Are we feeling optimistic?

It seems like just yesterday that Jeremy Pruitt was fired by the University of Tennessee. While that saga is far from over, Tennessee quickly mobilized in search of a new athletic director, and they found their prime candidate: Former UCF AD Danny White. The consensus seems to be excitement surrounding the new hire, with the ultimate hope being that he’ll promptly and successfully usher in a new era of Tennessee athletics.

In a previous article, I touched on whether or not the university and athletic department would move as expeditiously in regards to a coaching search. Currently, signs seem to point to “yes.” I’m sure we’re happy to hear it. Hopefully we don’t run into the same snafus as previous coaching searches.

While many players have opted to exit the program, the leaders at the university seem to be ready to move in a new direction. While the program will likely be embroiled in an investigation for the time being, the optics are that we’ve already shifted gears and many of us are looking at the next destination, independent of what penalties might be levied against the program.

While most of us are currently keeping a more diligent eye on what’s going on within the basketball program, the proceedings surrounding the football program are certainly in our peripheral vision. It’s a long walk before the start of the 2021 football season — a lot can happen between now and then. The only thing that seems increasingly certain is that Kevin Steele won’t have a shot at running the program in an interim capacity. It seems as though the administration is set on acquiring a coach — and as a consequence, a direction — as soon as possible. Right now, aggression is the name of the game.

It’s reasonable to worry about whether or not the lingering possibility of sanctions will scare off potential coaches, but is there a sense of optimism regarding the program? I’ve wondered how fans as an entire entity are feeling about the state of the program right now. At The Athletic, Tennessee writer David Ubben gave fans a chance to sound off about how they were feeling but that was pre-Danny White. How is everyone feeling now? Feel free to sound off in the comments.