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 have a bit of a different perspective. First of all, Dooley didn’t have a winning season. He did not have success. Butch was a huge upgrade as a coach and staff. He just didn’t possess the “character” he demanded from his players and he ran out of sales pitches and declined as a coach as opposed to growing. His coaches and players ended up bailing.
If he is humble, learns from the past and puts together a different approach to people, I think he does well in the future. He will have to go down in the ranks of programs again to do it.
I think Pruitt on the other hand is a VERY good, high character man. I think he coaches all five years without demanding an extension. He will need all 5 years to get us to the playoffs.
However, next year he will have a chance to do better than any other coach has since Fulmer’s 2007 year where he went 10-4 (6-2 in SEC). If he does that, Fulmer offers him an extension that will keep him around past 2022, which is when we go to the playoffs if at all. That is the smart play by Fulmer.
If Pruitt only gets 8-9 wins next year, I don’t think Fulmer gives him an extension. Part of that depends on whether Chandler meant he wants to restore our program to prominence and he returns for 2020. Regardless, we dip in 2021 or stay the same at best. Again, no extension if saying the same doesn’t equal 10 wins I. 2020.
Again, I do think we go to the playoffs in 2022. Here’s where it gets tricky. If Saban retires, we end up paying Pruitt a LOT more than we would have had to, because Alabama will offer him a ton of money. I think Pruitt stays, because we offer him so much and this becomes his program. Something every coach dreams of more than coaching at their Alma Mater. Plus, why would he want to follow Saban’s dynasty when Tennessee is trending upwards?
It just doesn’t make sense. This just might be one heartbreak Tennessee fans avoid, and frankly it’s the one we want to avoid.
Crazy prediction: IF Pruitt goes to Bama, we hire Kiffin again for a lot less money, and we beat Pruitt. The burn of Pruitt leaving Tennessee for Bama outweighs the burn of a young Kiffin bolting after one year to chase his dream job. Kiffin has had enough of the coasts and heads to Tennessee for redemption by helping Tennessee stay on top of Bama.
), a proven coach makes a mess of his program after succeeding and starts over fresh at another powerhouse (Urban and Jimbo), or stays at a smaller program an inordinate amount of time before finally moving on (Chris Peterson). Otherwise you’re hiring the burgeoning mid-major HC or red hot assistant. There’s no wrong way if you pick right.
