After 17 seasons in Knoxville the University of Tennessee will no longer be referring to Phillip Fulmer as the head coach. Yesterday Lane Kiffin was introduced as the Tennessee Volunteers new head football coach.
The hiring was announced just 2 days after Hall of Fame coach Phillip Fulmer was carried off the field to the sounds of Rocky Top in honor of his 17 seasons with the Vols. It will be no easy task for Kiffin to turn the Vols around. The Vols finished a disappointing 5-7 this year with a loss to Wyoming of all teams.
The former Raider coach is headed to Knoxville. Photo courtesy of Google Images.
Kiffin is going to be making a little over 2 million a year for leading the Big Orange. It is actually more than he was making as the Oakland Raiders head coach before he was fired earlier this year. Before coaching the Raiders Kiffin worked with the quarterbacks at USC.
Kiffin will be joined by his father Monte Kiffin who currently is an assistant coach on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff. Ed Orgeron, the former Ole Miss head coach is also rumored to be on the staff which will help recruiting in Knoxville.
When you are in the SEC conference and are competing against coaches like Urban Meyer and Nick Saban recruiting can get tough. Tennessee is hoping Kiffin can tackle that obstacle as well as coach the Vols to success on the field.
It will certainly look different every Saturday when Fulmer isn’t on the field with the Vols. Hopefully over time Kiffin can make a name for himself and yesterday was the start.
