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Tennessee football’s last five seasons returning both coordinators

By Caleb Calhoun

Defensive coordinator Tim Banks runs a drill during Tennessee football spring practice at University of Tennessee, Thursday, March 24, 2022.Volspractice0324 1066
Defensive coordinator Tim Banks runs a drill during Tennessee football spring practice at University of Tennessee, Thursday, March 24, 2022.Volspractice0324 1066 /
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Oct. 22, 2005; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Phillip Fulmer bites his lip in the last minutes against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama defeated Tennessee 6-3. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports © 2005 John David Mercer
Oct. 22, 2005; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Phillip Fulmer bites his lip in the last minutes against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama defeated Tennessee 6-3. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports © 2005 John David Mercer /

Volunteers . 1. team. 839. . 2005.

5-6 (3-5)

  • Head coach: Phillip Fulmer (13th year)
  • Offensive coordinator: Randy Sanders (7th year)
  • Defensive coordinator: John Chavis (11th year)

Related Story. Analyzing Josh Heupel's second year in last five roles. light

This marked the final true year of stability for Tennessee football dating back to the Phillip Fulmer era. No coach in his tenure had ever been fired or pushed out. Randy Sanders took over in 1999 after David Cutcliffe had left for the Ole Miss Rebels. His best year was 2004.

That season, the Vols broke in two freshman quarterbacks in Brent Schaeffer and Erik Ainge and lost both to season-ending injuries. They then had to start Rick Clausen but still won the SEC East and finished with a 10-3 season despite having the youngest team in the SEC. Schaeffer then transferred, creating a quarterback battle between Ainge and Clausen.

Despite Clausen having a way better command on the offense, Ainge had the better arm. However, his mental state was shot by the injury and the QB battle, and he wasn’t ready for how much Sanders opened up the playbook his sophomore year. Still, Clausen didn’t have the arm.

The result was a disastrous offensive performance, compounded by an offensive line that got way out of shape during the summer. Funny enough, John Chavis did his job that year. That was one of the top three defenses he ever had during his 14-year tenure under Phillip Fulmer. Offense is what proved costly, so Sanders left at the end of the year.

Next. Ranking all 17 Vols conference championship teams in history. dark

Outside of one glorious Monday night comeback win at the LSU Tigers, this marked the end of an era for Tennessee football. It was their first losing season since 1988, and while Cutcliffe came back for two years after that, those years were a blip in a clear downward slide. Taking that into account, returning both coordinators is clearly not always a good thing.

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