May 31, 2019 · 7:25 AM

“I expect us to be better, certainly,” Fulmer said.

No worries, Jeremy.  You got this.

“I do believe that we’ll be better. Would I love to sit here and say, ‘We’re going to win 10 or 11.’ Absolutely. I’d love to say that, but that’s up to everything falling right and kids coming through.”

No, really, you got this.

So much of Fulmer’s AD legacy, though, will be linked to his first hire and whether Pruitt delivers in elevating Tennessee’s program.

The Vols are coming off their seventh losing season in the past 11 years.

“This program, in my time around it, has never been at this place,” said Fulmer, who was UT’s coach from 1992-2008 after previously serving as an assistant for his alma mater. “I mean, in three out of the (last) five years, we had nobody drafted. At Tennessee? Are you kidding?

Easy peasy.

20 Comments

Filed under Because Nothing Sucks Like A Big Orange, The Glass is Half Fulmer

20 responses to ““I expect us to be better, certainly,” Fulmer said.”

  1. Mayor
    May 31, 2019 at 7:46 AM

    This is simple. UT is in a small state that doesn’t have particularly good HS football. They depend on out of state recruiting primarily in Georgia, mainly North Georgia including the Atlanta Metro Area. When UT started losing the Vols lost their cache and now top kids don’t want to go there. I mean….if you were given the chance to go to Georgia, Bama, FU or UT, would you pick UT?

    Liked by 2 people

    • Greg
      May 31, 2019 at 9:34 AM

      exactly….need to keep it that way. Had a bunch of Georgia boys on the ’98 team. With us recruiting more nationally now, that gives me some concern…they got to go somewhere.

      Like

  2. McTyre
    May 31, 2019 at 8:06 AM

    Phil is confusing the celestial convergence – of both UGA and Bama being down most years – during the first ten years of tenure with the normal state of UT FB. Don’t underestimate the capacity for this guy to have narcissism and naked ambition dictate his decision-making. 2019 could be the year that this volatile cocktail that is Fulmer-Pruitt and a program overly susceptible to the mood of the mob/fanbase explodes.

    Like

    • PTC DAWG
      May 31, 2019 at 8:38 AM

      I seriously doubt UT has been this bad for this long, ever. I believe they are tied with UGA for the second most SEC Titles… UT folks are getting restless.

      Like

      • Mayor
        May 31, 2019 at 11:30 AM

        I think UT still has the second highest winning percentage historically among teams that make up the SEC. But that’s all ancient history. Nobody coming out of HS today even knows who General Neyland was much less cares. The reality is that UT only has had one season (2007) in the last dozen or so where they won 10 games. We fired a guy for only winning 10 games. I think every team in the SEC East has done better than that–maybe not UK and Vandy, but they’re close to UT during the same period. Mizzou has had 11 game winning seasons, USCjr had 3 in a row, FU, they have all had 11 game winning seasons and more winning seasons than UT. If you look at the West–same thing.The bottom teams in the West, Ole Piss and Missy State have both done better, not to mention the top teams. A good argument can be made that over the last 10 or so years UT have been the worst football team overall in the SEC. And the coaching turmoil! Why would any top recruit ever go there?

        Liked by 1 person

  3. RangerRuss
    May 31, 2019 at 8:23 AM

    Orange squeezy.

    Like

  4. PTC DAWG
    May 31, 2019 at 8:33 AM

    7 out of 11? Hard to believe.

    Like

  5. Russ
    May 31, 2019 at 9:05 AM

    Shot fired. I’m looking forward to the fireworks on Rocky Top.

    Like

  6. Russ
    May 31, 2019 at 9:07 AM

    They first need to worry about getting over the Vandy hump.

    I’ll never get tired of typing that. 😀

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Muttley
    May 31, 2019 at 9:22 AM

    I’ve said this here before, but they are knocking on the door of twenty years of almost unrelieved suckritude. Like a plane trying to pull out of a power dive, it starts to get harder and momentum becomes a problem as a full generation of kids can’t remember a time when you didn’t blow. The fan base slowly begin to accept the new U.

    Arkansas used to be very close in history and tradition to UGA. They left the conversation a long time ago, and Tennessee is getting very close to the same territory.

    But they got Fullamerde on it, so no worries, right?

    Like

  8. Bulldog Joe
    May 31, 2019 at 1:05 PM

    2-14 vs. SEC competition in the past two seasons?

    Even I expect them to be better, certainly.

    Like

  9. Hobnail_Boot
    May 31, 2019 at 1:13 PM

    The Vols are coming off their seventh losing season in the past 11 years.

    So nice I’ll copy/paste it twice.

    The Vols are coming off their seventh losing season in the past 11 years.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Salty Dawg
    May 31, 2019 at 3:46 PM

    Embrace the SUCK, Tn! Being orange, with a losing history, ya’ll should be use to it. A-holes.

    Like

  11. Down Island Way
    May 31, 2019 at 4:14 PM

    Big urnge doughnut eater “expects”…that is never a welcome sign for any hc

    Like

  12. Mayor
    June 1, 2019 at 8:48 AM

    Is 6-6 better than 5-7? Yes.

    Like