The reason we should hold off on coaching change

[NATHAN05]

No, UT shouldn't wait 2 years or even 2 hours to make a change, the evidence that Pruitt is in over is head is plain to see. If Freeze were offered the UT job at 12:30 he'd be on a plane to Knoxville at 12:32. No point in waiting when the obvious is right before our eyes. Even rival coaches rate Pruitt as no better than a DC and I have serious doubts he could do that without elite level talent.

Bro, seriously? What the heck are you smoking..........................with TSA sloths and temperature check stations it would be AT LEAST 12:50 before he could board the plane.

But seriously I agree, I think with these recruits and the freshman we have now he could come in here and put it all together and possibly have a Pittman type season. I think they just need that spark and they need a competent QB (Bailey) so they can open up the playbook. All these people saying we cant afford? I agree.........on paper. But you keep letting this ship sink and apathy setting in with NO ONE coming to games/merchandise sells/season ticket sells and you wont be able to afford anyone worth a darn. Bite the bullet, go deep in the red now and reap the benefits later when we start winning with a proven head coach. Hate to say it, but look at the Bama/Saban blueprint for resurrecting a team.

 

[hog88]

I simply cannot understand why someone could believe that a coach will somehow have a lightbulb come on and all of the sudden be great. If Pruitt was the right guy, we would know it by now.

We knew all we needed to know after the first 2 games last season. It doesn't take long to determine if a guy can get the job done.

 

[McDad]

You can list on one hand the number of coaches who have not won 9 games within the first 3 years and gone on to have success... in the last 40 years- the modern, "media" era of CFB.

What is "senseless" and "pointless" is to let a coach fail to the point where the roster is in the shape it was when Jones was fired. That's where it will be with Pruitt if you just arbitrarily give him 2 more years. He needs to "shock the world" and win 9 games minimum next year. If he doesn't... then fire him before the roster deteriorates.

UT has a pattern now of dooming the next coach by letting the current coach drive roster talent into the dirt before firing them. If Dooley had been put out of his misery a year earlier then his successor (who would not have been Jones) would have shown up with a very talented O to work with and a thin but talented D. That one extra year... left Jones to "rebuild" (especially the OL... which he failed completely)
. If someone had had the courage and wisdom to fire Jones after his 3rd year when he had squandered talent and begun to decline in recruiting... someone not named Pruitt would have inherited a very good roster. Even the extra two years Fulmer got hurt the roster by the time Kiffin took over. What you are proposing may "sound" reasonable... but it virtually assures the next guy fails due to a lack of roster talent.

Sark didn't do well at USCw where they can literally sign a top 5 class without traveling more than 100 miles. One game at Bama... doesn't prove anything.

Freeze is intriguing but he's not the only good possible replacement. There will always be options if you take action at the right time. Most coaches know when a roster spells doom.

After reading your post, I thought about Pittman at ARK. By all accounts he was a very good position coach but untested as HC. His team doesn't look good in the record book but they play hard and are improved over the year before. Ark has 5 grad transfers this year, one of which is the most important position on the field.

Your post about handicapping the next coach with a depleted and substandard roster, has merit. I also think coaches who win the grad transfer battles will also be able to "rebuild" faster than a historical average.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Ok...I guess I'll be the scape goat...Clearly, a very applicable point that's left out is...School one plays in the AAC and School two plays in the SEC with a fairly challenging OOC schedule. Your point is well taken...I just think we needed a HUGE perspective on it though. JMO....as evidenced by the struggles Fuentes and Norvell and several other former AAC coaches are experiencing in the P5 jobs coaching in the P5 is a bit different.

Don't disagree with your overall comments

I think the point remains, School A (Memphis) finally decided to make football a priority with a donor base and administration aligned. They set out a gameplan and executed it and if something wasn't working out, they didn't wait 5 years to hope that it got fixed on its own. They went offensive minded coach after offensive minded coach. We go from old school (Fulmer) to young and brash (Kiffin) back to the polar opposite (Dooley) then soft and and finesse (Butch) and now back to old school physical (Pruitt). We have no identity.

 

[wmcovol]

Thanks Mrs. Pruitt we will take it into consideration.

Actually, I believe Mr. & Mrs Pruitt would be fine getting fired. They leave Knoxville with $12mil and move into a much better neighborhood back in Tuscalooser

 

[DownNDirty]

He doesn't need two more years. He doesn't even need two more minutes. There's no hope for this guy as a head football coach. He'll go back to being a nice assistant somewhere where he's not trying to meddle in everything that he has no business in and just do HIS job.

 

[airvols]

No more Bama busts, letting your competition pick your coach is insane. Listen people learn to hate Bama, everything about it.

 

[VOL6479]

He'll probably get 1 more but not 2

 

['Boro-vol]

Actually, I believe Mr. & Mrs Pruitt would be fine getting fired. They leave Knoxville with $12mil and move into a much better neighborhood back in Tuscalooser

$12 million buys a lot of cornbread mix up on Sand Mountain.

 

[MWAVolfan]

Here is the deal. We need to give Coach JP 2 more years to show what he can do with his recruits and to show his coaching acumen with players that actually match up with the beasts of the SEC. We will see that in the next 2 years, as we have been getting not only good recruiting classes, but players that match the style that we want to play. Any coaching change now would be senseless and pointless.

The main reason we can wait 2 years is the following:
1. In 2 years, Steve Sarkisian will be ready to be a coach at any Power 5 school of his choosing. He proved this past weekend he can coach with Saban not able to coach. Alabama's offense is humming like never before. Steve Sarkisian is the real deal

2. Hugh Freeze has already said he is not interested in the South Carolina job and for sure would not go to Vanderbilt. That means in 2 years, Hugh Freeze will still be available as a candidate.

If CJP doesn't work out the next 2 years, we should bring the Brinks truck and offer whatever either Sarkisian or Freeze ask for. Let's hope it doesn't come to that and we are giving a substantial extension to CJP.

Hugh Freeze will not be available in 2 years.

Also, Butch Jones was at his peak in mid 2016 and had completely wrecked the program by 2017 to the point it STILL hasnt been fixed.

A LOT can change in 2 years and for Tennessee it's NEVER EVER good change.

 

[NATHAN05]

Actually, I believe Mr. & Mrs Pruitt would be fine getting fired. They leave Knoxville with $12mil and move into a much better neighborhood back in Tuscalooser

Yep and he'll pull a Butch and take it easy by denying several DC jobs that would offset our cost. Probably crawl back to Saban as an analyst for $20,000 yr. But in all seriousness, if you look at his recent interviews, he has the body language of someone who doesnt enjoy this anymore (or at least right now) and is defeated. Almost wish he'd be a man about it and say "Hey this isnt for me" and leave to go back to Bama.

 

['Boro-vol]

Question...if money really is an issue, can't UT get a payday loan or something? Maybe title loans on all the staff vehicles...it's time to get creative.

 

['Boro-vol]

Yep and he'll pull a Butch and take it easy by denying several DC jobs that would offset our cost. Probably crawl back to Saban as an analyst for $20,000 yr. But in all seriousness, if you look at his recent interviews, he has the body language of someone who doesnt enjoy this anymore (or at least right now) and is defeated. Almost wish he'd be a man about it and say "Hey this isnt for me" and leave to go back to Bama.

If my understanding is correct, Fulmer gave him an extension with no offset for what he makes at a new job. We owe him the full amount regardless.

Fulmer got jobbed.

 

[NATHAN05]

If my understanding is correct, Fulmer gave him an extension with no offset for what he makes at a new job. We owe him the full amount regardless.

Fulmer got jobbed.

Oh snap.........you may be right, I didnt realize that was the case. Yep, if I was Pruitt then and wanted to go back home and realized this job wasnt for me I'd be trying to get fired too then. Thanks for the info man.

 

[UTNOW20]

So we should sacrifice two more years to the dumpster fire, then go chasing after a coach that may not be there - or even accept the job?

No need. A superior coach to any of those mentioned is in our midst already--the much ballyhooed CPF!! My concern, and that of my compatriots, is that the Detroit Lions will offer him an opportunity to return to the coaching ranks before the Vol Administration is able to do what needs to be done, and return the Righter of Wrongs to the sidelines of Neyland.

 

[DownNDirty]

If my understanding is correct, Fulmer gave him an extension with no offset for what he makes at a new job. We owe him the full amount regardless.

Fulmer got jobbed.

We owe him 75% not 100%. And there's a couple of boosters who will stroke that check if they have say-so in the next hire. And they will - and Fulmer will stay out of their way.

 

[BeardedVol]

If my understanding is correct, Fulmer gave him an extension with no offset for what he makes at a new job. We owe him the full amount regardless.

Fulmer got jobbed.

Pruitt gets 60% of his remaining contract balance, with no mitigation clause. He can take a new job or not, and get paid any amount, and he still gets 60% of what's on his contract. This is just one of the mistakes that Fulmer made when hiring Pruitt.

 

[05_never_again]

Don't disagree with your overall comments

I think the point remains, School A (Memphis) finally decided to make football a priority with a donor base and administration aligned. They set out a gameplan and executed it and if something wasn't working out, they didn't wait 5 years to hope that it got fixed on its own. They went offensive minded coach after offensive minded coach. We go from old school (Fulmer) to young and brash (Kiffin) back to the polar opposite (Dooley) then soft and and finesse (Butch) and now back to old school physical (Pruitt). We have no identity.

Fantastic post. Every coach we've hired since Fulmer is a polar opposite in some obvious regard to the one that preceded him.

The starkest contrasts were from Fulmer to Kiffin and from Butch to Pruitt.

 

[NATHAN05]

No need. A superior coach to any of those mentioned is in our midst already--the much ballyhooed CPF!! My concern, and that of my compatriots, is that the Detroit Lions will offer him an opportunity to return to the coaching ranks before the Vol Administration is able to do what needs to be done, and return the Righter of Wrongs to the sidelines of Neyland.

Hey brother.........when you're typing in the box, at the top is a list of "tools." About midway through the tool bar is a "tear drop" shape. If you click it and open it up, you can click the color blue.......then type your funny comment. Other than that, this was funny bro and just trying to help ya.

 

['Boro-vol]

We owe him 75% not 100%. And there's a couple of boosters who will stroke that check if they have say-so in the next hire. And they will - and Fulmer will stay out of their way.

Thanks for the clarification. I had seen that it reported a couple of times...but it was obviously second hand.

 

['Boro-vol]

Pruitt gets 60% of his remaining contract balance, with no mitigation clause. He can take a new job or not, and get paid any amount, and he still gets 60% of what's on his contract. This is just one of the mistakes that Fulmer made when hiring Pruitt.

That's some real good businessin', ain't it?

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Fantastic post. Every coach we've hired since Fulmer is a polar opposite in some obvious regard to the one that preceded him.

The starkest contrasts were from Fulmer to Kiffin and from Butch to Pruitt.

I mean, that's why Pruitt was the wrong hire and because he was put in such a tough position to begin with. He is the polar opposite of Butch so he had to remake the roster, change the culture, change everything related to the program all while learning to become a head coach and you have 3 years to show progress in the SEC or everyone uses that against you in recruiting. It's one reason why things look the way they do now.

 

[The Tall Gguy]

Unfortunately, what history has shown us is that we typically have a good idea of our coach's ability and ceiling by year 3. What happens after that is that AD doesn't pull the trigger and the coach sucks the life out of the program and leaves a depleted roster and another dumpster fire for the next coach.

 

[tnktm]

I think next year is fair since this year was jacked up. The end of last year was trending up. His freshman qb had 0 chance to be ready until half the year was gone. The hard part will be if next years results are muddled - hopefully it will be obvious one way or the other how to proceed.

 

[UTNOW20]

Hey brother.........when you're typing in the box, at the top is a list of "tools." About midway through the tool bar is a "tear drop" shape. If you click it and open it up, you can click the color blue.......then type your funny comment. Other than that, this was funny bro and just trying to help ya.

While your assistance is much appreciated my dear fellow, please know that no mirth was intended from my post, other than the rapturous sentiment all loyal Vols will experience if the Lion of Knoxville is reinstated in the role he has so richly earned with a lifetime of hard work and unparalleled success. To succeed in the future, Tennessee must look to her past. And rising out of the mists, during this, the program's darkest hour, is that Colossus of Rocky Top, Phillip Fulmer.

Saban and company are undoubtedly desirous that CPF take his talents to the NFL, for they know that they cannot endure his steely glaze from across the field of battle?? Indeed, they undoubtedly quiver in fear at the thought of Vol nation riding high, with CPF at the head of Tennessee's program. Let us hope that those in authority make the wise decision regarding CPF!!