Although an official announcement will not be made until the conclusion of the Vols' season, former Oakland Raiders head coach is set to become the next coach at Tennessee. He replaces Phillip Fulmer who was fired after 17 years and 150+ victories at his alma mater. As a University of Tennessee alum, I am certainly not happy about this hire for a number of reasons.
I never thought that UT would unceremoniously dump a man who has coached with dedication and distinction for a young guy with very little experience. (oh wait a minute, Johnny Majors may disagree, but I digress). Fulmer exits with 1 national title in 1998 and two SEC titles in 1997 and 1998. As recently as last year, Fulmer took the Vols to the SEC Championship game for the 4rd time this decade. In Lane Kiffin, UT fans now have a guy who served as a co-offensive coordinator at Southern California and as a head coach of the Raiders with a record of 5-15.
What upsets me most about this is the facts that great assistants like defensive coordinator Charlie Strong at Florida continue to be ignored when it comes to head coaching opportunities, while people such as Kiffin continue to get opportunities based on their last name or the hype they receive from ESPN. There is nothing about Kiffin that indicates he will be a successful head coach at Tennessee or anywhere else. People automatically assume that Kiffin will automatically be as successful as his dad Monte has been in the NFL. Tennessee (and most notably AD Mike Hamilton) mortgaged their futures on hype and potential.
It's one thing to bring in a certain guy because he's the best fit for a program; it's another to bring in a guy with virtually no track record and no ties to the school or the region as the replacement for a UT legend. If there was ever a need for a "Rooney Rule" in college football, the hiring of Kiffin proves it. It's a shame that at a program where over 70 percent of the players are Black, the powers-that-be in Knoxville decided that proven college commodities like Tyrone Nix, Turner Gill, or James Franklin are less qualified than Lane Kiffin. While many will trumpet Kiffin's hire in the media, I can only shake my head in shame at the direction Tennessee has taken.
You can't spell Citrus without UT
Here's what makes no sense to me. What has Kiffin done other than get fired by Al Davis and be an assistant at USC? This is clearly either a 'hire a guy who's been the news lately' strategy or a 'hire a guy with NFL in his resume' ploy. The latter guarantees absolutely nothing; look at Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, UVA, and Nebraska (under Bill Callahan). Who knows if Kiffin can actually recruit, or coach anyone up? Putting up with Al Davis for a year and a half doesn't qualify for you another head coaching job in college or anywhere else.
If Kiffin is the next guy that is ridiculous. Whomever the A.D. is at Tennessee needs his tail fired. Fulmer is considered a great coach by other very successful coaches. Kiffin just had a press conference that should have got his tail fired on the spot. If this is the best hire that UT could come up with then you owe Fulmer an apology. Apparently too many good coaches decided "that if U.T. could let Fulmer go why should I apply."