National Analyst on Fulmer: "Thank God They Hired Him"

Following a heart-wrenching season for Tennessee in 2017, which resulted in the worst season in the program’s history, all hope seemed to be lost for fans of the Big Orange. In fact, for many fans, the coaching search that followed the termination of former head coach Butch Jones was worse than the actual football season.

After being rejected by numerous highly respected coaches and facing a literal riot after news surfaced that the Vols were finalizing a deal with Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, John Currie, in a last-ditch effort to salvage the search, flew to the west coast in hopes of luring Washington State’s Mike Leach to Rocky Top. Back in Knoxville, the rest of the athletic department was growing increasingly worried about Currie’s whereabouts — as he did not respond to multiple phone calls, text messages, and emails that were sent to him.

When Currie finally landed in Washington, Chancellor Beverly Davenport ordered him to return to campus immediately, where he would be relieved of his duties and replaced with former Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer — who was a legend during his time leading the Vols. Fulmer, who was reportedly a candidate for the original athletic director vacancy back in the summer of 2017 along with then-Chattanooga athletic director David Blackburn, conducted a quick search which resulted in the hiring of Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.

This afternoon, Tim Brando, a national analyst for Fox Sports, joined WNML’s “Sports Talk” to discuss the College Football landscape and the University of Tennessee’s program. When the conversation shifted towards Fulmer, Brando made an interesting remark. “I have great respect for Phillip Fulmer, I never thought that Phillip was treated properly at the tail end of his career as a head coach,” said Brando. “Thank God they hired him to be their athletic director.”

“A lot of other athletic directors in similar situations would have seen what happened after that Georgia State game, and lost complete confidence in his head coach, and (it could have) sent Jeremy into a tailspin,” continued Brando. “Phillip was nothing but supportive during that period last year… I think he (Fulmer) has as much to do with Pruitt’s success than anybody except Jeremy himself.”

Fulmer’s contract as athletic director at Tennessee currently runs through 2022, and if he keeps up his success in Knoxville, his tenure could be even longer — potentially stretching out into the mid-2020s. You can listen to WNML’s full interview with Brando below.

https://www.991thesportsanimal.com/sportstalk-podcasts/?futurishared=8210&station=WNML#.XuqPFKRbfKw.twitter

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