an outside view

When Ryan Succop’s kick sailed wide right in overtime Saturday night giving the Vols a victory over South Carolina by the slimmest of margins, it was time to party. It was time to celebrate the Vols taking control in the SEC East.

For a coach on the proverbial hot seat, any win is a good win. Maybe no one will be sending moving vans to Phil Fulmer’s house this week.

For Big Orange faithful, a win over the hated Steve Spurrier is especially sweet no matter what. Take that and shove it up your visor Saint Steve.

But the happiest person in Neyland Stadium had to be UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton.  He had been asked questions all week about Fulmer’s future at the helm of one of the South’s proudest programs.

Such questions were prompted by the Vols’ embarrassing showing in Tuscaloosa last week.

Will Fulmer be back next year? How many games does he have to win to keep his job? How long can you be patient with such mediocrity?

The queries kept coming and Hamilton kept doing the Tennessee Waltz with his answers. Saturday’s win takes a bit of the pressure off of Hamilton, at least for a couple of weeks.

Forget the fact Lady Luck had as much or more to do with the outcome of the game than anything the men in orange did on the field. That’s just the way the pigskin bounces sometimes.

Forget that a couple of blown calls may have cost South Carolina two touchdowns. Football officials are human too and they make mistakes.

Forget Tennessee’s total ineptness on both sides of the ball in the second half. The Big Orange won and they now control their own destiny in the SEC.

Hamilton can now take a deep breath and relax. No one will be asking him about firing a coach who may lead his team to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta and possibly a BCS Bowl.

The truth of the matter is Hamilton is the one celebrating. He doesn’t want to fire Fulmer. First, from an economic standpoint it makes no sense. It would cost the University right at $6 million to buy out the contracts of Fulmer and his assistants. Plus, he would have to up the ante to get the kind of big named coach fans will expect.

Would it take $3 million a year to get such a guy or maybe $4 million? That’s a lot of loose change that the athletic department doesn’t have laying around.

From a dollars and cents perspective, Fulmer needs to stay. Hamilton is just praying that Fulmer can milk at least two more wins out of this team.  A winning record and a bowl appearance and Fulmer is safe in spite of the outcry from the fans.  

Hamilton also understands that luring a big name coach to east Tennessee may be harder than fans realize. Big Orange faithful see the world through orange tinted glasses. They look at Neyland Stadium, the practice facilities, the weight room, the academic support and they think UT could get any coach in the country. What coach in his right mind wouldn’t want to coach here? 

Think again.

Despite what fans may think, the Tennessee job is probably only the sixth best in the SEC. That’s a hard fact for folks around here to swallow but it’s true. Florida, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, and Georgia are all better jobs when you consider the high school talent in those states.

Sure, Tennessee can slip in a get a few good players out of those states from time to time but year in and year out they are not going to consistently go into Louisiana and get players that LSU wants. The same is true in the other states. Urban Meyer has cornered the market in the Sunshine State. Mark Richt has shut down his state’s borders to the Vols who used to recruit well in the fertile grounds of  the Peachtree State. Nick Saban and Tommy Tuberville are two of the best recruiters in the land so don’t expect many of the top players to get out of there. And even though, his Gamecocks lost Saturday night, Spurrier is working to build a winner at South Carolina and is focusing on keeping homegrown talent.

The Vols don’t have that luxury. High school football in the Volunteer State simply doesn’t measure up to some of these other states. It really doesn’t matter who the coach is. Most of the time the team with the best talent wins and UT just doesn’t have as deep of an in-state talent pool as the other top SEC schools.

Hamilton also doesn’t want the pressure of making another popular hire like he did with Bruce Pearl. Pearl was an instant success and a huge hit with the fans and media. He wins and does it with flair. UT fans want the same for the football team. But where does he find football’s version of Bruce Pearl?

Hamilton is now hailed as a genius for what he did for UT basketball. But if he can’t deliver with the same kind of impact on football, what does it do to his reputation? How long will he keep his job if he brings in a new guy and things don’t change? Sticking with Fulmer is Hamilton’s best option. 

Hey, Phil, how you win isn’t all that important. But please man; win at least a couple more.  Pretty please!