Self-Imposed Death Penalty

[DiderotsGhost]

Rucker tweet is spot on:



Terrifying to think it, but this whole chain of events looks even dumber than the Derek Dooley hire.

There was no reason to fire Pruitt. We could've just kept him thru the end of the 2021 season and made a decision then. No reason he couldn't be fired for cause in December 2021 if he could've in January 2021.

Now, we're stuck in limbo for possibly the entire 2021 season. We have to hire an AD which could take awhile. By the time we do that, it's February or March. Not a lot of coaches are going to want to take the UT job at that time of year. So either we make a terrible hire or we wait till December.

Meanwhile, all of our best players are entering the transfer portal. We're losing Gray, To'o To'o, Crouch, and probably a lot of others.

We can't effectively recruit, so we probably have a lost 2022 class, in spite of it being one of the best years for talent in Tennessee in the entire state's history.

What did we gain by firing Pruitt right now? Why not can Fulmer first, hire a replacement AD in Feb / Mar, then figure things out in November or December?

And does any competent AD really want to walk into this situation? Maybe, since there's a lot more to the job, but everyone knows they'll be judged based on football and little else.

I feel sorry for Kevin Steele. They gave him the interim job to prove himself, but they gave him no cards to play with. He's just a sacrificial lamb; it's a Matt Luke situation, where there's no way to win.

I really hope there's a light at the end of the tunnel and we somehow hire an amazing AD and an amazing HC, but right now, this looks like one of the dumbest maneuvers in college football history. A self-imposed death penalty.

Hate being this pessimistic, but even wearing orange-colored glasses, this looks ugly.

 

[amaralfan1]

The sad part is Steele's interim tag will be removed and he'll get a sweet long term deal based on a 5-win season. That's just how it works on Rocky Top.

 

[BreatheUT]

Nailed it! Congrats on a well written post with depth.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

The self imposed death penalty began with the hiring of Mike Hamilton.....

 

[allvol123]

Starts at the top.

 

[VOL-TIL-I-DIE]

 

[CINCYVOL]

Rucker tweet is spot on:



Terrifying to think it, but this whole chain of events looks even dumber than the Derek Dooley hire.

There was no reason to fire Pruitt. We could've just kept him thru the end of the 2021 season and made a decision then. No reason he couldn't be fired for cause in December 2021 if he could've in January 2021.

Now, we're stuck in limbo for possibly the entire 2021 season. We have to hire an AD which could take awhile. By the time we do that, it's February or March. Not a lot of coaches are going to want to take the UT job at that time of year. So either we make a terrible hire or we wait till December.

Meanwhile, all of our best players are entering the transfer portal. We're losing Gray, To'o To'o, Crouch, and probably a lot of others.

We can't effectively recruit, so we probably have a lost 2022 class, in spite of it being one of the best years for talent in Tennessee in the entire state's history.

What did we gain by firing Pruitt right now? Why not can Fulmer first, hire a replacement AD in Feb / Mar, then figure things out in November or December?

And does any competent AD really want to walk into this situation? Maybe, since there's a lot more to the job, but everyone knows they'll be judged based on football and little else.

I feel sorry for Kevin Steele. They gave him the interim job to prove himself, but they gave him no cards to play with. He's just a sacrificial lamb; it's a Matt Luke situation, where there's no way to win.

I really hope there's a light at the end of the tunnel and we somehow hire an amazing AD and an amazing HC, but right now, this looks like one of the dumbest maneuvers in college football history. A self-imposed death penalty.

Hate being this pessimistic, but even wearing orange-colored glasses, this looks ugly.

so keeping Pruitt while being aware of the violations wouldn’t have turned out worse in the end?

 

[YankeeVol]

Rucker tweet is spot on:



Terrifying to think it, but this whole chain of events looks even dumber than the Derek Dooley hire.

There was no reason to fire Pruitt. We could've just kept him thru the end of the 2021 season and made a decision then. No reason he couldn't be fired for cause in December 2021 if he could've in January 2021.

Now, we're stuck in limbo for possibly the entire 2021 season. We have to hire an AD which could take awhile. By the time we do that, it's February or March. Not a lot of coaches are going to want to take the UT job at that time of year. So either we make a terrible hire or we wait till December.

Meanwhile, all of our best players are entering the transfer portal. We're losing Gray, To'o To'o, Crouch, and probably a lot of others.

We can't effectively recruit, so we probably have a lost 2022 class, in spite of it being one of the best years for talent in Tennessee in the entire state's history.

What did we gain by firing Pruitt right now? Why not can Fulmer first, hire a replacement AD in Feb / Mar, then figure things out in November or December?

And does any competent AD really want to walk into this situation? Maybe, since there's a lot more to the job, but everyone knows they'll be judged based on football and little else.

I feel sorry for Kevin Steele. They gave him the interim job to prove himself, but they gave him no cards to play with. He's just a sacrificial lamb; it's a Matt Luke situation, where there's no way to win.

I really hope there's a light at the end of the tunnel and we somehow hire an amazing AD and an amazing HC, but right now, this looks like one of the dumbest maneuvers in college football history. A self-imposed death penalty.

Hate being this pessimistic, but even wearing orange-colored glasses, this looks ugly.

Getting out in front of the NCAA may actually end up slightly better in the long run. Time will tell.

No reason to feel sorry for Steele. Tennessee will be paying him after he's fired I'm sure.

The players transferring probably took money.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Many of us thought we waited way too long to fire Pruitt. Those of us that thought that were right. Self reporting violations was the single dumbest thing that has happened to TN since I have been a fan.

There is no light for the foreseeable future. 2022 instate class? Bye bye. Elite 2022 QB? Bye bye. It will likely be at minimum 7-10 years before we recover. And even then we won’t be elite.

 

[Johnnyreb#VFL]

I don’t think they need a public coaching search on top of everything else right now. I’m content with Steele for 2021 then go from there.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

The sad part is Steele's interim tag will be removed and he'll get a sweet long term deal based on a 5-win season. That's just how it works on Rocky Top.

It's almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. We've burned down the entire program, so Steele may end up being the only half-decent coach interested in coaching here.

Nothing against Steele, but frankly, I think even Nick Saban would struggle if he were dealt these cards.

We're going to have to seriously commit to a coach for 5-6 years to even have a shot at anyone decent.

 

[Boston Vol]

The self imposed death penalty began with the hiring of Mike Hamilton.....

I bet Phil regrets begging UT to promote Hamilton to AD.

 

[Border Vol]

Rucker tweet is spot on:



Terrifying to think it, but this whole chain of events looks even dumber than the Derek Dooley hire.

There was no reason to fire Pruitt. We could've just kept him thru the end of the 2021 season and made a decision then. No reason he couldn't be fired for cause in December 2021 if he could've in January 2021.

Now, we're stuck in limbo for possibly the entire 2021 season. We have to hire an AD which could take awhile. By the time we do that, it's February or March. Not a lot of coaches are going to want to take the UT job at that time of year. So either we make a terrible hire or we wait till December.

Meanwhile, all of our best players are entering the transfer portal. We're losing Gray, To'o To'o, Crouch, and probably a lot of others.

We can't effectively recruit, so we probably have a lost 2022 class, in spite of it being one of the best years for talent in Tennessee in the entire state's history.

What did we gain by firing Pruitt right now? Why not can Fulmer first, hire a replacement AD in Feb / Mar, then figure things out in November or December?

And does any competent AD really want to walk into this situation? Maybe, since there's a lot more to the job, but everyone knows they'll be judged based on football and little else.

I feel sorry for Kevin Steele. They gave him the interim job to prove himself, but they gave him no cards to play with. He's just a sacrificial lamb; it's a Matt Luke situation, where there's no way to win.

I really hope there's a light at the end of the tunnel and we somehow hire an amazing AD and an amazing HC, but right now, this looks like one of the dumbest maneuvers in college football history. A self-imposed death penalty.

Hate being this pessimistic, but even wearing orange-colored glasses, this looks ugly.

That was spot on!

 

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

We won 3 games. We’re losing the best players from a team that lost 7 games by double digits.

You know what Henry T did? Lost 7 games. You know what Henry T didn’t do? Cover the middle of the field.

Gray: 7 games

Crouch: 7 games (also never covered the middle of the field).

 

[Gannon Goodson]

My dad and I were having this discussion a little while ago. The phrase I used was "de facto death penalty".

 

[DiderotsGhost]

Many of us thought we waited way too long to fire Pruitt. Those of us that thought that were right. Self reporting violations was the single dumbest thing that has happened to TN since I have been a fan.

There is no light for the foreseeable future. 2022 instate class? Bye bye. Elite 2022 QB? Bye bye. It will likely be at minimum 7-10 years before we recover. And even then we won’t be elite.

I was against firing Pruitt this year, but I agree ... if you're going to fire him ... just fire him! Instead we found the absolute dumbest way to fire a coach possible; dragging it out for over a month, getting sanctions put on ourselves, and then firing him in late January. It was better to pay the $12 million than deal with this.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

so keeping Pruitt while being aware of the violations wouldn’t have turned out worse in the end?

Yes, had we knowingly kept Pruitt and knowingly played those ineligible players, we would be starting at the death penalty....

 

[LivinginthePast]

Basketball school now however after last night I was so sick I rage quit that Florida game and inhaled four shots back to back out of pure frustration with being a Tennessee fan. Dang it.

 

[allvol123]

My dad and I were having this discussion a little while ago. The phrase I used was "de facto death penalty".

This is one of the dumbest moves ever. Given what people like LSU, Kansas, UNC, etc have done and faced almost nothing for it.

You just deny and keep moving.

 

[BeardedVol]

So what was the alternative? Keep Pruitt and wait for Alabama or Georgia to turn us into the NCAA, and then feign ignorance?

 

[SmokeyDog1973]

We are finished till 2025 at least maybe longer.

 

[deezvols]

I’m not sure putting off the inevitable would have helped us. The same people would have left after next season, and some of the recruits he brought in would leave too.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

I was against firing Pruitt this year, but I agree ... if you're going to fire him ... just fire him! Instead we found the absolute dumbest way to fire a coach possible; dragging it out for over a month, getting sanctions put on ourselves, and then firing him in late January. It was better to pay the $12 million than deal with this.

We didn't put sanctions on ourselves, Jeremy Pruitt and his cheating staff will get the sanctions put on us....

 

[photovol]

Rucker tweet is spot on:



Terrifying to think it, but this whole chain of events looks even dumber than the Derek Dooley hire.

There was no reason to fire Pruitt. We could've just kept him thru the end of the 2021 season and made a decision then. No reason he couldn't be fired for cause in December 2021 if he could've in January 2021.

Now, we're stuck in limbo for possibly the entire 2021 season. We have to hire an AD which could take awhile. By the time we do that, it's February or March. Not a lot of coaches are going to want to take the UT job at that time of year. So either we make a terrible hire or we wait till December.

Meanwhile, all of our best players are entering the transfer portal. We're losing Gray, To'o To'o, Crouch, and probably a lot of others.

We can't effectively recruit, so we probably have a lost 2022 class, in spite of it being one of the best years for talent in Tennessee in the entire state's history.

What did we gain by firing Pruitt right now? Why not can Fulmer first, hire a replacement AD in Feb / Mar, then figure things out in November or December?

And does any competent AD really want to walk into this situation? Maybe, since there's a lot more to the job, but everyone knows they'll be judged based on football and little else.

I feel sorry for Kevin Steele. They gave him the interim job to prove himself, but they gave him no cards to play with. He's just a sacrificial lamb; it's a Matt Luke situation, where there's no way to win.

I really hope there's a light at the end of the tunnel and we somehow hire an amazing AD and an amazing HC, but right now, this looks like one of the dumbest maneuvers in college football history. A self-imposed death penalty.

Hate being this pessimistic, but even wearing orange-colored glasses, this looks ugly.

Just shut it down, for Gods sake
They shoot Horses, don't they?

 

[Hbg]

If we lost 7 out of 10 games with Pruitt and all the players that are transferring all while cheating then I say the €[]#*& with them.