Phillip Fulmer said Monday that he would step down as head coach at Tennessee following the 2008 season. And as Geoff Calkins at the Tennessean writes, the next head coach will have his hands full turning around that program.
Should Tennessee really have a better program than Florida or Alabama? Should it have a better program than Georgia or LSU?
Three of those schools (Florida, Georgia and LSU) have a much richer recruiting base than Tennessee. The other school (Alabama) may have the best college coach in the universe.
Potential coaching candidates understand all this. So stop the talk about bringing in Butch Davis or Bob Stoops, OK? The Tennessee job isn’t as appealing as some fans seem to think. It may not even be as appealing as some of the other jobs that are open this year.
Clemson might not have the stadium that Tennessee has, but it’s in a much softer league. So is Washington, for that matter. Would you rather succeed Fulmer or Tyrone Willingham?
So this is going to be tricky. This is going to be difficult for Hamilton to get right.Fulmer is gone. The next guy could be better.
Unless, of course, he’s not.
Besides the tough SEC slate that he will face on a yearly the basis, the next head coach will have issues putting talent on the field, too. Anyone who has watched the Vols play this year with any regularity has seen a team that has struggled mightily with offensive cohesion and an overall lack of talent on the roster. Even when UT has moved the ball this year, they’ve often capped the drive off by turning the ball over or failing to reach the end zone. That program is a mess right now and the firing of Fulmer is only the beginning.
