At long last, after years
of late game bungles, gut punch losses, blowouts, mind-numbing coach speak, and
five hundred too many platitudes, Tennessee has finally done the right thing
and fired Butch Jones.
Thank god.
Last week I ripped John
Currie and predicted that he was so feckless and inept that he’d allow Butch to
hang around for another season. Fortunately, I was wrong, because for the first
time since they fired Derek Dooley, Tennessee’s athletic department actually did
something sensible.
So what happens now?
Where does the program go from here? If I’m John Currie, I'd be on the phone with Chip Kelly right now, making him an offer he can’t refuse. If Chip
wants $10 million a year, you write the damn check. Money should be no object
in this hire, because Tennessee has screwed around for years going on the cheap hiring chumps like Derek
Dooley and Butch Jones. You don’t get to play the, “Oh, we’re going to hire
some unknown guy with promise that we HOPE works out” card, because it's been a nightmare and the fan base won't buy the crap anymore. WE'VE ALREADY SEEN THAT MOVIE BEFORE! Plus, we’ve all been
paying attention! We’ve seen schools like Alabama, Michigan, and Ohio State go
out and choose actual grown up, big boy coaches, and we’ve thought to
ourselves, “Wait one damn minute here…. We have similar revenues, facilities,
tradition, interest… why are they hiring Saban while we’re ending up with Derek
Dooley?”
It’s time for the Vols to act like the revenue producing monster that they are. Tennessee has private jet, Bruce Wayne/Bill Gates-type money. It’s
time to make it rain on a coach like you’re Lil Wayne and Fat Joe.
Plus, and this has been
shown a million times before, if you hire the right coach, that guy can win big
almost instantly. Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh, Dabo
Swinney, Bob Stoops, Pete Carroll, and Mark Richt all won at a pretty high
level by at least their third year at their most recent job. Tennessee is just as capable of doing that as anyone else... as long as they don't screw this up.
So here’s the final list,
and it just has five names on it. If I’m John Currie, I call these names in
order and offer whatever it takes. Don’t stop hounding them until they threaten
you with police action. Repeat this process down the list until someone says yes.
Chip
Kelly
The first person I call.
The personnel in Knoxville is similar to what he’d need to run his offense, and
outside of Bob Stoops (who isn’t coming) and Jimbo Fisher (yes, Jimbo), there
isn’t a more qualified coaching candidate that’s a realistic get for the Vols.
Jimbo
Fisher
He’s one of just four
active head coaches that have won a national title. Why would he leave FSU? I’m
not 100% sure that he would, but he’s also been linked to the Texas A&M and LSU
jobs the last two seasons. Plus, thanks to an early season injury to their
quarterback Deondre Francois, the ‘Noles are going through their worst campaign in 40 years. It’s not been a fun year in Tallahassee, and there’s even been some
run-ins with fans. Maybe Fisher feels under appreciated? Maybe he’s looking to
move? Call him up and make him an offer he can’t refuse. If you think he’s the
man, outspend and out-promise Florida State. AGAIN, MONEY SHOULD BE NO OBJECT.
Jon
Gruden
I’m not necessarily a
believer in Gruden, but he’d definitely win the press conference. Plus, it’s a
swing for the fences, an all-in push that shows the athletic department is
actually serious about trying to contend for championships.
Bob
Stoops
He’s not coming, but if
the top 4 tell you no (which I don’t expect), you might as well call him up and
see if there’s any interest. I don’t expect to see Stoops on the sidelines ever
again though.
Dan
Mullen
Mullen has spent the last
decade transforming Mississippi State from one of the worst programs in the SEC
into a frisky, competent team that can contend for a division title. He’s well
compensated, but I think he’s hit the ceiling for what’s possible in
Starkville. Does he want a new challenge? Does he want a chance to win SEC
Championships? National Championships? That can happen in Knoxville.
Kelly is your ceiling and
Mullen is your floor, and I’d have serious doubts about anyone else they hired,
unless of course they found a way raise the ghost of General Neyland.
Of course, in typical
Tennessee fashion, I’m sure they’ll screw this up, go cheap, and introduce Mike
Bobo as the new head coach sometime in December. God help us.
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