Matt Hayes Is Right: Tennessee Will Never Be Elite Again.

At least not on the Vols’ current path.

Matt Hayes of Bleacher Report writes a truth that for 12 years Tennessee Volunteers fans have tried to ignore.

The Vols will never be elite again.

The traditionally supportive Vols fan base has gone in to Red Hot Chili Peppers mode: “Never is a Long Time.”

But Hayes is right. Oh, the Vols will certainly have winning records in their future, but they won’t regain their glory days of the 1990s.

In his piece, Hayes points to the fact Jeremy Pruitt, not the most articulate coach in the world, was reduced to championing graduation rates at a school that posted an eight percent graduation rate during their nineties hey day.

Hayes points to the Vols coaching turnover situation, not so much because the program hasn’t found the right one, but rather because it seemed when they last went out to get one, nobody wanted the job.

The reason? While the Volunteers have a wonderful history, they continue to try to live in it rather than see the wave of the future.

Advantages Tennessee once had, namely facilities and money, are no longer as prevalent as…