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Tennessee football: Five best arguments for Vols to fire Jeremy Pruitt immediately

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt walks down the sideline during a game between Tennessee and Missouri at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020.100320 Tenn Mo Jpg
Tennessee Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt walks down the sideline during a game between Tennessee and Missouri at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020.100320 Tenn Mo Jpg /
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Oct 31, 2020; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell walks back tot he sideline after a timeout during the third quarter of a college football game against the Memphis Tigers, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bearcats won 49-10. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY NETWORK
Oct 31, 2020; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell walks back tot he sideline after a timeout during the third quarter of a college football game against the Memphis Tigers, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bearcats won 49-10. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY NETWORK /

1. Many good available candidates on market this offseason

One of the issues that hurt Tennessee football in its last three coaching searches was the fact that there weren’t a lot of high-profile candidates available. That won’t be the case for the Vols this year if they fire Jeremy Pruitt.

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Obviously, Hugh Freeze is the exciting hire. The former Ole Miss Rebels head coach is 7-0 with the Liberty Flames. He coached high school in Memphis for years and would probably love being back at UT. However, given some issues with his past, it makes sense if people want to avoid him.

Should that happen, there are plenty of other directions to go. The Vols just lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks, whose offensive coordinator, Kendal Briles, is one of the best offensive minds in the  nation. They could bring him to Rocky Top, and the creativity would be something to behold.

Luke Fickell is undefeated with the Cincinnati Bearcats, and he is won a national title as the Ohio State Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator. A protege of Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer who has proven he knows how to build a program, Fickell would likely be much more ready for this job than the last Vols head coach who came from Cincinnati.

Bill O’Brien is an offensive mastermind who was just fired by the Houston Texans. Given what he was able to do in 2012 and 2013 with the Penn State Nittany Lions when that program was near death, he’d likely be a great college coach. Then there’s Jamey Chadwell of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and Doc Holliday, an older but proven coach, with the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Next. Five takeaways from Vols' 24-13 loss at Arkansas. dark

Simply put, there are plenty of options for Tennessee football if they go in a different direction this offseason, and that may not be the case next year. The Vols could always turn to one of their own, Tee Martin, as promoting assistants worked for the Clemson Tigers and LSU Tigers. But if they want options, then that’s a reason for them to make a move this year.

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