Timing the AD & Coaching Hire - Mark Schlabach (ESPN)

[superdave1984]

Seems to me that, while it may be difficult to get a great AD and HC right this minute, getting the AD right would be the bigger thing to do. Hiring the right AD can help with the NCAA and show UT is serious about getting on track. The AD hire simply CANNOT be forked up. If that means overpaying for a homerun, then that has to be done. If the powers that be bungle this hire, UT is doomed for another decade or more.

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

With all the speculation about Pruitt and Fulmer I have to believe UT has been thinking about AD and coaching replacements. It should not take forever, other schools seem to make quick decisions. I realize the investigation is going on, but there is no reason to wait to 2022 to hire a coach. And the sooner they get a AD in the better, we can't drag on it will only keep dragging us down. I am not saying they have to have a AD and coaching hire next week. But we need to have a AD in place fairly soon, I doubt the investigation last very much longer, I imagine it is at least on the back end by now.

 

[Backwards K]

It's not about speed, it's about getting both hires done right. I think we should all be patient, these 2 hires will make or break the football program.

Good point except for the One time, no penalty transfer portal. If you wait too long, you will not have any talent left in the program and then NO ONE would touch this job.

 

[airvols]

Was listening to a video of some Knoxville media saying Gilbert was just on campus to bring his kids back to school last week. Maybe he was there doing more than that, maybe he was interviewing and using that as an excuse. I’m just hoping we’re further down the road than the fans know.

 

[ShoalCreekVol]

Like a lot of you, my opinion on this has evolved. I'm getting more and more comfortable with the idea of taking our time to focus on getting this right.

Guys, we're not a ship that has drifted a half degree off course and needs a captain who can make a minor adjustment. This hire requires a COMPLETE, full, top to bottom culture change in all areas of student athlete life and the program as a whole.

Have y'all noticed how under Pruitt we don't hear anything much about the VFL program, the maxims, the team's chemistry-building events and fun times (like the Volscars et al)?

We need someone who can rebuild this program from the foundation in the right way. And that means I have to look at kevin Steele on the sideline and pretend to like it for a season, as long as it means we are finally doing things the right way, I'll push through.

Above all, GBO.

 

[golfballs]

This morning, Mark Schlabach (on First Take - ESPNU radio) had an opinion UT would take its time in hiring the new AD, guessing 2-3 months. He mentioned hiring a search firm seems to indicate Plowman's interest in conducting a nationwide search, which if done correctly, would take time. I thought this was interesting, considering many think going slow will be detrimental to the football program.

Of course this also led into the discussion about hiring a new coach. He indicated if the AD hire indeed takes that long, UT likely rides through next year with Steele before making a permanent HC hire.

Do I trust the administration to get it right? If I am going off past hires, no. Securing a legit AD fairly quickly would give me hope. Taking 2-3 months to find that AD would only reinforce the idea our administration still doesn't know what they are doing. JMO

I disagree. It would reinforce the idea that the administration is making sure the search is thorough and the right hire is made. AD is a very important role. It’s being short sighted to rush the process.

 

[Hbg]

If there wasn’t already a new coach in place (I.e. Texas) it shows just how poorly things are done on the hill.

 

[ShoalCreekVol]

I wonder how long it has been known Fulmer was going to be forced to retire? If that piece was a more recent development I could see the AD hire taking longer than initially anticipated. If they knew Fulmer would also be going (from fairly early on) they should have had time to put together a competent AD list.

I'm not buying the BS that Fulmer and Plowman tried to push yesterday about his retirement. He literally said "I've known for a while that I would retire sooner rather than later." But then he got himself a nice three year extension just a few months ago. If he was retiring sooner rather than later, they would've let the current contract ride.

 

[Godfatha]

This x100.

The Dooley hire was the worst in UT history and it was a total panic hire. Sure, we've had other bad coaches, but Dooley's resume, even on the surface, was garbage. He was a 4-8 head coach at Louisiana Tech. Should've just allowed Chaney to be interim HC and hired a new coach at the end of the year.

At the time Tennessee was still an attractive job. It would have still be after a year of an interim. The knee jerk Dooley hire started this downward trajectory.

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

If we drag butt hiring a AD we only look more incompetent. We had to have been thinking about AD and head coach possibilities long before now. It should not take much longer than a few weeks to find the right AD, good grief waiting a year or years as some have suggested is quite frankly asinine. We have a decent roster now, if we wait forever it only hurts more. We need to show we can right the ship, waiting to long to hire a quality AD which are out there and in turn waiting a year or more hiring a head coach would be a slap to all the supporters of UT and just make things worse. Time for this adminstration to actually move for once and get their head our of their rear and get UT back to respectability. We need to move smart but effeciently. GBO!

 

[golfballs]

As far as interim coaches are concerned we could have done a lot worse than Kevin Steele.

 

[MiramarVol]

If UT just hires Steele without a real coaching search basically says they took someone who was unemployed and placed them in the position just because he coached and played here with Fulmer. That's what I would expect from this University. Common sense ain't common on the Hill.

 

[wmcovol]

You can recover from a bad recruiting class a hell of alot quicker than you can from a bad coaching hire(s). Stop the insanity of quick, kneejerk hires.

 

[Ten_Titans]

Months? This is not going to take months. Maybe 1 month.

 

[LittleVol]

Meh... we'll have a AD and Coach in place by end of next week

 

[Border Vol]

The AD hire is really just between two - Gilbert and Ingram. Both are solid hires. Interviews and decision would come relatively quickly I would think. In fact, decision may already have been made. The coach is a different animal all together... Our pool to select from is very shallow.

Please Lord let Tennessee hire Ingram for AD!

 

[golfballs]

Getting rid of Pruitt was addition by subtraction. We are already ahead of where we were by that fact alone. Taking our time, and using Steele as the interim, though not optimal, is probably the course of action with the most upside right now. We don't really know what the NCAA is going to do...based on LSU and UNC, maybe far less than expected. I don't think concerns over a particular class should be a factor. We have to get this right.

If Steele is able to keep our head above water for a year...say 6 wins, and stabilize recruiting, we will be in a far better position to hire a successful coach. That will be especially true if we navigate the NCAA issue with less damage than expected. He's certainly not my choice, but he is family and well-respected throughout the league. Our options will be much brighter, and our path forward more clear by mid-season.

I having a hard time seeing how we are not in a better situation, without the worst coach in our history coming off of our worst season ever, than we were before yesterday. I have far more hope than I did moving forward with him.

Of course the risk is a Bill Stewart situation

 

[golfballs]

If UT just hires Steele without a real coaching search basically says they took someone who was unemployed and placed them in the position just because he coached and played here with Fulmer. That's what I would expect from this University. Common sense ain't common on the Hill.

He’s the interim and I don’t think there should be any motivation to remove that tag until there’s a full coaching search. If we hire the right AD, Steele won’t be HC just by default

 

[Bluetic]

God...in between coaches and AD's is the sweet spot here anymore. Can't they hold off for a little while longer?

 

[VolFanNC09]

I really hope not. We have a good choice of coaches now, if we wait til next year other schools will be out there too and the pool gets smaller....but we seem to like messing up coaching searches

 

[DeepSpringsVol]

I wonder how long it has been known Fulmer was going to be forced to retire? If that piece was a more recent development I could see the AD hire taking longer than initially anticipated. If they knew Fulmer would also be going (from fairly early on) they should have had time to put together a competent AD list.

I personally dont think its out of the equation that Fulmer wasn't forced to retire but the people in decision seats sat him down. They said look we know its not all your fault the coach allowed this. But you did hire him. And based off your legacy here the fans will turn from you being a legend to a villain if you take the chance on hiring the next football coach and he too blows up. If you retire now most Vol fans will be upset about the one hire gone wrong but mostly chalk it up to one bad decision. You gamble on another guy and with whatever sanctions are coming from NCAA the next coach may have no choice but to fail and be a stop gap to the next coaching hire. That 2 for 2 bad coaching hires will forever be attached to you. I then think Fulmer said I agree 100% ill walk and let this be someone elses headache.

 

[rocketskates]

Exactly...UT is playing checkers while the winning programs are playing chess.

Dude, I don't know. I think we've been playing Old Maid.

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

I'm not buying the BS that Fulmer and Plowman tried to push yesterday about his retirement. He literally said "I've known for a while that I would retire sooner rather than later." But then he got himself a nice three year extension just a few months ago. If he was retiring sooner rather than later, they would've let the current contract ride.

Exactly.

Fulmer was FOS until the bitter end.

Again.

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

If they can't get a big name then maybe roll the dice with a combination of Ingram+Clark and hope they can at least stabilize things for 4 to 5 years.

I think sticking an interim title on Steele may effectively kill 2 classes, not 1. 2022 class takes a hit then they will fall behind on 2023 class because of uncertainty with the interim label. Not that I am totally against this, just think the sooner they get things settled the better.

Won't be remotely surprised with things going through a search firm that we see another out of left field hire.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

Getting rid of Pruitt was addition by subtraction. We are already ahead of where we were by that fact alone. Taking our time, and using Steele as the interim, though not optimal, is probably the course of action with the most upside right now. We don't really know what the NCAA is going to do...based on LSU and UNC, maybe far less than expected. I don't think concerns over a particular class should be a factor. We have to get this right.

If Steele is able to keep our head above water for a year...say 6 wins, and stabilize recruiting, we will be in a far better position to hire a successful coach. That will be especially true if we navigate the NCAA issue with less damage than expected. He's certainly not my choice, but he is family and well-respected throughout the league. Our options will be much brighter, and our path forward more clear by mid-season.

I having a hard time seeing how we are not in a better situation, without the worst coach in our history coming off of our worst season ever, than we were before yesterday. I have far more hope than I did moving forward with him.

The ONLY scenario that I was hoping for that DID include him was hoping that the investigation included only much more minor infractions, so we would have him start next year, put some money in the bank, reduce the buyouts and add some better candidates to the pool. I think that would be better than where we are today.... got rid of a bad coach but at PROBABLY an immense cost in prestige and money. I don't know if CPF would have retired anyway or not. With the new AD for a new coach logic I bet it would have been in play. He would rather walk away that way than where we are. Maybe a double whammy mid season next year instead of yesterday and all hires would have been less time critical. We could have limped into next season and set a bar that would have made that possible. BUT we are where we are.