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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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JACKSONVILLE, FL – JANUARY 02: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers looks on in the first half of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers at TIAA Bank Field on January 2, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL – JANUARY 02: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers looks on in the first half of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers at TIAA Bank Field on January 2, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

1. Hiring Jeremy Pruitt

This list has many positive things and potentially positive things Phillip Fulmer did as Tennessee Vols athletic director. Unfortunately for him, hiring Jeremy Pruitt will be the thing his tenure is most known for.

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Remember, John Currie was close to securing a deal with Mike Leach when Fulmer worked his way in to take over the position and oust Currie. Now, nobody should defend Currie. His incompetence at trying to hire a coach combined with his refusal to listen to the administration cost him. He made every wrong move before Leach.

Still, Fulmer put a lot of pressure on himself to make a good hire when he took advantage of the situation. He was put there to fix the Tennessee Vols football program. Rather than make a splash hire like Leach or even bringing home Lane Kiffin, Fulmer went the safe route and hired an Alabama Crimson Tide assistant.

It was clear, with the Georgia Bulldogs doing well at the time, Fulmer wanted to replicate the hire Kirby Smart, who was Nick Saban’s defensive coordinator directly before Pruitt. He then explained the toughness mentality that comes with defensive-minded coaches and why that line of thinking is important in the SEC.

dark. Next. 10 best single seasons by Vols players of all time

Well, it didn’t work. Fulmer tethered his future with the Tennessee Vols to Pruitt’s future, and with the program firing Pruitt, Fulmer had to step down. He did some good things for the program, but this was the most consequential. That’s why it tops the list.

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