TopDog4TN
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The game of college football has changed A LOT in the past 20 years, and not just on the field. I, like most everyone else on this board am frustrated with our football program to no end, including our coaching staff which starts with coach Pruitt. However, I like to think I'm a person who can step back and look and the bigger picture of things as a whole, and I always try to ask myself the why of every scenario.
I'd like to pin point how coaches are hired now days to start off with. It seems that many SEC teams are going after Saban assistants for the most part as their head coaching hires. I mean, that sounds like a wonderful thing to do, just go grab the best assistant on the best, most consistent team who learned under arguably the greatest college football coach of all time. It hasn't worked out well for most, except arguably Georgia (only say arguably because they did at least go to a national championship). Used to it always seemed like coaches were either hired from within the organization that learned under the former head coach to ensure a smooth transition with little to no change in scheme or the already established foundation. The other option was to hire a already established and successful head coach from another lesser or equal program. Coaches worked their way up through the ranks slower it seemed, proving themselves worthy at each level of coaching from graduate assistant/position coach/coordinator, then head coach at a lower tier program, then onto bigger programs from there. Now coaches are going directly from coordinator and sometimes even position coaches at one program, to head coach at an entirely different program. The scenario we find ourselves in now, is a lot of learning on the job. I'm not even sure of all the learning requirements of a head coach in that situation, but I'm sure they're more than I can imagine.
With all that being said, and I'm sorry that I'm a bit long winded, I think we find ourselves currently in a position much like Clemson found themselves in when they hired Dabo as their head coach. Clemson was not immediately good under coach Dabo. He had a lot of learning on the job to do. Clemson gave him the time because the AD believe in him enough through seeing his commitment to the program. He had a dedication to build something special, and something that everyone associated with Clemson University could be proud of. One of the most important things I believe coach Dabo did was he built relationships. Kids wanted to commit to Dabo and play for him, because he put them first. He treats his team like family. I see a lot of that in coach Pruitt. We've seen the articles over and over about kids and their families speaking of this coaching staff, specifically Pruitt, and how he seems very genuine about the kids being his number 1 priority. There is no doubt in my mind that coach Pruitt is committed and dedicated to building a program to be proud of at the University of Tennessee. There is also no doubt in my mind that he understands the game of football at a very high level that not many people, including other coaches, do. After thinking about all of this, I concluded that I personally feel if Phillip Fulmer shows the same level of belief and trust in coach Pruitt, as Clemson did Dabo, that through coach Pruitts commitment and dedication, he can build something to be proud of here.
I do not blame people for thinking differently than this, because football has become a win NOW sport environment. Everyone wants to be Bama and Clemson. I don't think Tennessee is currently a program anymore that can have instant success with very many coaches that are out there coaching currently. I believe this time around we have to have faith in our current head coach, and believe that he can get the job done through learning and building.
I'd like to pin point how coaches are hired now days to start off with. It seems that many SEC teams are going after Saban assistants for the most part as their head coaching hires. I mean, that sounds like a wonderful thing to do, just go grab the best assistant on the best, most consistent team who learned under arguably the greatest college football coach of all time. It hasn't worked out well for most, except arguably Georgia (only say arguably because they did at least go to a national championship). Used to it always seemed like coaches were either hired from within the organization that learned under the former head coach to ensure a smooth transition with little to no change in scheme or the already established foundation. The other option was to hire a already established and successful head coach from another lesser or equal program. Coaches worked their way up through the ranks slower it seemed, proving themselves worthy at each level of coaching from graduate assistant/position coach/coordinator, then head coach at a lower tier program, then onto bigger programs from there. Now coaches are going directly from coordinator and sometimes even position coaches at one program, to head coach at an entirely different program. The scenario we find ourselves in now, is a lot of learning on the job. I'm not even sure of all the learning requirements of a head coach in that situation, but I'm sure they're more than I can imagine.
With all that being said, and I'm sorry that I'm a bit long winded, I think we find ourselves currently in a position much like Clemson found themselves in when they hired Dabo as their head coach. Clemson was not immediately good under coach Dabo. He had a lot of learning on the job to do. Clemson gave him the time because the AD believe in him enough through seeing his commitment to the program. He had a dedication to build something special, and something that everyone associated with Clemson University could be proud of. One of the most important things I believe coach Dabo did was he built relationships. Kids wanted to commit to Dabo and play for him, because he put them first. He treats his team like family. I see a lot of that in coach Pruitt. We've seen the articles over and over about kids and their families speaking of this coaching staff, specifically Pruitt, and how he seems very genuine about the kids being his number 1 priority. There is no doubt in my mind that coach Pruitt is committed and dedicated to building a program to be proud of at the University of Tennessee. There is also no doubt in my mind that he understands the game of football at a very high level that not many people, including other coaches, do. After thinking about all of this, I concluded that I personally feel if Phillip Fulmer shows the same level of belief and trust in coach Pruitt, as Clemson did Dabo, that through coach Pruitts commitment and dedication, he can build something to be proud of here.
I do not blame people for thinking differently than this, because football has become a win NOW sport environment. Everyone wants to be Bama and Clemson. I don't think Tennessee is currently a program anymore that can have instant success with very many coaches that are out there coaching currently. I believe this time around we have to have faith in our current head coach, and believe that he can get the job done through learning and building.
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