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Tennessee football: Five things Danny White must avoid in coaching search

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: General view of a Tennessee Volunteers flag during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: General view of a Tennessee Volunteers flag during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the “SEC” logo on an end zone pylon during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs at Neyland Stadium on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the “SEC” logo on an end zone pylon during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs at Neyland Stadium on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

4. Placing too much emphasis on SEC ties

To be fair, Lane Kiffin and Butch Jones had no SEC experience when Tennessee football hired them. The point here, though, is that it shouldn’t really be a factor at all when it comes to hiring the head coach. History proves that.

Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and Les Miles all had no SEC experience  or ties when they took over their first SEC programs and won national championships at all those schools. Meanwhile, coaches with SEC ties flame out all the time.

When it comes to the Vols, SEC ties were a selling point for both Derek Dooley and Jeremy Pruitt. With Dooley, it somewhat came back to pedigree, as his SEC experience was related to him studying under Nick Saban with the LSU Tigers and growing up with Vince Dooley while he was coaching the Georgia Bulldogs.

Pruitt’s ties were even deeper. He played for the Alabama Crimson Tide, coached high school ball in Alabama and then was an assistant with Alabama and the UGA Dawgs. It didn’t do him or the Vols any good, though. Simply put, these SEC ties are meaningless. Coaches don’t need them to win championships in the conference, and White should know that when making his hire.

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