Author Archives: Will Shelton

Hope is valuable.

The Powers That Be at Tennessee haven’t given us much reason to believe they will make a good decision in this situation. Not only were they completely out of touch in almost hiring Greg Schiano, they believed Schiano was a more valuable candidate than Mike Gundy, Jeff Brohm, and any number of other options available before everything got nuts on Sunday. It was a stunningly poor move on both a football and a fan relations front, one John Currie will have a long and difficult road to recover from, if he still can.

What do you do when you can’t trust the thing you love to make good decisions?

When the Vols hired Butch Jones, Tennessee’s faith was tested. But we could hope the coach who went 9-3 the last two years at Cincinnati with a pair of shared division titles could grow into the role at Tennessee. And fans showed up, early and often and even late into his final season, because we love Tennessee and we tried to love Butch Jones.

It’s been five years, only about 365 days of which, from one October to the next in 2015-2016, felt like a real return on the investment. The last year was the worst in school history.

We’re all here because we love Tennessee. What we need is hope.

And what we’re losing by the hour is faith in the decision makers.

I actually liked swinging and missing on Mike Gundy; it was a serious play for a serious coach. I don’t know what happened with Jeff Brohm, but fan reaction to the possibility/momentary probability should be educational for the decision makers, if they’re willing to listen.

It’s not exclusive to hiring Tee Martin. You certainly don’t have to hire Lane Kiffin. But you have to hire hope.

When faith seems non-existent, love gets very difficult. When you’ve already shown up for a decade now and been met with only disappointment, it gets more difficult to write the check for tickets. When you don’t believe those in charge are making good decisions about the future of the program, it gets more difficult to show up to support the program.

Tennessee needs hope. And even if there is little faith in the decision makers long-term, they can still make a hire that provides hope today.

Jeff Brohm would have done that, but he’s not the only one. Tee Martin would do that in a different way, but he’s not the only one either. Again:  we hoped in Butch Jones. It can be done.

As one example, consider the difference between Chad Morris and Dave Doeren.

Chad Morris took over an SMU team that went 1-11 in 2014. He went 2-10, then 5-7, then 7-5. Before that he was the architect of the Clemson offense from 2011-14. I don’t know if Chad Morris would be a good coach at Tennessee. But there is reason to hope. (There’s also reason to enjoy an offense that’s currently seventh nationally in S&P+ and 16th in yards per play. If you hire Chad Morris, you take some of that Mike Gundy money and buy a defensive coordinator.)

Chad Morris wouldn’t have been anyone’s first choice, before or after Sunday. But there is reason to hope.

It is simply a much harder sell with a more known entity like Dave Doeren.

Dave Doeren is the guy NC State hoped would make a difference. After a 3-9 first season, Doeren went 8-5, 7-6, 7-6, and is 8-4 this year. Tom O’Brien’s last three years at NC State:  9-4, 8-5, 7-5.

Chad Morris (and Jeff Brohm, and Tee Martin, and a bunch of other guys) is an unknown. He might be good. He might not be. But I can hope.

We already know much more about Dave Doeren. Another power conference school (and one with a lower standard of success, traditionally) already hoped he was the guy to move them forward, and so far he has only achieved the same things his predecessor did before being fired.

It is simply much, much harder to hope in Dave Doeren than an unknown.

Consider this as well:  five of Tennessee’s first seven games next year are vs West Virginia, Florida, at Georgia, at Auburn, and Alabama. That is a challenge, to say the least. If Tennessee takes a beating in some or all of those games, who do you want to take that beating?

If it’s Tee Martin, the narrative is patience. I have no idea if Tee Martin would be a successful coach at Tennessee if he took the job right now, but I do know no one would get more patience from the fan base. If he starts 2-5 and finishes below .500 his first year, fans would handle it much better. But they will also handle it better if it’s someone like Chad Morris, someone who walks in the door with more hope. Tennessee is likely to struggle next season no matter who is wearing the headset. But they’re 2-5 with Dave Doeren, he will get far less benefit of the doubt because he will inherit far less hope. Even though one year on the job doesn’t prove much of anything, some will say they’re already out on Dave Doeren because deep down they were out on him from day one. I fear Tennessee needs more hope than he can currently provide.

Hope isn’t just about morale. It’s about ticket sales and patience. It’s about keeping love alive even when faith is dormant. Reasonable fans – which I always believe are the vast majority of Tennessee’s paying customers – will always be invested if you give them hope.

(Also, in the hope department:  Les Miles. It is baffling to me that he can’t even get an interview. It’s easy to view this as a crisis, which makes one look for safety, and Les Miles is the safest pick on the board. I can easily find hope in Les Miles.)

If the Vols hire Doeren, I will support him. I won’t take it out on him. But hope will be more difficult to come by at a time when Tennessee needs it most. And patience will wear thinner, faster at a time when Tennessee is likely to need more of it.

Even if we lack faith in the decision makers, they might be able to see how such a hire is beneficial to them too. With Tennessee’s name in the national sports news for reasons they don’t like, I’m sure it’s tempting to just hire someone and try to move on. But it is far better for those decision makers in the long run to not panic, at least listen to the people, and make a hire they can find hope in. The longer we can hope, the longer we’re invested. And, in this case, the more time they might buy for themselves before the unrest skips right over the head coach and goes to the top of the ladder. It’s already there tonight. But there is still time to make a hopeful hire that benefits both them and the fans.

The conversations about why we have no faith in the decision makers needs to take place anyway. But Tennessee also needs a football coach; even if not tonight, relatively soon. There are still good options out there. You don’t have to panic. And you should never underestimate the value of hope.

 

The relationship between Tennessee’s decision makers and Tennessee’s fan base is at an all-time low, at a moment when Tennessee’s football program just concluded its all-time worst season.

Things are bad. How can Tennessee make them better?

We’ll get to how a good hire would help in a minute. But first, the relationship itself.

Fans don’t usually get to be the decision makers, which is what made yesterday’s events so remarkable. A diverse cross-section of Tennessee fans, local politicians, former players, and local media raised their voices in varying degrees of negativity on the impending hire of Greg Schiano. Our combined noise became the sound of change. The powers that be made their choice, but the people got the last word. And not at the end of a season’s worth of protests, but in a matter of hours.

The list of Tennessee’s decision makers, in this case, seems to be exceptionally short. John Currie played this search close to the vest to ensure secrecy, but far too close to ensure receptivity. I applaud his ninja skills; they simply would have come in far more handy if paired with any ability to take the pulse of the fan base.

The fact that Currie, Chancellor Davenport, however many Haslams and whoever else was on the short list believed this was both a right and acceptable hire for Tennessee is beyond alarming. When those making the decisions are so out of touch with the people, you get new decisions and, perhaps, new decision makers. It just happened a lot faster yesterday.

I don’t want Tennessee’s next coach to be decided by a vote of the fan base. I assume the powers that be have access to information I do not. This turned out to be the case six years ago, when Tennessee went against the vast majority of fan opinion and fired Bruce Pearl. I argued the Vols should keep him in the face of up to a one-year show-cause. Turns out he was looking at three. The powers that be made the right move then, even when it was unpopular.

Tennessee’s decision makers don’t need to act on every request from the voice of the fan base. But they do need to hear it. And they need to know it well enough to recognize and, in Schiano’s case, predict it. If you are so out of touch you couldn’t see this reaction coming, this isn’t a functional relationship.

John Currie’s statement today didn’t do anything to repair this relationship. At an obviously crucial juncture, what Currie essentially chose to communicate today was that he worked hard on this search, did thoroughly research Schiano (including Penn State), and actually knew him well. But he clearly doesn’t know the fan base well.

At some point between now and a press conference introducing Tennessee’s next head football coach, it is a very good idea for John Currie to address the media. Hold a separate press conference, do an interview, something. You cannot answer questions (or refuse to answer questions) about Schiano for the first time when you’re supposed to be introducing the next guy. It’s unfair to the coach, the fans, and the media. No coach should be asked to sign up for that. Even if Currie is non-confrontational by nature, now is the moment for maturity.

When we do get around to hiring a new coach? Tennessee would appear to have a few options.

The Familiar Faces

• David Cutcliffe, Duke (reportedly staying at Duke as I type)
• Tee Martin, Southern Cal offensive coordinator

Both would scratch an itch many in the fan base have had since Phillip Fulmer was forced out nine years ago. These are our guys.

More than a feel-good story, if Tennessee’s brand has in fact been significantly damaged by the events of this weekend, securing someone with a direct connection to the university may be the smartest play. There are plenty of jobs open and plenty of situations that will look more stable than ours. Cutcliffe and/or Martin may in fact be Tennessee’s best play.

As the one was the other’s offensive coordinator at Tennessee, they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Cutcliffe is 63 years old and spent six seasons at Ole Miss as a younger man, fired far too soon. Since leaving Tennessee a second time Cutcliffe has been at Duke, putting together a remarkable run including five bowl appearances in the last six years and a division title in 2013. (As I was typing this, Chris Low reported Cutcliffe informed Tennessee he would be staying at Duke).

Martin has been at Southern Cal since 2012, serving as offensive coordinator the last two years. The Trojans are 16th in offensive S&P+ this year, 15th in yards per play. His name was attached to Jon Gruden’s fantasy staff for both his role as an OC but also his recruiting prowess. He knows Rocky Top, but has no head coaching experience. With both, you’re selling family.

The Up-and-Comers

• Jeff Brohm, Purdue
• Willie Taggart, Oregon
• Chad Morris, SMU
• Jeremy Pruitt, Alabama defensive coordinator

A few days ago, this was the tier below Dan Mullen. Now this could be where Tennessee finds its best play. Brohm and Taggart are at power five schools, but both are just finishing their first year. Morris, the former Clemson offensive coordinator, is finishing his third season at SMU in taking the program from 2-10 to 7-5. Pruitt has led some of the nation’s best defenses at Florida State, Georgia, and Alabama in the last five years, but has never been a head coach.

The sample sizes are small, and with that comes uncertainty. Brohm won two conference titles in three years at Western Kentucky following in Taggart’s footsteps, then got Purdue from 3-9 to 6-6 on the field, from 105th to 41st in S&P+. Taggart went 7-5 at Oregon after a 4-1 start before quarterback Justin Herbert was injured.

What you’re selling here is hope that early successful returns will lead to more of the same at Tennessee and in the SEC. All of these guys might be a good head coach in this league, or none of them. But there is enough reason to hope. (The most difficult name to sell I’ve seen on a hot board is Dave Doeren, who VolQuest had listed at the bottom of theirs today. Doeren is the guy NC State hoped would take them to the next level, but the last four years is 8-5, 7-6, 7-6, and 8-4. That may be fine for NC State, even if it’s awfully similar to what Tom O’Brien did, but there would be little to hope for in terms of someone like him doing more at Tennessee. Hope, even in the midst of uncertainty, is a far easier and more important sell.)

The Rick Barnes

• Les Miles, former LSU coach

When all of this started two weeks ago, I wondered at the end of our podcast about why Les Miles couldn’t even make a hot board. Proven winner, power conference, no buyout, great recruiter. These were more hopeful days of Gruden and Frost, so we didn’t spend much time on it, but it seemed strange to me. At this point, it might seem foolish if Tennessee didn’t include him in their search.

Tennessee has always been more than one step away from a national championship in this search; that truth is easier to swallow when you’re past your top choices. I’m not sure Les Miles could win a championship at Tennessee. But could he help this program take its next step? Is he the best option now that we’re at this point? I could buy it.

You may have your favorites out of these list, or might want to include another name or two from this tier. But all of them are guys fans could and would rally around, especially after last weekend. All of them would have important strengths. All of them could give us reason to hope.

I don’t know what the right move is for the powers that be. The choices aren’t as sexy as the first time around. But getting a good fit with greater transparency is a critical step for a fragile football team and a fragile relationship between the administration and the fans.

 

Tennessee and Greg Schiano are reportedly in end stage contract talks for the Ohio State defensive coordinator to become the next coach in Knoxville. It may be finalized by the time I finish typing this post.

Schiano’s name came up here and there in this search, but no one’s name earned much real traction due to the secrecy athletic director John Currie operated with. We mentioned Schiano as a name generating some level of interest early on, as his profile generated the third-most clicks on our coaching hot board. As I noted at the time, his on-field record at Rutgers is noteworthy, as has been the performance of Ohio State’s defense. Later that same week I mentioned him as a dark horse candidate on Sports 180 (from November 17), again based on pageviews we were seeing.

In both places, we questioned the fit. I noted on the radio that I couldn’t find anyone who thought Schiano coming to Tennessee was a good idea.

In hindsight, I wish I had been more direct and less interested in being nice. And I think many of us who put our fingers to the keyboard about Tennessee simply didn’t spend more time on Schiano because we never really thought it would happen.

The questions about Schiano’s hire are not about his won/loss record. He was clearly a good coach at Rutgers and is a good defensive coordinator now at Ohio State, no matter how many games he won or lost in the NFL with Tampa Bay.

The questions about Schiano’s hire are not about Jon Gruden. No matter your level of belief in the #Grumors, if Jon Gruden married a cheerleader from Alabama instead and owned land in Tuscaloosa County, the uproar over Schiano would be and should be the same.

And the questions about Schiano’s hire are not about who else we could or could not get. Dan Mullen at Florida and Scott Frost at Nebraska is a tough blow. It would appear we swung and missed at bigger fish. We’ve already been underwhelmed with the announcement, twice. Many of us didn’t even know who Derek Dooley was a week before he was hired, and Butch Jones was met with something less than a lukewarm reception. Fans ultimately rallied around both well before their first game. This isn’t that.

You cannot hire Greg Schiano.

This is why, from The Washington Post in July of last year:

Former Penn State assistant coaches Greg Schiano and Tom Bradley knew that Jerry Sandusky, their colleague on Joe Paterno’s football staff, was acting improperly with young boys years before law-enforcement authorities were first notified, according to testimony from former Penn State assistant Mike McQueary that was unsealed Tuesday by a Philadelphia court.

Schiano denied the allegations. I don’t know who is telling what percentage of the truth. But the gravity of the situation cannot be ignored or glossed over at an introductory press conference.

Without the Penn State questions, there’s a laundry list of off-the-field questions from his tenure at Tampa Bay. With them, this is not a hire Tennessee can make. It would not be a hire Tennessee could make even if it wasn’t coming off a Title IX lawsuit.

As fans, we want to win. “Will it help us win?” is John Currie’s mission statement. But some things still do matter more than winning.

In college athletics, if not all sports, you cannot divorce the team from the coach. Rooting for your team ultimately and always means rooting for your coach. Even if you don’t like them personally or they’re not always the best fit, their success is almost always in the best interests of the program you care about so much.

Hiring Schiano with these allegations is not worth even the best case scenario on the field. Because he’s a good coach, he might win here. He might even win big. But you cannot divorce the coach from the team.

Cheering for your team means defending your coach, and good grief, I have defended Butch Jones. I have defended Derek Dooley. And I have defended Lane Kiffin. That’s quite a trio. I once argued Bruce Pearl should stay at Tennessee even if he received a show-cause up to a year. It’s what we do as fans, often to a fault.

I cannot defend Greg Schiano. I cannot minimize the allegations from Penn State. Tennessee fans will not.

This isn’t professional rabble-rousing. Negative reaction to Schiano isn’t the worst of the Tennessee fan base. It’s the better judgment of Tennessee’s human beings.

Tennessee has been trying to get this right for ten years. At the end of those ten years, we just finished the worst season in school history, winless in the SEC for the first time in the history of the league. We know disappointment and we know impatience better than most. Both of them, at times, bring out the worst in a fan base like ours.

And make no mistake:  today is not helpful for the program even if Schiano and the Vols ultimately and wisely walk away. John Currie’s power will have eroded, the list of those interested in this job will shrink, and the negotiating power will shift hard to the coach and agent. We are likely to end up further down the list with a bigger buyout.

But I will lose for ten more years while defending a coach I can believe in with a clear conscience before will-it-help-us-winning-it with Greg Schiano.

I have loved Tennessee all my life. And I believe in Tennessee, and believe it is bigger than even its athletic director. Even if today has ensured a better tomorrow is a few steps further away, I am hopeful Tennessee will come about that tomorrow in a better way.

Go Vols.

 

I have no idea who Tennessee’s next coach is going to be, and no idea what percentage is reasonable to believe on Jon Gruden. Things seem to be further down the road with Gruden than they were five years ago, but that doesn’t mean that road is going somewhere. Was there a 3% chance in 2012, and now there’s a 15% chance? That’s five times more likely this time around…and still far more likely than not the answer is no.

So, what if the answer is no?

There seems to be a narrative developing that the Tennessee fan base is so infatuated with Gruden, we will accept no substitutes. In a conversation on the Sports Source yesterday, Jimmy Hyams said, “A very prominent booster told me recently that two coaches that you might think would be on the list said they’re not interested, because of all this uproar.”

You can choose your level of obsession in this search. As no one seems to know exactly what John Currie is thinking anyway, you can wait it out or check in at the end of each day. Or you can burn through an F5 button or two chasing down every last rumor. But no matter how passionately one chooses to follow the #Grumors, and no matter how crazy they may get (and it doesn’t get much crazier than Calhounsgate), a couple of things should ultimately make 2017’s uproar much more sensible.

One, the perception five years ago was that Tennessee didn’t make a full effort to land Gruden. I don’t know much reality this perception truly represents, but the idea that Gruden would have commanded more money than Tennessee was willing to pay at the time was prevalent. The November 2012 report from Stephen Hargis at the Chattanooga Times-Free Press specifically mentioned pay for Gruden’s potential staff as a point of contention.

Other journalists disputed that story, and we’ve seen something similar this year. John Brice and GoVols247’s Grant Ramey reported the Vols flew to Tampa last week to pitch to Gruden again. This story too has been disputed. But a report like this can go a long way in the perception of Tennessee’s search, even if John Currie is introducing someone else at a press conferene. Whatever it’s worth, the tone on Tennessee message boards this week has also shifted from five years ago. There is a much greater sense that if the Vols are making the pitch, this time they’re making it knowing the cost. That if Jon Gruden chooses to stay in the NFL or on Monday Night Football, it won’t be because of anything Tennessee didn’t do.

And hey, it’s no sin to say no. If Gruden doesn’t want to coach in college, okay. You can’t make the man do something he doesn’t want to do.

This is where the other significant difference from five years ago would come in:  Dave Hart introduced Butch Jones after reportedly missing out on Charlie Strong at the last minute. On the morning of December 5, Charlie Strong was the front-runner. On the evening of December 5, Strong stayed at Louisville. And on the evening of December 6, it became clear Butch Jones would get the offer from Tennessee.

Again, so much of this is perception. Charlie Strong was at Louisville, had been at Florida as defensive coordinator, and was a popular choice among Tennessee fans. Butch Jones was at Cincinnati, had been at Central Michigan, and was viewed as a hurried reactionary move when the Vols lost out on Strong.

Whenever people make a big deal about Dave Hart being asked about Jon Gruden at Butch’s first press conference, I always wonder if the same questions would have been raised if Hart was introducing Strong. Even with the perception that the Vols didn’t fully pursue Gruden, Strong would have been an A hire; he got one of the most coveted jobs in football a year later. Butch Jones felt like having to settle, and the worst way to settle is to not know for sure if you could’ve had the one you really wanted.

This time, I think we’ll feel like we took our shot at Gruden. And this time, Tennessee has a better chance to make a better hire that isn’t him.

It doesn’t have to be from that conference champion proven winners list (Jimbo Fisher, Gary Patterson, Chris Petersen, etc.), the guys you call just in case. If John Currie is introducing Dan Mullen next week? That’s a win for Tennessee. If Scott Frost can somehow be pulled from Nebraska? That’s a W. Or perhaps John Currie has something else up his sleeve. There are good hires out there, and if Tennessee made a serious pitch at Gruden’s level, it gives one confidence in this administration to do the same elsewhere.

There is, of course, a less proven group of names further down your hot board from which a good coach may emerge. But there are simply more questions with this group, which will mean more questions for John Currie and the administration if the search gets this far down the list. Especially if Chip Kelly is at Florida.

But the uproar is understandable for a program that wants to win. For a decade, Vol fans have been left with no other choice but patience. Alabama went 10 years between Stallings and Saban, but Mike DuBose won the SEC in 1999 and Mike Shula won 10 games in 2005. Notre Dame went 13 years between Holtz and Kelly, but Ty Willingham won 10 games in 2002 and Charlie Weis made back-to-back BCS bowls his first two years. Other proud programs had brief peaks in otherwise lengthy valleys. In 10 years, Tennessee has done no better than a pair of 9-4’s under Butch Jones that both felt disappointing because they were. Tennessee fans are tired of being asked to be patient, which is a big part of Gruden’s allure. Gruden feels like winning today! But I believe there are other good hires out there to make us believe we will be a winner tomorrow.

I believe the uproar will also ultimately subside, not because the Vols hire Gruden, but because fans can believe the Vols did their due diligence and will put themselves in position to make a good hire. Every fan base has its unhealthy edges; coaching search + message boards + Twitter + 10 years isn’t the formula for our best selves.

But I also believe all this uproar isn’t the best way you judge a fan base; it’s selling 96,000 tickets and having many of those thousands cheer in the rain for a winless SEC team at the end of a forgettable season. That’s Tennessee. That’s a fan base a good coach will discover is a blessing, not a curse.

And I’m hopeful that’s exactly what Tennessee will get.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether it’s Jon Gruden, Dan Mullen, a surprise or someone further down the list, somebody is going to coach this team next year. What will Tennessee’s next coach inherit?

This is our first, rough draft of Tennessee’s 2018 depth chart. The point isn’t to squabble over why one guy is over another on the first team; generally I went with who played most often this season and will leave conversations like, “Why doesn’t Tyler Byrd play more?” for the off-season and the next coach. It also does not assume newcomers will step in and contribute meaningfully right away, except where the depth chart has a hole that cannot be filled by anyone other than a true freshman. We obviously don’t know about transfers, and this depth chart assumes everyone who can return to school will do so.

As you’ll see, many of these names are already playing big roles for the Vols. Tennessee’s games down the stretch this fall matter most for how they get this team ready for next fall, especially guys like Guarantano and Shawn Shamburger.

Take a look:

Pos.	First Team	Year	Second Team	Year
QB	Jarrett Guarantano	RSo	Quinten Dormady	Sr
RB	John Kelly	Sr	Ty Chandler	So
WR	Jauan Jennings	RJr	Josh Palmer	So
WR	Marquez Callaway	Jr	Jordan Murphy	So
WR	Brandon Johnson	Jr	Tyler Byrd	Jr
TE	Austin Pope	RSo	Eli Wolf	RJr
OT	Drew Richmond	RJr	K’Rojhn Calbert	RFr
OG	Ryan Johnson	RSo	Riley Locklear	So
C
OG	Trey Smith	So	Ollie Lane	Fr
OT	Marcus Tatum	Jr	Devante Brooks	RSo
DE	Kyle Phillips	Sr	Jonathan Kongbo	RSr
DT	Shy Tuttle	Sr	Quay Picou	Sr
DT	Kahlil McKenzie	Sr	Alexis Johnson	RSr
DE	Darrell Taylor	RJr	Matthew Butler	So
LB	Darrin Kirkland Jr.	RJr	Quart’e Sapp	RJr
LB	Daniel Bituli	Jr	Austin Smith	RJr
CB	Shawn Shamburger	So	Cheyenne Labruzza	RFr
CB	Marquill Osborne	Jr	Jaycee Horn	Fr
NB	Rashaan Gaulden	RSr	Baylen Buchanan	Jr
S	Nigel Warrior	Jr	Todd Kelly Jr.	RSr
S	Micah Abernathy	Sr	Theo Jackson	So
K	Brent Cimaglia	So
P

A couple of observations:

Good News

• If consistent quarterback play emerges, the Vols can be dangerous at the skill positions. John Kelly, Ty Chandler, Jauan Jennings, and Marquez Callaway are all proven threats. And other than John Kelly, all of those players would be eligible to return in 2019.
• If healthy, the Vols can also be dangerous up the middle of their defense. Senior editions of Tuttle and McKenzie in the middle, the return of a healthy Darrin Kirkland Jr. with Bituli beside him at linebacker, and all three safeties again available (assuming a redshirt for Todd Kelly Jr.). That’s a ton of returning experience. If the new coaches can continue to develop Kyle Phillips and Darrell Taylor off the end, the front seven (or six) can be a positive force for the Vols in 2018.
• Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley, and Butch Jones all had to start freshmen right away. The next coach shouldn’t have to do the same, give or take an offensive lineman. There are holes here, but not many of them will show up immediately. Strong work on the recruiting trail for 2019 will be of vital importance, but right now this program is deeper and stronger than what at least Dooley and Butch Jones walked into.

Just News

• Tennessee must replace both its starting corners, and will lose the services of the Shaq Wiggins experiment that never quite turned out. But play at this position hasn’t been particularly strong this year, and Shawn Shamburger has shown flashes. There are few proven options behind him – highly-rated but yet-to-arrive Marquill Osborne, plus a redshirt freshman in Labruzza and a true freshman in Horn, if he stays committed. But the bar for overall improvement at the position is low, and if Rashaan Gaulden returns the Vols will still have some good news at corner/nickel.
• The Vols would love to have an answer to their quarterback question that still leaves the team with a capable backup, whether that’s Dormady, Will McBride, or incoming four-star Adrian Martinez.

Bad News

• The Vols have a major issue on the offensive line. I’ve listed every scholarship lineman available for 2018, not including Chance Hall and Nathan Niehaus, neither of whom may return from health issues to play football again. I’ve also included three-star commit Ollie Lane at guard; the Vols also hold a commitment from three-star tackle Tanner Antonutti. That’s nine scholarship linemen for next fall at the moment. Who plays center? If Trey Smith slides out to tackle for good, how does that change things on the interior? Can anyone talk Venzell Boulware into coming back to the program? Even if you put Cade Mays back in the mix, this is a serious problem requiring immediate attention from the new coach in recruiting/junior college. As good as Tennessee’s skill players can be, if you can’t block in this league, you’re not going far.
• Four years of Ethan Wolf will give way to a big question mark at tight end. Can his little brother help fill the void? How often will the new guy want to use the tight end?
• Who punts?
• The Vols could have a major issue on the defensive line in 2019. Developing young talent at defensive tackle, including incoming players like Greg Emerson and D’Andre Litaker, will be of critical importance for the future. If healthy Tennessee won’t need many of them next fall, but might need all of them in 2019.

What stands out to you for the Vols on the field next fall?

 

From a fan perspective, it does indeed feel good to look forward. There hasn’t been real doubt the Vols would have a new coach since the end of the Kentucky game three weeks ago, and I do think John Currie made the decision he felt was best for the program in waiting to fire Butch Jones. But there is freedom in both being able to look forward officially, and staying in the present with this team the last two weeks of the season. The Vols are heavy underdogs against LSU, but change at the top helps one be invested in not just player development but the actual outcome these last two weeks.

Here’s everything we’ve done in the first 48 hours of this search:

• A 100-minute podcast on Gruden, Mullen, Frost, Norvell, and Taggart (and why can’t Les Miles make a hot board?).
• A Taxonomy of College Football Coaches: Gurus, Champions, Contenders, and Up-and-Comers
• Which coaches get the most out of their teams: an advanced statistical analysis of Butch Jones, Dan Mullen, and Scott Frost
• Coaching Profiles for 22 candidates, sortable by the Taxonomy

One way we’ve found interesting to take the temperature of the fanbase and power rank this search:  which of those 22 coaching profiles are generating the most traffic?

1. Jon Gruden. Obviously. The white whale remains at large, and reports of him contacting former UT players to fill out his staff will do nothing to slow the frenzy. Gruden is the quickest way to get a percentage of the fanbase to pretend they really loved Randy Sanders all along. He’s an Assistant Coach Al Wilson short of an idiot optimist coaching staff.
2. Scott Frost. Yeah baby. Check out the podcast above to hear Brad and I compete to see who loves Frost more. It’s clearly an opinion held by more than just us; as discussed in the advanced statistical analysis post, Frost has Central Florida fifth nationally in S&P+. This is far more than the mid-major flavor of the month, and Frost isn’t just the most popular name on our site beyond Gruden. He might legitimately be the first choice of Tennessee and a number of others, and I would argue he should be.
3. Greg Schiano. Ohio State’s defensive coordinator went 3-20 the first two years at Rutgers, then 65-47 after that before heading to the NFL for two years. His name hasn’t been the first one or two out of anyone’s mouth in this search, but he’s a bigger name than many of those seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order and would check a lot of boxes between Rutgers and Ohio State. Would he be a good fit in Knoxville?
4. Dan Mullen. If Gruden is the clubhouse leader in dreams and Frost among up-and-comers, it seems to me Mullen is an early leader if we ask who is most likely to actually be coming to the podium in a few weeks. We covered Mullen’s strengths in the advanced statistical analysis post; I’m a big fan of his and think he would be an excellent fit here.
5. Gary Patterson. Don’t think anyone would be disappointed here. Patterson floated his involvement in Tennessee’s 2008 search last week. He’s been at TCU since 2000 with six Top 10 finishes since 2005, by far the most proven winner in college football on this list. If he did finally make a move from Fort Worth, I’m sure Tennessee fans would be thrilled to have him. If he truly is a realistic option, where would he rank on your list?

These are the names generating the most interest on our site. How do these and others stack up for you?