All for Tennessee
Fansided

Danny White: Ranking Tennessee Vols AD’s 10 best coaching hires at UCF, Buffalo

By Caleb Calhoun

Mar 24, 2019; Storrs, CT, USA; Buffalo Bulls head coach Felisha Legette-Jack watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies during the first inning in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2019; Storrs, CT, USA; Buffalo Bulls head coach Felisha Legette-Jack watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies during the first inning in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 10
Next
TAMPA, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 23: The UCF Knights Athletic director Danny White stands on the sidelines during warm-up before a game against the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium on November 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 23: The UCF Knights Athletic director Danny White stands on the sidelines during warm-up before a game against the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium on November 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

Very few people have the track record Danny White has when it comes to hiring coaches as an athletic director. There is every reason in the world to believe the Tennessee football coaching search is in good hands with him running the show. In fact, his past will make fans more likely to forgive a hire if it turns out to be unconventional.

However, just what about his track record is so impressive? How deep does this go? Well, we should point out that he’s not batting 100 percent. Treena Peel was a hire of his with the Buffalo Bulls to run the softball program, and that didn’t work out. Besides her, though, the guy is pretty amazing with his moves.

If the Tennessee Vols have to make more hires in the future, they have the right person to lead the program. Let’s go ahead and take a look at why that’s the case. These is our ranking of UT athletic director Danny White’s 10 most impressive head coaching hires during his combined time as athletic director of Buffalo and the UCF Knights.

Record with UCF Knights 55-26-1

Early on, we’re looking at coaching hires that have proven to be solid but not necessarily home runs yet. Cindy Ball-Malone fits that mold at Central Florida, but to be fair, she’s doing a pretty good job so far.

Ball-Malone inherited a really good program from Renee Luers-Gillispie, and in her first year, she went 34-21, failing to make the NCAA Tournament in 2019. Last year, however, she was 21-5-1 before COVID shut down the season.

As a result, early signs point to Ball-Malone working out. At this point, though, there’s not enough evidence, and UCF’s success under Luers-Gillispie, which included four conference championships and seven NCAA Regionals appearances, means she walked into a solid situation. Part of our judgment of Danny White’s hires is how much the program improved after a coach was hired.

Home/Tennessee Volunteers