Ranking all five Tennessee Vols athletic directors by performance in 2010s decade

1. Phillip Fulmer; 2017-present

This is partially by default. We don’t want to be prisoner of the moment and prop up Phillip Fulmer just because he is currently the Tennessee Vols’ athletic director. But to this point, he has done nothing for us to criticize.

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Fulmer took the necessary step and fired Holly Warlick from the women’s basketball program, and that wasn’t an easy thing to do. He also helped bring in Eve Rackham to lead the volleyball program. She was an immediate success her first year, even if the jury is still out on what she will do long-term on Rocky Top.

Going back to the women’s basketball program, Kellie Harper is off to a decent start as Warlick’s replacement. She already has a couple of quality wins, and things could be looking up for the future. Overseeing the success of Rick Barnes, even if he didn’t hire Barnes, is another plus.

But most notable is what he did with the football program. Right now, Jeremy Pruitt ends the decade with his stock being very high. We don’t know how he’ll work out long-term, but that counts for something now. And Fulmer helping him shell out money to bring in a high-profile staff is a mark in his favor.

What comes of the Tennessee Vols with Fulmer at the helm long-term remains to be seen. Not being a failure puts him at the top of this list for now, though. And he did unify the athletic department, which also has to count for something.