Fulmer's out

So Phil Fulmer has been forced out at Tennessee. No big shock, other than I thought it would happen at the end of the year and not in the middle. The team has clearly quit on him, though some players have reacted very emotionally to the news of his termination. He is in his 17th and final season as the head coach.

Fulmer does deserve credit for his accomplishments. His fantastic recruiting in the 90's turned the Vols into a national powerhouse that won back to back SEC titles and the BCS championship in '98, defeating Florida St. in the Fiesta Bowl. Many of his top players during the 90's and into this decade are or very recently were playing on Sunday's. Peyton Manning, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, Charlie Garner, Jason Witten, Donte Stallworth, Peerless Price, Leonard Little, Al Wilson, John Henderson, Gibril Wilson, Albert Haynesworth, Shaun Ellis...to name the major ones. Fulmer has a great career winning percentage and managed to beat Alabama and Georgia more often than not. He had a hard time with Florida during the Spurrier era and will have never beaten Urban Meyer, but he did have success during the Ron Zook era. His major strength as a coach was recruiting talent.

However, his talent had come into question recently. He was never an x's and o's coach, and during the heyday, Tennessee usually beat opposing teams on sheer talent. During the 90's, Tennessee and Florida were the predominant programs in the SEC. But things have changed over the last few years in the SEC. Enter coaches like Nick Saban, Les Miles, Urban Meyer, Mark Richt, Tommy Tuberville and that pesky Spurrier, and Fulmer's had his hands full recruiting lately. Essentially, Fulmer hasn't been able to recruit as well because of the influx of coaching talent in the SEC. Add the fact that these new coaches can all outcoach him and you have a declining program. A change needed to happen. David Cutcliffe, Spurrier, Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher and Butch Davis have been mentioned as possible candidates. We'll see what happens.