In the wake of Saturday’s debacle for the Volunteers of Tennessee against the Gators of Florida, I was nudged firmly into the Fire-Phil-Fulmer camp. I wrote a letter to Florida coach Urban Meyer thanking him for exposing the antiquated practices of the Volunteers’ coaching staff, as that game put an exclamation point on what was already obvious to some of us: that the staff hasn’t changed with the times, and is now unable to compete at a level that Tennessee fans expect.
Soon after, Corn From a Jar made the fair point that if some of us are ready to throw Phil Fulmer and his staff under the bus, that we should be able to suggest replacements. So that’s what I’m going to do here.
Here are the first ten choices to take over coaching the Tennessee football program that come to mind, in no particular order. Some of them are more realistic options than others. This list isn’t comprehensive, and isn’t meant to be “top choices” so much as “some good choices.” I haven’t vetted it much for feasibility. But I do think there’s at least an ever-so-slight chance of landing each of these coaches.
I am sure that I’m missing some good names from mid-major conferences here, and would love for you to suggest some in the comments. And if any of these choices are stupid, I’d love to hear why.
Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt
Pros:
- Knows SEC East opponents and played them close with inferior talent, even pulled out some upsets (including Georgia and Tennessee)
- Prior to coaching at Vanderbilt, led Furman University to the Division I-AA nation championship game
Cons:
- Still an unknown how he would fare with better talent, since at Vanderbilt it’s easy to make excuses for going 4-8
Chris Petersen, Boise State
Pros:
- Only coach since 1900 to win 13 games his first season
- Upset Oklahoma in last year’s Fiesta Bowl to cap off an undefeated season
- Second-highest scoring offense in the nation
Cons:
- Only one year head-coaching experience
- Went undefeated with Dan Hawkins’ players, so he is unproven as a recruiter
Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia
Pros:
- Led West Virginia to four straight winning seasons
- Prolific offense has proven it can score against SEC-caliber defenses
Cons:
- Unlikely to be interested in the job, as he’s already spurned Alabama
Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL)
Pros:
- Won a Super Bowl
- Got his start coaching as a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 1986 and 1987
Cons:
- Has had three losing seasons since the Super Bowl win (with one winning season), opening him to criticism that he was just winning with the fired Tony Dungy’s players
Norm Chow, offensive coordinator, Tennessee Titans (NFL)
Pros:
- Was offensive coordinator for USC during its two recent national title runs
- Is interested in a head coaching job at the college level
Cons:
- No head-coaching experience
- Was passed over by Stanford for a head coaching job. (Stanford!)
Bobby Petrino, Atlanta Falcons (NFL)
Pros:
- A proven winner at the college level, put Louisville on the map with a creative, explosive offense when he coached there
- May be looking to GTFO of Atlanta with all the turmoil surrounding the team due to Vick’s dogfighting
Cons:
- Could just as easily not be interested in leaving Atlanta
Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville
Pros:
- Coached Tulsa, the school with the smallest student enrollment among bowl division programs, to winning seasons and bowl games in three of four seasons
- Despite loss to Kentucky, offense appears not to have missed a beat after Bobby Petrino left
Cons:
- Still somewhat unproven against top 25 competition
Greg Schiano, Rutgers
Pros:
- Turned Rutgers from an embarrassment into a top 15 program in a short period of time
Cons:
- Has already spurned offers to lure him away from larger schools, would probably take a fat chunk of change
Trooper Taylor, wide receivers coach, Tennessee
Pros:
- Knows the school, the players, and the SEC East
- High energy level, seems to be the only coach on the staff that players still respond to
Cons:
- No head-coaching or coordinator experience (called some of the plays in 2005 after Randy Sanders was fired as OC)
- Fans, alumni and donors may not be satisfied with any change without a wholesale house-cleaning of staff
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
Florida tried to make Steve Spurrier submit a resume when he thought he might want his old job back after a stint in the NFL. I won’t be so bold as to ask for one for this list. I do think it bears mentioning that the Ol’ Ball Coach has abandoned the Fun n’ Gun that made him famous for a conservative, ball-control, let’s-hope-Blake-Mitchell-doesn’t-screw-up style of offense at South Carolina. We should ask whether he’s lost confidence in the Fun n’ Gun or whether he’s just adapting to the players he has to work with.
Duly noted
I considered these coaches, but intentionally left them off this list:
John Chavis, defensive coordinator, Tennessee
If a change is to be made at all, house needs to be cleaned.
David Cutcliffe, offensive coordinator, Tennessee
See John Chavis.
Jimbo Fisher, offensive coordinator, Florida State
His stock was high going into this season, but has tanked with the Seminoles’ woes on offense continuing.
Cross-posted to my Rocky Top Talk diary
I don’t think Jimbo Fisher should get much blame for FSU’s lackluster offense. He’s dealing with systemic issues that will take more than a few months to reverse. And also, Drew Weatherford. (Threw that in there just for Griftdrift.)
Of those I think Chow is probably the best fit. Although it is odd he hasan’t got a job already. Then again, remember how many people passed on Marvin Lewis in the NFL?
Yep. Keep picking on Drew Weatherford. FSU could have Peyton Manning right now and he would look like roadkill with that offensive line.
Sara,
I think he called a pretty crappy game against Clemson from what I watched. But you’re right that it’s not entirely his fault.
You can have Coach Richt.
No, no, no. WE will be taking Coach Richt.
And I agree with you that the O-line is the biggest problem. But you can’t make me like Drew. The nicest thing I can say about him is at least he’s not Chris Rix.
We also don’t want Mark Richt, so it all works out.
If Spurrier-at-UT actually happened, I swear to God I would go to every single home game between now and either his or my death just to watch the UT fanbase’s collective cranial implosion.
Rusty, why wouldn’t you want coach Richt? He’s never lost inside Neyland Stadium.
*Rim shot*
Sorry about that. I’m well aware that UGA fans have no room to talk this season. The joke just wrote itself.
Give Florida State one, maybe two years, and the words “FSU”, “national”, “championship”, and contenders will be able to be said.
The coaching corps is just too good for the team to remain this mediocre for long.
It will just take a while to get into a groove as it were.
I honestly feel FSU will win another championship before Florida or Miami does.
And really that is all that matters for me.
How about Chan Gailey? When was the last time *he* lost in Neyland Stadium?
Ahhh, Russell Tanton….I’ve been waiting for this post since the start of the college football season.
First of all, let me eliminate some of the names on your list.
Although anything’s possible, I don’t think either Petrino or Kragthorpe would willing to leave their respective positions after only one year on the job..Then again, Petrino was willing to stab Tuberville, his former boss, in the back and take the Auburn job at the end of the 03 season, and he flirted with LSU and the Raiders while he was at Louisville.
In addition to his lack of head coaching experience, age is a factor with Chow. He’s 61, and if you’re going to fire Fulmer, ideally you’d like to hire someone who could potentially coach the Vols for the next 15-20 years. (a la Richt at UGA and Meyer at Florida, who were both in their early 40s when the took their current gigs.)
Spurrier is also a pie-in-the-sky cadidate because I don’t see him leaving SC at this point. He’s also in his 60s, though admittedly he has the track record as a head coach that Chow lacks.
In addition to Petersen, Schiano, Rodriguez and maybe Jimbo Fisher, here’s the men I would add to the short list.
1. Jim Leavitt, South Florida.
Pros:
Built program from scratch into legitimate BCS conference (Big East) title contender.
USF of then-No.17 Auburn in the plains 10 days ago, though Auburn’s lost a little luster since losing to mSU last weekend.
Cons:
Already rejected overtures from Alabama in 03 and Kansas State (where he was DC under Bill Snyder in the 90s) in 05.
2. Jim Grobe, Wake Forest.
Pros:
Has been highly successful as head coach at two schools that were previously known as coaching graveyards (Ohio U. and Wake).
Also, spent more than a decade as an assistant at Air Force, cementing his status as a guy who can win despite having less talented players than many of his competitors have at their disposal (witness last season’ ACC championship team).
Cons:
It remains to be seen how he would fare with the type of talent Tennessee brings in each February.
Additionally, he’s making $ 1 million + at a place, where no one expects his teams to go 10-2 or better every year, and he may not want to go to a school where the media follows/analyzes his every move in the same relentless manner as the White House Press Corps or the NY Yankees’ beat writers. In short, he’s a low-maintenance guy without an enormous ego, who values the high quality of life that comes with being a head coach at school where football is not the end-all, be-all animal it is at UT.
3. Gary Patterson, TCU.
Pros:
Took an emerging TCU program and elevated it to new heights since being hired at the end of the 2000 season.
His teams have recorded double-digits in wins in four of the past five seasons.
He continues to recruit and develop quality players depsite settling for the leftovers in Texas after Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M have had their pick of the recruting litter in the Lone Star State.
TCU is 5-1 against the Big 12 since the start of the 2005 season, including a win over then No. 5 Oklahoma on the road in 05.
Defensive-minded coach, whose teams routinely rank in the top 20 in many defensive categories.
Excellent motivator.
Cons:
Though he can be refreshingly candid with the media at times, he also restricts player availability and stonewalls the media from time to time…I doubt he could get away with this in SEC country.
TCU has struggled to succeed in big games when they are expected to win/compete…Frogs much better as underdog.
Like Grobe, Patterson seems extremely content to stay where he is..He loves Fort Worth, makes $ 1 million + and turned down an offer from Minnesota last year that would have raised his annual salary by $ 1 million.
3 Names to consider as darkhorses.
1. George O’Leary, Central Florida.
It’s been six years since Resume-gate, and if UCF has a big year this year, he could become a hot name. Age is also a factor with him.
2. Chris Hatcher, Ga. Southern.
Former UK assistant under Mumme, Hatcher had tremendous success at Valdosta State, including winning the D-II national championship in 04..Is in his first year at GSU, but if he can win a 1-AA title, he might be ready..Remember Ohio State plucked Jim Tressel from I-AA Youngstown State, and that seems to have worked out rather nicely.
3. Steve Logan, OC Boston College.
Former East Carolina head coach known for his creative offensive mind.
Though he was ultimately fired by ECU, he has opened up the passing game at BC, which has allowed Matt Ryan to emerge as ACC’s top QB and has the Eagles at 3-0 after impressive win at Georgia Tech last weekend.
Excellent suggestions and points about the other possibilities Blue.
Some other names that came up on the board at RTT: Terry Bowden and Bill Cowher.
(when all else fails, look to TeeVee for an answer)
I may do a pros and cons on those two in the comments here later if I get time. Of course, if someone else would like to, that’d also be awesome.
Dennis Erickson
Personally, I’d prefer Terry Bowden over Cowher.
I think Cowher’s just marking time between NFL jobs, plus I’m not so sure UT or any school should hire NFL head coaches. For every Pete Carroll, whose personality was always much beter suited for the college game, there are a dozen Chan Gaileys, Al Grohs, and Dave Wannestedts.
2 other darkhorse names:
1. Brian Kelly, Cincinatti.
Pros:
Successful at Central Michigan, and his wide open offense has worked well at UC thus far (witness the Bearcats’ 34-3 win over an Oregon State team which won 10 games and beat USC last year.
Cons:
Not quite sure if he’s ready for primetime at UT.
2. Larry Blakeney, Troy.
Has done a great job building program into Sun Belt power..Trojans have gone to bowls in 2 of last three seasons (which is no small feat since the Sun Belt usually only sends one team to a bowl) and Troy appears on their way back to a bowl again this year.
Ooh, good call on Larry Blakeney. I especially like that pick because they play an insane schedule against top teams (Florida, FSU, Georgia Tech, etc etc etc).
Hell, they put up 11 more points against Florida than UT did this year.
Given the current situation with the lack of coaching @ UT. I know that a clean house is a must do. Hey Mike, do it now and stop the bleeding. Just let the guys play and have fun without a coach. They would be better off and maybe win a game.
I’m really tired of Phil. I would be a bit happier if the games he had won were the games that needed to be won. Big deal if you are 99-0 against DISCO TECH. As for a name for a head coach, alot of good guys are out there. If the new name can maintain disipline, make good choices for his staff, be willing to accept input from that staff, be creative and not accept mediocrity from them or his players, he will win games with the top tier schools, and championships, regardless of how many years of experience he has as a head coach. UT needs a coach with the right attitude, stability, character, and consistency. That guy is out there.
What about Steve Sarkision the OC at USC. that would be a great hire. he’s an offensive genious and he can recruit. but Fulmer has to go.
Bob Stoops
What about Terry Bowden?
Jeff Tedford
BOB STOOPS!!!! DISCIPLINE, CHARISMA, RECRUITING. COACHED IN SEC UNDER SPURRIER… KNOWS IT’S THE SUPERIOR CONFERENCE IN AMERICA!!! LETS GET STOOPS!
How about Chalie Strong… Great defenses, fly around, fast, hard hitters… well mannered guy… could be the most successful african-american coach in the SEC at Tennessee. He’d be a hell of a coach… i hate to lost coach cut! He turned this team around, but i dont think he’d stay if fulmer left… but maybe we could make Cutcliffe head coach bring in Charlie Strong for DC? chavis and fulmer have become complacent
I VOTE FOR SPURRIER..PLAYED HIGH SCHOOL BALL IN J.C.,TN.,HAS BROTHER LIVING THERE.ALTHOUGH OLDER,STILL HAS FIRE,SPIRIT,KNOWLEDGE TO ACTIVATE YOUNG GUYS.THINK HE WOULD BE A PERFECT FIT.HAS GREAT KNOWLEDGE OF S.E.C.WOULD CERTAINLY FILL NEYLAND STADIUM EVERY WEEKEND.THESE ARE THE PROS…CONS ARE…HE HAS A BIG MOUTH
BUT WHEN YOU WIN,YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO HAVE A BIG MOUTH,AND BRAG ABOUT IT
Hey there. Curious. Doesn’t it make more sense to fire Chavis? Fulmer’s offensive line has been impeccable throughout the years and the offense has improved. We are losing the games because the defense is doing so poorly. I mean, 41 points to Alabama? Florida over 50? I think our poor tackling and now poor special teams and ALWAYS weak secondary has been a problem for years. Now, we are running the ball well, throwing the ball well and our line is giving plenty of time. Why Fulmer? I would say because he fired Sanders instead of Chavis.
Hi Jesse,
Yes, I sometimes wonder if that’s the way to go, given that the offense is the only thing that even looks like it might be on an upward trajectory the past couple of years.
However, I still have to blame Fulmer for not being perceptive enough to see these problems earlier. I don’t think Randy Sanders is a bad coach, but I don’t think he was the right fit as OC at Tennessee. He’s a much better fit as QB coach at Kentucky. I think firing him was probably the right move at the time.
I’m not even angry today after the Bama loss. I’m just sad.
WHILE ALL VOLS ARE GRATEFUL TO PHIL..TO BECOME TOO COZY CAN BE DANGEROUS.MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT THINGS UP THERE SHOULD UNDER-GO A GENERAL HOUSE-CLEANING.REMEMBER,A NEW BROOM SWEEPS CLEAN.IT’S A SHAME TO TAKE A SUPERIOR PROGRAM LIKE THE VOLS HAVE,AND JUST BE..SO-SO
Unfortunate, but Vicky Fulmer was correct, when she told Phil to retire after the ‘98 Championship.
Now it must be done, the administration have to feel the heat now…..let’s all do what is needed to rally and show them that a change is overdue.
I’m looking at the Defensive Coordinator from Auburn (Will Muschamp ???) Schiano would be considered even Jeff Tedford, Jeff Fisher - a change of any kind is a move in the right direction - let’s clean house while we’re at it.
keep Tropper Taylor. the rest of the coaches should be in the soup line!!! GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
steve spurrier. could you just imagine how many national championships tennessee would have won if he was our coach. come on spurrier save our program!!!!
Instead of firing Fulmer, though, i think Hamilton should tell him “We need a change of direction, but we would rather you step down.” I actually think Cowher would be a good choice, UT’s not too far from his home in North Carolina, and he would bring back a great smash-mouth sensibility.