The Chaos Surrounding Tennessee’s Coaching Search May Be A Blessing In Disguise

Hugh Freeze.

Eli Drinkwitz.

Kendal Briles.

Chip Lindsey.

Mike Yurcich.

Freddie Kitchens.

Dan Enos.

Neal Brown.

Trust me, there are more.

Those were all names linked to the Tennessee Volunteers’ now-open offensive coordinator position.

Denial.

Grief.

Pain.

Depression.

Apathy.

Acceptance.

Those are the emotions most Vols fans have, and are currently, going through.

Trust me, there are more.

I, myself, went through that as well.

It’s easy to get discouraged about the current search for an offensive coordinator. The entire fanbase just went through a nightmare of even worse proportions - but with similar context - just a little less than a year ago.

There’s no question that there is a cloud of uncertainty surrounding this situation. False reports, questionable sources - even quarrels amongst the local Knoxville media have offered little to no help in dissecting who the next offensive play caller will be.

Maybe, just maybe, this is a good thing.

Think about it for a second. Of all the hearsay, all the interviews, all the quotes, all the information - how much of it has actually come from either Jeremy Pruitt or Phillip Fulmer?

Less than 10%? Less than 5%? Even less than 1%?

Every snippet of “information” that has been put out regarding the search is almost pure speculation. One candidate is primed as the frontrunner, just to get hired at another program days later.

What this does is allow Pruitt and/or Fulmer to work behind the curtain. It allows them to focus on not only just this hire, but recruiting as well, while the media and the fanbase chase their collective tails.

Did Fulmer ever give out any information when he was looking for his Pruitt? When have we ever known Pruitt to just dish out info like it’s a 2-4-1 special at your favorite bar?

That type of free release was expected, but it shouldn’t be expected. And Vols fans are slowly - albeit surely - learning the fact that if you want information, you aren’t going to get it from this administration.

This is in no way a slam to anyone in the Knoxville or national media that covers the Vols. It’s our job to provide as much reasonable, truthful, and accurate information as quickly as possible. But the key lies in the adjectives that were just mentioned.

It remains to be seen as to who is spinning all of this information and we will likely never know. But this is what we do know right now: the longer that the search goes on without any results, the more speculation arises.

At this point, the best strategy is just to wait it out. Sit back, kick your feet up, and see where this show goes.

Why get all tangled up in the mix? The early signing period is still almost a full two weeks away. There hasn’t been any talk of the Vols potentially losing out on early signees. There hasn’t been any talk of dysfunction around the program, a la the head coaching search last season.

Go outside, go see a movie, read a book. Maybe do a little soul-searching in the wild. Spend time with your kids. Or, enjoy some men’s basketball (they play Gonzaga on Sunday).

This may sound like I’m waving the white flag, but I’m not. It’s more of an acceptance that this is how these situations will be handled at the top, and I kind of like it.

Actually, I like it. I like it a lot.

We will have our offensive coordinator soon, Vol Nation. And when that time comes, we will have to wait again to see how it plays out.

So enjoy the ride, even though it may be a bumpy one. The sun will still rise in the morning and we all be the better for it in the end.