University of Tennessee head coach Philip Fulmer announced that he had accepted the university's decision not to bring him back next year. Did he really have a choice? He'll probably get an athletic department job to go with his $6,000,000 buyout.
My thought about Fulmer is that he had a great ride and the university should keep him around, but he's just not an effective head coach anymore. In the mid-late 90's UT competed for a national title ever year, which is all you can ask for as a fan. But, he hasn't won the SEC since 98 and the last two years the team has been struggling to compete in the SEC east, let along for a national title. Also, they've had significant off the field problems with the players, which definitely hurts. It's also been frustrating that he hasn't developed the players much after they get there. Their recent quarterbacks didn't seem any better as seniors than they were as sophomores.
The name I keep hearing as a replacement is Will Muschamp, Texas's defensive coordinator as he has deep SEC roots. Given how well Urbn Mayer has done at Florida, I wouldn't mind seeing a guy from a successful non-BCS team (e.g., Boise, Utah, BYU, TCU, etc). I'm not sure it's best for a guy's first head coachiing job to be in the SEC, particularly at a school that expects to win.
Loyalty is a tough nut in college football and there's a lot that makes a program successful. Fulmer dedication and loyalty to the school cannot be questioned, but the overall results can be. It was just time for a change.
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