Having listened to the press conference just now, after following the various reports from many sources over the past five days, here's what I honestly think happened:
1. Danny White thought James Franklin was the builder Tennessee needed. A guy who could, to repeat an analogy I've already used in another thread, jump into the driver's seat, figure out the quirks and oddities of this particular vehicle, then get the most out of it while negotiating the obstacles of sanctions and covid and whatever else. A lot of top-end coaches may not be able to adjust to rough situations and still thrive, but Franklin proved more than once he can. So White targeted him first.
2. Maybe Danny had another rebuild-capable experienced head coach in mind as well, but shifted his focus to Franklin after talking to our lads and finding out their druthers (the two most explicitly mentioned today were (a) want a coach who will have us competing immediately, not years in the future, and (b) want an offensive-minded coach who will play the most modern version of the game). So maybe Franklin wasn't alone at the top of White's list until he talked to the players, but then he was because he fit their desires as well.
3. Simultaneously, I think Danny had Elliott in mind. For some of the same reasons, particularly the wide-open offensive focus. Lower priority than Franklin because (a) not a head coach and (b) not tested as a rebuilder. But still highly thought of, and probably the #2 choice.
4. But Danny kept pushing on Franklin, for three and a half long days. Toward the end, he probably started to realize Franklin was likely never going to say yes. So probably on Monday and into Tuesday, he was working both Franklin and Elliott equally hard. At some point it shifted to just Elliott.
5. But then, maybe sitting in his office late one night (this would be Sunday night or Monday night) with his bloodshot eyes closed and a strong desire to lay down on his couch and sleep for an hour or two, he probably had an epiphany. And it probably went something like this: "I'm killing myself and running my staff ragged here, trying to get Franklin or Elliott, but what the heck? Josh Heupel is a head coach, he's an offensive mind, he may not yet have been challenged with building through a complex set of circumstances, but he's bright enough to do that, too. Why am I busting my butt when I've got this excellent option right at my fingertips?"
6. Now, was that an accurate assessment on his part? Was it the lack of sleep over the past 3-4 days? Some combination of both? Don't know. But White pretty much admitted in today's press conference to having that kind of "eureka" moment (I don't know if it was in his office or on an airplane, late at night or in the middle of the day; I added those bits for dramatic effect).
7. What about the other guys? What about Fickell and Dykes, and maybe even Campbell (though he went unnamed)? I'd guess Danny White never met with any of them face-to-face, the way he did with Franklin, Elliott, and Heupel. Phone calls, maybe facetiming/video conference calls/something along those lines. But those conversations probably never got far enough to involve face-to-face handshakes or discussion of specifics.
That's how I think it probably played out. We may learn details to correct parts of it as sources begin to leak in coming days and weeks.
Go Vols!
