at Alabama and he knows what championship teams look like. Made his priorities known as soon as he took the job by helping Bama win another title.

I would be thrilled to get a Bellichick or Saban type who could let the product on the field do the talking but, short of that, at least get someone that the players and fans can actually coalesce around.

 

[rjd970]

What has Lane done at ole miss?
he has lost to Florida, Bama by 3 TDS or more
He lost to Arkansas by 2 TDs
He’s lost to Auburn
He’s beaten South Carolina and Vandy
He beat Uk by 1 pt after they missed two chip shot FGs

The UK game is the only difference between what he and Pruitt has accomplished on the field. And I think Pruitt has underachieved as well

Lol in one year? He went toe to toe with Bama for almost 4 quarters. Beating people he should, staying competitive with those he shouldn’t beat.

Yes - he has accomplished a level of basic competence in one year at OM that we can on dream about with our last three hires.

 

[Noggin]

Let’s rewind the clock a little.

• How quickly we forget. The last coaching search was a mess from the get go. It resulted in an AD getting fired and Fulmer having to come to the rescue in the first place.
• The hires from that year have been an epic fail. The “A” list were Chip Kelly and Scott Frost. I’ll cut Frost some slack because I think he had more work to do than anyone else, but it’s still a fail at this point. Dan Mullen was largely viewed as a shoulder shrug hire. Not bad, but not all that great either. Jimbo has had some success and A&M has gotten better every year. The only guy to win a championship at this point…..Mario Cristobal. Yep, Cristobal. But, there are a lot of Willie Taggarts in that group.
• I think people need to remember what a home run hire is at this point. Once in a blue moon, you have a guy build a dominant program at a doormat. But, that’s extremely rare. You’re normal “home run hire” is a guy like Matt Campbell who hasn’t won anything, but has done as well or better than anyone else who’s coached where he is. Campbell isn’t going to win the Big XII, so judging him that way is not fair. IMO, this is the kind of candidate you need to look for. A head coach, with experience, who has overperformed where he is even if the results don’t appear to be spectacular on the surface. He's 40 years old. He's been a head coach at 2 places. His first head coaching gig was at 32 years old.

Pruitt has failed, IMO. But, why would I pass judgment that way? Is it because he hasn’t won a championship? No. Is it because he’s 0-8 against Florida, Georgia, and Alabama? No.


He has failed because he has not separated Tennessee from the “other” pack out there in the league. By failing to do that, Tennessee did not go bowling in 2018. They robbed themselves of a better bowl in 2019. What bowl do they go to at 9-3 instead of 7-5? And they are going to fail to go to a bowl game this year. That isn’t because of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. That’s because of Vanderbilt, Georgia State, BYU, Kentucky and Arkansas.


At this point, they were supposed to be clearly better than the also rans of the league and they aren’t. The other obvious thing is to start naming things Tennessee does really well or does at the level they need to. I can’t think of any.


But, the reality is the “home run hire” is a fantasy, not just at Tennessee, but everywhere.

JMO

I'm telling you Pruitt is the right man for the job. We all need to be patient. Rome Georgia wasn't built in a day.

 

["It's Time"]

Let’s rewind the clock a little.

• How quickly we forget. The last coaching search was a mess from the get go. It resulted in an AD getting fired and Fulmer having to come to the rescue in the first place.
• The hires from that year have been an epic fail. The “A” list were Chip Kelly and Scott Frost. I’ll cut Frost some slack because I think he had more work to do than anyone else, but it’s still a fail at this point. Dan Mullen was largely viewed as a shoulder shrug hire. Not bad, but not all that great either. Jimbo has had some success and A&M has gotten better every year. The only guy to win a championship at this point…..Mario Cristobal. Yep, Cristobal. But, there are a lot of Willie Taggarts in that group.
• I think people need to remember what a home run hire is at this point. Once in a blue moon, you have a guy build a dominant program at a doormat. But, that’s extremely rare. You’re normal “home run hire” is a guy like Matt Campbell who hasn’t won anything, but has done as well or better than anyone else who’s coached where he is. Campbell isn’t going to win the Big XII, so judging him that way is not fair. IMO, this is the kind of candidate you need to look for. A head coach, with experience, who has overperformed where he is even if the results don’t appear to be spectacular on the surface. He's 40 years old. He's been a head coach at 2 places. His first head coaching gig was at 32 years old.

Pruitt has failed, IMO. But, why would I pass judgment that way? Is it because he hasn’t won a championship? No. Is it because he’s 0-8 against Florida, Georgia, and Alabama? No.


He has failed because he has not separated Tennessee from the “other” pack out there in the league. By failing to do that, Tennessee did not go bowling in 2018. They robbed themselves of a better bowl in 2019. What bowl do they go to at 9-3 instead of 7-5? And they are going to fail to go to a bowl game this year. That isn’t because of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. That’s because of Vanderbilt, Georgia State, BYU, Kentucky and Arkansas.


At this point, they were supposed to be clearly better than the also rans of the league and they aren’t. The other obvious thing is to start naming things Tennessee does really well or does at the level they need to. I can’t think of any.


But, the reality is the “home run hire” is a fantasy, not just at Tennessee, but everywhere.

JMO

It’s about fit, always has been and always will be.

 

[MAUSERWERKE]

The big miss was Mullins. We didn't close the deal which allowed Florida to creep in and steal him away. It would have been less likely to happen had we already signed him. I think he was actually in Knoxville to sign his contract when Florida finally decided to make a change and contacted him. He was a proven coach in the SEC. That was the right call. Then we fell into the same routine we had in previous searches because like the other searches we had no plan B. Dooley, Jones and Pruitt all ended up being plan B options that were not even an option to start.

Ultimately, Pruitt has to be given time, "his" recruits are still growing and are basically Freshmen and Sophomores. You can't count that first recruiting class because he didn't get hired in time to have any chance to really recruit his guys. He had to settle on Jones' recruits that stayed committed and whatever recruits were still available after the early signing date which saw most recruits sign during the early signing date. Once all of Jones' players are out of the system, we will see if he really can coach or not.

So, these first couple of years are the years where Pruitt learns to be a head coach so that once his players are ready to take off, he is ready too. These first few years will have its ups and downs and we have definitely seen that. After 12+ years of mediocrity at best between 4 different coaches, our fans will have to wait and be patient in the wake of the up and down results we are seeing now. Having CJPs recruits starting to finally be developed (Juniors), we will start having more depth built up.

For now and always, GBO!!!!

UF's athletic directors always seem to act proactively and decisively to do what they feel they need to do. Their decision to fire McElwain is a perfect example. He was clearly underperforming, and he handed his administration a golden opportunity to fire him "for cause," which allowed the university to negotiate a much lower buyout, and clear the way for a guy they strongly believed was a big upgrade: Mullen (and he clearly was).

This never seems to happen at UT. The powers that be hem, haw and stumble around for years while hanging on to at best, marginal coaches. Then they get around to firing them, and hire another seemingly promising, often unknown coach, and the process repeats.

Does our AD keep a list of prospective coaches that, if he could hire them "today" he would take action to get? Certainly, buyouts are a big consideration, and sometimes things just aren't possible. But just hypothetically, what do you think Fulmer would do if he found he could hire Urban Meyer (or whatever coach would be a clear, proven winner) today. Would he move heaven and earth to do that? I don't think so. UT's administration is timid and reactive. It just is.

 

[lilesrt]

Let’s rewind the clock a little.

• How quickly we forget. The last coaching search was a mess from the get go. It resulted in an AD getting fired and Fulmer having to come to the rescue in the first place.
• The hires from that year have been an epic fail. The “A” list were Chip Kelly and Scott Frost. I’ll cut Frost some slack because I think he had more work to do than anyone else, but it’s still a fail at this point. Dan Mullen was largely viewed as a shoulder shrug hire. Not bad, but not all that great either. Jimbo has had some success and A&M has gotten better every year. The only guy to win a championship at this point…..Mario Cristobal. Yep, Cristobal. But, there are a lot of Willie Taggarts in that group.
• I think people need to remember what a home run hire is at this point. Once in a blue moon, you have a guy build a dominant program at a doormat. But, that’s extremely rare. You’re normal “home run hire” is a guy like Matt Campbell who hasn’t won anything, but has done as well or better than anyone else who’s coached where he is. Campbell isn’t going to win the Big XII, so judging him that way is not fair. IMO, this is the kind of candidate you need to look for. A head coach, with experience, who has overperformed where he is even if the results don’t appear to be spectacular on the surface. He's 40 years old. He's been a head coach at 2 places. His first head coaching gig was at 32 years old.

Pruitt has failed, IMO. But, why would I pass judgment that way? Is it because he hasn’t won a championship? No. Is it because he’s 0-8 against Florida, Georgia, and Alabama? No.


He has failed because he has not separated Tennessee from the “other” pack out there in the league. By failing to do that, Tennessee did not go bowling in 2018. They robbed themselves of a better bowl in 2019. What bowl do they go to at 9-3 instead of 7-5? And they are going to fail to go to a bowl game this year. That isn’t because of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. That’s because of Vanderbilt, Georgia State, BYU, Kentucky and Arkansas.


At this point, they were supposed to be clearly better than the also rans of the league and they aren’t. The other obvious thing is to start naming things Tennessee does really well or does at the level they need to. I can’t think of any.


But, the reality is the “home run hire” is a fantasy, not just at Tennessee, but everywhere.

JMO

Tennesse should hire someone like Matt Rhule or Bruce Pearl. Sure, both are household names now, but when initially hired.. nobody knew them. They had the intangibles for success that were necessary to win at all levels of competition. Given the chance, both are/were highly successful. It takes foresight and intuition from the AD to make hires such as these, and unfortunately Tennessee’s administration embodies ZERO of these qualities. This AD is a day late & dollar short on just about every move they make. Which is the reason we’ve been in a hire/fire cycle for the last decade.

 

[lilesrt]

Freeze beat Saban twice. That alone makes him elite and the top of any coaching list. Just hold your nose and don’t ask how the sausage was made

Joe Brady is a trendy hire, but risky. He’s a good offensive coordinator, but what makes you believe he’d be any better than Pruitt in terms of being a head coach at the SEC level?

 

[Orangeslice13]

The dude who lost to LA-Monroe was in year 1 and went 12-0 the next season with a 4th quarter lead against the eventual national champion in the SEC title game. Then, he won the national title in year 3.

The dude who lost to Georgia Southern got fired.

One of the things that is remarkable about Tennessee is that while I am supposedly a troll (all rival fans are), almost every single season since 2010, Tennessee has fallen below my expectations. Not a sunshine pumping fan's expectations. A rival fan's. One of the few years that wasn't true was last year. I had them 7-5 and they got there in the strangest of ways.

I had them 5-5 this year and most would have said that was way too low. They aren't going 5-5.

I can't even remember a year when Tennessee "beat everyone they were supposed to beat".

Fulmer was a fluke.
Tennessee will never be elite again. We’re just not committed to it and never have been
It is what it is.

 

[Credo]

Joe Brady is a trendy hire, but risky. He’s a good offensive coordinator, but what makes you believe he’d be any better than Pruitt in terms of being a head coach at the SEC level?

Did you miss the first word of my post?

 

[JohnWardForever]

The big miss was Mullins. We didn't close the deal which allowed Florida to creep in and steal him away. It would have been less likely to happen had we already signed him. I think he was actually in Knoxville to sign his contract when Florida finally decided to make a change and contacted him. He was a proven coach in the SEC. That was the right call. Then we fell into the same routine we had in previous searches because like the other searches we had no plan B. Dooley, Jones and Pruitt all ended up being plan B options that were not even an option to start.

Ultimately, Pruitt has to be given time, "his" recruits are still growing and are basically Freshmen and Sophomores. You can't count that first recruiting class because he didn't get hired in time to have any chance to really recruit his guys. He had to settle on Jones' recruits that stayed committed and whatever recruits were still available after the early signing date which saw most recruits sign during the early signing date. Once all of Jones' players are out of the system, we will see if he really can coach or not.

So, these first couple of years are the years where Pruitt learns to be a head coach so that once his players are ready to take off, he is ready too. These first few years will have its ups and downs and we have definitely seen that. After 12+ years of mediocrity at best between 4 different coaches, our fans will have to wait and be patient in the wake of the up and down results we are seeing now. Having CJPs recruits starting to finally be developed (Juniors), we will start having more depth built up.

For now and always, GBO!!!!

It is MULLEN!! What is it with the adding an S to Names? Burroughs instead of Burrough last year. And it's not isolated. Strange phenomenon. Must be something in the water.

 

[i2amavol]

The big miss was Mullins. We didn't close the deal which allowed Florida to creep in and steal him away. It would have been less likely to happen had we already signed him. I think he was actually in Knoxville to sign his contract when Florida finally decided to make a change and contacted him. He was a proven coach in the SEC. That was the right call. Then we fell into the same routine we had in previous searches because like the other searches we had no plan B. Dooley, Jones and Pruitt all ended up being plan B options that were not even an option to start.

Ultimately, Pruitt has to be given time, "his" recruits are still growing and are basically Freshmen and Sophomores. You can't count that first recruiting class because he didn't get hired in time to have any chance to really recruit his guys. He had to settle on Jones' recruits that stayed committed and whatever recruits were still available after the early signing date which saw most recruits sign during the early signing date. Once all of Jones' players are out of the system, we will see if he really can coach or not.

So, these first couple of years are the years where Pruitt learns to be a head coach so that once his players are ready to take off, he is ready too. These first few years will have its ups and downs and we have definitely seen that. After 12+ years of mediocrity at best between 4 different coaches, our fans will have to wait and be patient in the wake of the up and down results we are seeing now. Having CJPs recruits starting to finally be developed (Juniors), we will start having more depth built up.

For now and always, GBO!!!!

Having been around long enough to remember a game or two from the '60's, I have to generally agree with this post, with the caveat that I think Pruitt better show marked improvement next year. I think Pruitt has done a lot of the right things to turn this program around, but all will be for naught if he can no longer recruit at a high level.

I agree that Mullen was the best, safest choice last time, and we should have done everything in our power to secure him. However, now that we have Pruitt we need to give him every opportunity to succeed. I'm sure many people are tire of hearing it, but it really is hard to judge a coach based solely on this season. We were especially hit hard by the fact that we had no Spring Practice, and a crazy Fall practice.

I think Pruitt is taking the opportunities that he has, to get the younger guys as much practice as he can, during the season. I am pretty much on the fence about the coaches on the offensive side of the ball, but I would sure hate for continuity to be busted up in order to start over on offense. I think I am leaning toward giving Pruitt one last good chance to make it work with what we've got. Then, we can re-evaluate if his program is viable at the end of next season.

I'm probably way more patient than most on here, but the revolving door sure hasn't worked. Truth is: if the culture on the campus in general does not change, it's hard to see the football team having much success in the long term anyway.