Is Phil Fulmer Really Capable of Hiring a Quality Head Football Coach?

His hires at both Tennessee and East Tennessee State have been rooted in the past.

It’s become obvious Jeremy Pruitt is not going to lead the Tennessee Volunteers to elite status.

Pruitt presents himself as an inarticulate man whose 8–5 season last year seems more the result of an easy schedule down the stretch than any grand rebuilding project.

There are reasons not to replace him just yet; hiring a new coach after this season would have the Vols paying three head coaches through February, 2021, when former coach Butch Jones’ contract finally expires.

But Pruitt must be looked at through a critical lens. Currently on a five-game losing streak with a 2–5 overall record, the Vols will likely finish with a worse winning percentage than their 4–8 record of 2017, the previous nadir for Tennessee football in modern times.

When asked to give a statement to fans regarding the direction of the program in his postgame press conference following Saturday’s 30–17 loss to Auburn, he refused to give an answer, instead telling reporters “that’s not my job.”