How can Kiffin take a bad Old Miss team and get the players to buy in?

[Vol8188]

8188, Kiffin has only once ever spent "3-4 years at a place and then bolted." That was from FAU to Ole Miss.

Everywhere else, he was either fired for failing to meet expectations (Oakland, USCw) or bolted after a single year (Tennessee).

So I don't think folks here are judging him for spending 3-4 years at places and then bolting.

It seems disingenuous to claim he has some propensity for bolting when he’s only done so once and for what was probably his dream job.

The two firings should be put into perspective too. Until Al died, Oakland was a disaster because of his interference. That’s well known and happened to a lot of coaches not named Kiffin.

The second firing was a heavily penalized program. Honestly, given the penalties, I thought he was doing great.

 

[Flipdaddy]

Because Kiffin would have fixed JG or benched him for shrout really quick. Players are very aware of a coach who’s making bad decisions.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

It seems disingenuous to claim he has some propensity for bolting when he’s only done so once and for what was probably his dream job.

The two firings should be put into perspective too. Until Al died, Oakland was a disaster because of his interference. That’s well known and happened to a lot of coaches not named Kiffin.

The second firing was a heavily penalized program. Honestly, given the penalties, I thought he was doing great.

The USCw leadership clearly didn't agree with you.

But back to your original point: I don't think the fella you responded to is judging Kiffin for bolting once or twice. I think it's more a pattern of vagrancy, an inability to hold down one job and focus on it for more than a few years. Whether it ends because he leaves of his own volition or is kicked to the curb by folks who think he's not the answer for their program. He's a bit of a head coaching hobo so far in his 14 years on the scene, never sticking too long in one place, and needs to try to set down roots and show whether he can be more than he's been so far. That was the fella's point, I think.

(I personally think we've already seen enough to know exactly how Kiffin will continue to perform; but that's me, not the guy you were responding to)

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

I'm guessing he doesn't try to be their friend and, instead, comes off as being their coach.

 

[BreatheUT]

Ole Miss has two good QB options. Combine that with an offensive mind and they can score. The defense gives up just as many.

 

[Franklin Pierce]

Kiffin will never coach again at Tennessee, no matter how much fools on Volnation try to make him into a hall of fame coach.

 

[Myrtleturtle]

They are still bad but they can score now. The players are all in. Our team doesn't seem to be very motivated. This is his first year there and they stunk it up last season. They even beat UK.

Seems to me that Pruitt never shows any enthusiasm for a game or hjs players. He's just a deadpan poor speaking redneck.

 

[guesscrazy]

Kiffin will never coach again at Tennessee, no matter how much fools on Volnation try to make him into a hall of fame coach.

Looks like he will coach against us though. Hope Ole Miss doesn't find some defense by then.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Michigan St got hammered with sanctions by the NCAA after Saban’s first season in East Lansing. Kind of hard to hold the early part of his MSU career against him.

If folks on these boards made as many excuses for our own coaches as they do for Saban and Mullen, we'd be a board of Sunshine Pumpers.

I swear, sometimes I think the Bama/Florida troll population on vn.com outnumbers the actual Vols fans.

 

[Grudenator]

Kiffin is a players coach and everyone loves him. I’m 25 years old and I’d be lying if I said I’d rather play for Pruitt than kiffin. Kiffin is electric and innovative. Pruitt is more like uncle Rico who thinks he’s a guru and comes off as an a$$.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

In a generation?

Let's don't over-state reality, here.

A generation is normally defined as anything from 20 to 30 years. 25 is a useful average. You know, the amount of time from a person being born to that person becoming an adult and having a child of their own. A generation.

In the past 25 years, we've actually beaten Bama. Not once, but about 10 times. We beat them as recently as '06. And '04. And '03. And so on.

No, you're really just talking about the past twelve or thirteen years. Since 2008, really. When we kicked to the curb the second-best coach in our program's history. That's what you're talking about. Kiffin-Dooley-Jones-Pruitt. That's it.

Actually in 2015 we were leading 14-13 at Bama until Derrick Henry scored with 2:24 left. We then went 4 and out to end it.

 

[PlanetVolunteer]

He got him a QB that can throw and even at Ole Miss you can get a ton of athletes. He is a great play caller and he gets his guys to understand the offense.

 

[Boston Vol]

If folks on these boards made as many excuses for our own coaches as they do for Saban and Mullen, we'd be a board of Sunshine Pumpers.

I swear, sometimes I think the Bama/Florida troll population on vn.com outnumbers the actual Vols fans.

Excuse? His program got slammed by the ncaa for infractions that happened under the previous regime. Sorry if you consider that “making excuses.” And you don’t think our fanbase makes excuses for our coaches? All I ever hear from the “pumpers” is but look at what coach such and such took over! We were a dumpster fire! No one else wanted this job we were so bad! How do expect coach such and such to compete with the likes of Bama, UGA, and UF after only three years?

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Excuse? His program got slammed by the ncaa for something infractions that happened under the previous regime. Sorry if you consider that “making excuses.” And you don’t think our fanbase makes excuses for our coaches? All I ever hear from the “pumpers” is but look at what coach such and such took over! We were a dumpster fire! No one else wanted this job we were so bad! How do expect coach such and such to compete with the likes of Bama, UGA, and UF after only three years?

I will say this annoys me about our fanbase. Every coach inherits the worst situation ever; and when the next guy comes in some here start to downplay how bad said previous coaches had it. Suddenly I'm seeing people say Dooley and Jones didn't have it "that bad" and Pruitt's situation was way worse. And of course this is after we spent several years celebrating how well Butch recruited, only for now it's that he either recruited the wrong type, recruited duds, or a general "he wasn't that good".

 

[VFL-82-JP]

I will say this annoys me about our fanbase. Every coach inherits the worst situation ever; and when the next guy comes in some here start to downplay how bad said previous coaches had it. Suddenly I'm seeing people say Dooley and Jones didn't have it "that bad" and Pruitt's situation was way worse. And of course this is after we spent several years celebrating how well Butch recruited, only for now it's that he either recruited the wrong type, recruited duds, or a general "he wasn't that good".

Right.

But Saban had it "so bad" at Michigan State and anything he did should be excused in that light.

Seems very Bama-fan-ish to me.

 

[landscapingvol]

If folks on these boards made as many excuses for our own coaches as they do for Saban and Mullen, we'd be a board of Sunshine Pumpers.

I swear, sometimes I think the Bama/Florida troll population on vn.com outnumbers the actual Vols fans.

You can’t be serious but you are. The mental gymnastics you take each day to defend Pruitt are entertaining

 

[volfeeva]

" Dear Abby, I'm having separation anxiety over a former coach. This coach, I'll call him 'Lane', left our school after 1 year and pretty much dumped me. Since then he has made fun of my school, laughed at the hayseed fans still fawning over him and in spite of all this, I can't seem to get over him. Every day is another opportunity to start a conversation about 'Lane'. What can I do to get over'Lane' and just move on? Sincerely ---Vols Fan

 

[guesscrazy]

" Dear Abby, I'm having separation anxiety over a former coach. This coach, I'll call him 'Lane', left our school after 1 year and pretty much dumped me. Since then he has made fun of my school, laughed at the hayseed fans still fawning over him and in spite of all this, I can't seem to get over him. Every day is another opportunity to start a conversation about 'Lane'. What can I do to get over'Lane' and just move on? Sincerely ---Vols Fan

Start winning games.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

You can’t be serious but you are. The mental gymnastics you take each day to defend Pruitt are entertaining

Your complete and utter misunderstanding of my position is astounding.

 

[Flathead75]

It seems disingenuous to claim he has some propensity for bolting when he’s only done so once and for what was probably his dream job.

And remember, LA was his wife's home town! She'd be much happier in LA than West Knoxville.

 

[hog88]

CLK is a pretty good coach while Pruitt is a terrible coach with a toxic personality.

 

[Vol8188]

CLK is a pretty good coach while Pruitt is a terrible coach with a toxic personality.

If he had recruited any corners the last 4 classes, I would be tempted to argue CJP could turn things around next season. But I don’t see it happening.

 

[hog88]

If he had recruited any corners the last 4 classes, I would be tempted to argue CJP could turn things around next season. But I don’t see it happening.

He doesn’t know what he’s doing and the reason he’s dangerous is that he thinks he does.

 

[vol05]

Excuse? His program got slammed by the ncaa for infractions that happened under the previous regime. Sorry if you consider that “making excuses.” And you don’t think our fanbase makes excuses for our coaches? All I ever hear from the “pumpers” is but look at what coach such and such took over! We were a dumpster fire! No one else wanted this job we were so bad! How do expect coach such and such to compete with the likes of Bama, UGA, and UF after only three years?

82 fella gonna make all kinds kid excuses...and any rate the bottomline is Fulmer hired somebody he obviously felt was his reincrnate to the sideline. Keep making excuses. We won’t get kiffin back unfortunately and he’s gonna start competing for the west regularly. Get used to it.

 

[kbear01]

The "Kiffin Sniffers" are out today. Smells in here. You may not like Pruitt, but Kiffin's a Traitor and he's never coming back to UT.
EVER. Get it... Freeze maybe, but Kiffin never.

Can you really blame Kiffin for leaving UT for his Alma mater? Seriously? Now, the way he departed, in the middle of the night, was kinda shady. But, again, can you blame him? USC was his dream job!! If Pruitt gets the opportunity to be HFC at Bama, he'll do the same damn thing! Kiffin is no traitor. Not saying I like him(I don't). But let's be fair.