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Tennessee’s search for a new head coach continues to dominate the headlines across college football. Everyone seems to have an opinion of who the Vols should and shouldn’t pursue and many fans and media personalities are calling on John Currie to give a phone call to former Tennessee quarterback and current USC offensive coordinator, Tee Martin. As fate would have it, Tennessee’s favorite guy to hate is also a Tee Martin fan.
On Thursday morning, former Florida and South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier joined ESPNU Radio to discuss who he thinks should be considered at the school he used to love to get under the skin of.
“Tennessee will get them a coach here, eventually” Spurrier said on the morning talk show. “I think they oughta hire Tee Martin and that would unite the fanbase...He’s in his 40s, he’s an offensive coordinator, he calls the plays out there at Southern Cal, he knows what he’s doing.”
The full clip can be heard here:
How can John Currie bring the Tennessee fan base back together?@SteveSpurrierUF says hiring @Vol_Football alum Tee Martin is a good first step. pic.twitter.com/t4qXfti3kW
— ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM (@ESPNUonSiriusXM) November 30, 2017
That’s a pretty good endorsement from a guy who’s got plenty of accolades as an SEC head coach and while it may be hard for Tennessee fans to agree with the old ball coach, he makes a point here that many in the Tennessee fanbase would find hard to argue.
Tee Martin may not have head coaching experience that many would prefer, but there is absolutely no doubt that the hire of a former national championship winning quarterback who knows the culture and standards of Knoxville would excite fans more so than the hire of a Dave Doeren or a Greg Schiano.
Steve Spurrier, of course, was a Heisman trophy winning quarterback at Florida from 1963-1966 and returned to his alma mater in 1990. In the twelve years he lead the Florida program, they won a national championship and six SEC titles. While it’s hard to say whether or not Tee Martin could have that kind of success at Tennessee as a coach, even the most skeptical of fans would have to be excited about the prospect of hiring one of their own.
For now, there has been no indication that Martin has even been contacted about the job, and the longer this search drags on, fans have to be asking themselves why hasn’t he been contacted, especially when you take into consideration the ones who have (e.g. Greg Schiano).