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Tennessee Vols five most consequential coaching moves with Phillip Fulmer as AD

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 18, 2021; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee athletics director Phillip Fulmer speaks during a press conference addressing the leadership changes related to the University of Tennessee football program held at the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center in Knoxville on Monday, January 18, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK
Jan 18, 2021; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee athletics director Phillip Fulmer speaks during a press conference addressing the leadership changes related to the University of Tennessee football program held at the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center in Knoxville on Monday, January 18, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK /
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KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – OCTOBER 26: Tennessee Volunteers fans celebrate the team making a first down against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the third quarter at Neyland Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – OCTOBER 26: Tennessee Volunteers fans celebrate the team making a first down against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the third quarter at Neyland Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /

4. Hiring Brennan Webb as men’s golf coach

In the summer of 2018, Jim Kelson retired after 20 years as head coach of the golf program. That meant Phillip Fulmer would have to hire a third new head coach less than six months into his tenure as athletic director of the Tennessee Vols program.

Fulmer stayed in-state this time and went for a proven leader. He brought in Brennan Webb, who led the MTSU Blue Raiders to back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances in 2017 and 2018 and won the Conference USA Title in 2018. Picking somebody with such a track record paid off more quickly than even Fulmer probably predicted.

Webb led the program to three tournament titles his first season as head coach, which was a record. They earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Athens Regional. This is why Webb is slightly higher than Eve Rackham Watt. His hire, right now, is on pace to prove more consequential simply because he made a bigger splash his first year and hasn’t had a chance to fizzle out yet.

Remember, in his second season, Webb’s program canceled everything midway through March due to COVID. As a result, he’s still riding a honeymoon wave, and it’s hard to see the hire of him not working out long-term.

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