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I Hate You, John Crist: Rocky times for readers on Rocky Top
By John Crist
Published:
Based on what’s transpired lately, Tennessee has the most delusional fan base not only in the SEC, but in the entire country at the FBS level.
From the moment we knew Butch Jones was on his way out of Knoxville, fanatics of the Volunteers have been telling me that this is one of the premier jobs in America. No expense would be spared to bring a big-time coach to Rocky Top.
In totally clownish fashion — it’s not like UT was hopelessly distracted by bowl game preparations or anything — the vacancy is yet to be filled. A decade-long pursuit of Jon Gruden again proved to be positively pathetic. Hot names Chip Kelly and Scott Frost weren’t interested, while Dan Mullen chose elsewhere. Backup options galore have all said, “Nah, I’m good.”
We also had the Greg Schiano episode, which was an embarrassment on every level for the school, the administration and the people who support it. A proud program can’t thrive with limp leadership at the top and mob mentality at the bottom.
Here are some of my favorite reader comments yanked straight from the brutal-truth column I wrote Monday. Most of the #GBO and #VFL types responded exactly as you’d expect.
“Tennessee is absolutely a Tier 1 job. Butch Jones went from being virtually unknown to the No. 1 most followed coach on social media overnight when he took the Tennessee job. It may not be the best job, but it’s definitely in the top tier. You’re a fool if you think otherwise.” — Memphis Vol
So that’s the standard now for being a Tier 1 job? Whichever school has the most sycophantic fans on social media?
Do you know what Alabama’s Nick Saban, Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher — that’s weird to type — and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney have in common? Aside from winning six of the last eight national championships, I mean. None of them has a Twitter account.
If Tennessee is Tier 1, as you — and countless others wearing orange-tinted glasses, naturally — suggest, then how does someone “virtually unknown” like Jones get hired? Because a handful of candidates at the top of the list turn it down, that’s how. Charlie Strong chose to stay at Louisville before making the jump to Texas the following year.
Unquestionably, social media can be a terrific tool for college football programs. Recruits are used to getting a lot of love digitally these days, typically using the their accounts to announce commitments ahead of National Signing Day.
Mullen spurned the Volunteers for Florida, yet Jones still has eight times the followers. For coaches, it clearly means very little.
“Mullen used to coach at Florida. I guess the implications of that are over this author’s head. Tennessee is one of a few select premier coaching jobs in the nation. Everyone understands this.” — Voltrainconductor
Mullen was born in Pennsylvania. He played at Ursinis in Pennsylvania. His alma mater is Wagner College on Staten Island in New York.
Before Mullen went to Florida in 2005, he coached at Wagner, Columbia (also in New York), Syracuse, Notre Dame, Bowling Green and Utah. He had no ties to the Sunshine State prior to his arrival at the age of 33.
Obviously, Mullen (below) spent the formative years of his career tagging along with Urban Meyer, under whom he cut his teeth with the Fighting Irish, Falcons, Utes and Gators. He rose from graduate assistant in South Bend — Meyer was wide receivers coach there at the time — to offensive coordinator in Gainesville.
If you think Mullen left Mississippi State for Florida instead of Tennessee based only on a degree of familiarity, then you’re grossly oversimplifying the situation. Coaches value money and the ability to win football games. That’s what matters to them.
Mullen had one of the supposed “premier coaching jobs” with the Vols if he wanted it. Instead, he waited for a better one. Once the Gators called, his wait was over.
“It is a Tier 1 job. The problem that most all of us have known is Tennessee won’t pay for a Tier 1 coach. It’s always, ‘Let’s roll the dice on a bottom-tier, always-safe coach’ that usually comes back to bite them. Nice try, though.” — bryanchip
Tennessee offered Mike Gundy six years and $42 million to leave behind Oklahoma State. He thought about it for about a minute before returning to Stillwater.
Had Gundy said yes to the Volunteers, he would’ve been No. 4 on the list of highest-paid coaches behind only Saban, Swinney and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh. He’s making a cool $4.2 million this year with the Cowboys, by the way.
Not even a 43-percent raise and several extra years of security could get Gundy to Knoxville. To be fair, he’s currently at his alma mater and likes playing the leverage game with billionaire T. Boone Pickens — a class of ’51 there — from time to time. He’s shamelessly been on the lookout for greener pastures before.
But prior to throwing $7 million per year at Gundy, UT reportedly floated $10 million annually to Gruden. Don’t try to tell me there are bottomless pockets for facilities and such but not enough money left over to lure the right coach.
The Vols clearly have the kind of cash necessary to pay a top-dollar guy, but they can’t get one to take the job. You don’t just fork over top dollar for one of these up-and-coming types.
“UT fans can’t sugarcoat this. Every time you think you hit rock bottom, your school finds a way to find new lows. At this point, aren’t you afraid to ask what else could possibly go wrong?” — cclausen71
For all the lazy readers playing the bias card and assuming that I have something against Tennessee, I picked the Volunteers to win the East last year.
But then they played poorly. Jones kept throwing gasoline on the fire with his ridiculous catchphrases. Jalen Hurd quit the team midseason. Nobody was pleased — except the expectations-lowering Jones — by nine wins and the Music City Bowl.
Somehow, 2017 has been infinitely worse. The on-the-field product was awful. The off-the-field drama was embarrassing. Players fighting with each other. Assistant coaches not getting along. Jones getting testy with his own fans and media. The #EmptyNeyland campaign. Jauan Jennings dropping F-bombs on Instagram. Phillip Fulmer sabotaging John Currie to succeed him as athletic director.
This total joke of a coaching search takes the cake, though. The clueless #Grumors. Losing out on Mullen. The Schiano debacle. “Thanks, but no thanks” from countless others. Based on what The Rock has looked like lately, it’s a great time to be selling spray paint in Knoxville.
Lane Kiffin ditching UT for USC after one season seems like a day at the lake comparatively. The Vols are so desperate, they’d welcome him back with open arms if it put an end to all this misery. Can you sleep soundly on a burned mattress?
John Crist is an award-winning contributor to Saturday Down South.
