Ad Disclosure
Former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer believes Vols are ‘really close to getting there’
Published:
Last season was expected to be the culmination of Butch Jones’ plan to rebuild Tennessee “brick by brick.” With a talented, veteran group in place, the Vols had their best shot at making the SEC Championship Game in a long time.
Instead of celebration, however, the season ended largely in disappointment. Under former head coach Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee won two SEC championships and the inaugural BCS National Championship Game in 1998.
Although the Vols continue to look for their next moment in the spotlight, Fulmer believes they are closer than many believe. Speaking with “The 1st Quarter” on Knoxville’s WNML radio Friday, Fulmer shared his thoughts on the program.
“We’re really close to getting there, and we haven’t quite gotten to where everybody wants,” Fulmer told the show’s hosts. “That’s including the coaches, the most. Nobody wants to it more than the coaches and players do. I can sympathize.”
Fulmer discussed how competitive the game has become in today’s version of college football. The margin for error is smaller than it’s ever been, and he recalled just how easily Tennessee could have won or lost a couple of more games in 2016.
Because of the level of competition in the SEC, a team with 10-win talent could end up with a 7-5 record at the end of the season. In Fulmer’s early years, the Vols routinely won 10 0r more games, but he thinks that’s a harder task nowadays.
“It’s beyond stupid to be honest with you, how much it’s changed,” Fulmer said. “Obviously at the end of my time, but in college football now. It’s the parity out there, everybody is recruiting well and getting good players. In this league, being first or sixth is razor thin. It’s an injury, quarterback play or a bounce of a ball somewhere along the way.”
For the first half of the season, Tennessee seemed to be involved in close games every single week, and Vols fans are well-versed in the fickleness of college football. Although Tennessee isn’t projected to have as much success as last year’s squad was, if a few things go their way, Fulmer believes the Vols aren’t too far away from a return to Atlanta.
