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FOOTBALL TURNOVER
The November 4,2020 2020 The Daily Beacon Wednesday, October 2020 TheDaily DailyBeacon Beacon ••• Wednesday, Thursday, January 28,14, 2021 Wednesday, October 7,
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White tabs Heupel as Tennessee’s 27th head coach RYAN SCHUMPERT Sports Editor
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Just nine days after Tennessee terminated Jeremy Pruitt’s contract and director of athletics Phillip Fulmer retired, new athletic director Danny White introduced the Vols’ 27th head coach — Josh Heupel. “It’s about fit,” White said. “Sometimes that’s not just a location thing. It’s a status of the program thing, it’s a status of the roster thing, it’s a leadership thing but there’s so many factors that go into fit but at the end of the day in my assessment this is the very best fit for us. Josh Heupel is going to do a heck of a job as our head football coach, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him here.” “What an awesome day for myself and my family,” Heupel said. “I want to thank Chancellor (Donde) Plowman and President (Randy) Boyd for your vision of what you want and see in athletics and the importance that it has on campus and trusting me, and my family, to trust us to mentor and teach these young men the name of football.” In White’s past coaching searches, he’s turned to unexpected faces and names, but in his first hire at Tennessee, White chose a familiar face in the former Central Florida coach who he hired to take over the Knights’ program three years ago. “We had an exhaustive, exhaustive nationwide search,” White said. “I know that sounds crazy because I’m hiring the guy I worked with for the last three years. But if anything I was trying not to hire the coach at UCF. … After going through extensive candidates, we left no stone unturned.”
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UTK head coach Josh Heupel. Courtesy of St. Louis Post
The 42-year-old South Dakota native is an offensive minded coach, marking back to his playing days where he led Oklahoma to the 2000 National Championship while finishing runner up in the Heisman. Heupel’s offense is known for spreading the ball out and going up tempo while taking shots down the field. While the former Oklahoma, Utah State and Missouri offensive
Athletic director Danny White introduces Josh Heupel as 27th head coach. Ryan Schumpert / The Daily Beacon coordinator has certain things he wants to do offensively, he also emphasized focusing on what your personnel can do well. “At the end of the day you become a culmination of what you’ve done,” Heupel said. “You really do change year to year based on what your personnel is. That’s who your quarterback is, what’s his skill set is there. Who are the skill players around him? Whether you’re going to play in three-wide receiver sets, four-wide receiver sets or if you’re going to be in two-tight end sets. We’ve played in all of those things. It comes down to always looking at; I think it’s critical on the offensive side of the ball, but it’s the same thing. I’ll point out to my defensive staff and special teams staff — don’t look at what kids can’t do, look at what they can do at a high level and put them in position to have success. That is a coach’s job.” Central Florida’s scoring offense ranked in the top 10 nationally of scoring in each of Heupel’s three seasons in Orlando while ranking in the top five of yards each season. Heupel has also had offensive success in the SEC, with Missouri’s scoring offense ranking fifth in the conference in 2016 and first in 2017. The timing around Tennessee’s firing of Pruitt and White’s search to find his replacement made it important that they move with urgency. Heupel will now have to do a similar thing in putting together his staff in late January, long after most coaching staffs across the country have been set. “We’ll consider staff members from Central Florida, we’ll do that, also current members on this staff, we’ll have conversation
with them,” Heupel said of configuring his staff. “It’s important that we put together a staff at the right time, that we get the right people more than it is the urgency to put a staff together. But yes, you want to do it in a timely fashion.” Heupel emphasized the need for Tennessee to recruit its own state well. With a mediocre track record of a recruiter and only limited ties to the southeast, expect Heupel to litter his staff with veteran SEC recruiters. While the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations under Pruitt remains and will be a major story and cloud over Heupel’s program, the son of a football coach downplayed the violations and the potential of coming sanctions. “I had a very frank conversation with every person in leadership about what transpired, what their knowledge is and what they believe is going to transpire as far as a penalty,” Heupel said. “The reason that I’m standing here today is I believe in a very, very, very bright future for Tennessee football. I believe this is a minor speed bump we’re going through. The kids that are in our program right now and the kids that are being recruited will all have an ability to play and chase championships.” Heupel’s contract is a six-year deal that agrees to pay him $4 million a season with a clause in the contract that would give him a seventh season if the program faced a twoyear postseason ban or scholarship reductions of eight or more. The Josh Heupel era begins in 220 days when Tennessee hosts Bowling Green to Neyland Stadium for the 2021 season opener.
FOOTBALL TURNOVER
Wednesday, Thursday, November January 28, 18,2021 2020•• The Daily Beacon
Heupel brings offensive mind, quarterback development to UTK JOSH LANE Assistant Sports Editor
Tennessee has hired a new football coach. The university announced this morning that Josh Heupel will be the program’s next head football coach. Heupel will take over following the firing of Jeremy Pruitt on Jan. 18 for multiple Level 1 and Level 2 NCAA violations. Heupel brings a lot of experience to Knoxville. He was the head coach at the University of Central Florida for three years and was hired at UCF in 2017 by Danny White, who was the athletic director there at the time and is now the Vols’ AD. Heupel had a standout career as a quarterback at Oklahoma under head coach Bob Stoops. In 2000, he finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up, as well as an All-American, the AP Player of the Year and a Walter Camp Award winner. Heupel led the Sooners to an undefeated season and a national championship that same season. After a brief stint in the NFL, Heupel returned to his alma mater as a graduate assistant to Stoops. In 2006, he was named the quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma, where he had great success. Heupel coached Sam Bradford in 2008, his Heisman Trophy winning year. In 2010, Heupel was promoted to the Sooners’ co-offensive coordinator, where he was in charge of calling plays. He served in this role until 2015, when he was fired following an 8-5 season.
“It gave me a chance in some ways,“ Heupel said of his firing. “Just to kind of restart and look at what I want to do on the offensive side of the football. . . . It gave me an opportunity to re-shift my focus on what I wanted to be as far an identity on the offensive side of the football.” Heupel spent one season as the offensive coordinator at Utah State and two seasons in the SEC as Missouri’s quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator, where the Tigers led the SEC in total offense. That brings Heupel’s career up to 2017, when as mentioned earlier, he was hired by White as UCF’s head coach, following the departure of Scott Frost. In his first season, the Knights went 12-0, before losing to LSU in the Fiesta bowl. He followed that up with a 10-3 record in 2019 and most recently went 6-4 in the shortened 2020 season. Though Heupel has just three seasons of head coaching experience, he has been a winner at every stop of his career. He is an offensiveminded coach, and his time at UCF says as much. The Knights have ranked in the top-eight nationally in scoring offense and have averaged at least 42.2 points per game in all three seasons he’s been at the helm. They averaged at least 522.7 yards of total offense in his time there. And even in the uncertainties of the year 2020, Heupel had offensive success. The 6-4 record does not look great, but it is somewhat deceiving. UCF lost three regularseason games by a combined 12 points, before being blown out in the Boca Raton Bowl by BYU.
As a former quarterbacks coach, Heupel knows how to work with his quarterbacks. UCF ran a fast-paced, explosive offense that was second in passing, averaging 373 yards per game. Heupel’s quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a former three-star recruit, also ranked second in passing yards per game at 335.3 behind Florida’s Kyle Trask. Other quarterbacks Heupel has coached include Drew Lock, McKenzie Milton and Landry Jones. Heupel’s style of offense doesn’t match the pro style Tennessee ran under offensive coordinator Jim Chaney. However, the 42-year old isn’t concerned about implementing his offense. “We’ve done it successfully multiple times, different places that I’ve been,” Heupel said. “Your coaches have to get caught up to speed on what your doing if they haven’t been inside of the system. You got to coach your coaches. And then your coach has got to put in time with your players. And there’s only one way to get where yo need to be, and that’s time effort and energy. And our players have to be willing to go above and beyond to get to where we need to be. We will be able to get there, no question in my mind.” For a program like Tennessee, which has had numerous problems at the quarterback position these last few seasons, having a coach that can get the best out of his passer will be a welcome change. Heupel’s recruiting does not stand out as a great strength the way that Pruitt’s did when he
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was first hired. In his three seasons at Central Florida, his classes were ranked 62nd, 60th and 75th respectively, by 247 Sports. He did not land any four or five-star recruits during that period. However, with the way Heupel can develop offensive personnel, specifically quarterbacks, recruiting might not be the biggest issue for the Volunteers. Tennessee already has a former four-star quarterback in Harrison Bailey on its sideline. With the potential Bailey showed in his limited playing time last season and Heupel’s coaching, Tennessee might have one of the top offenses in 2021. Heupel is a great offensive mind, but one area of concern from his time in Central Florida was the defensive play; now that’s not totally his fault, but it should be important to UT, which finished in the middle of the SEC in team defense last year and recently lost linebackers Henry To’o To’o and Quavaris Crouch to the transfer portal. In Heupel’s first year at UCF, his defense was No. 95 in the nation. In 2019, his defense was much improved, ranked at No. 42 nationally, while holding its opponents to 346.1 yards per game. The group took a step in the wrong direction last season, falling to No. 123 of 127 after allowing 491.8 yards per game. Of course, that is not his primary area of concern, but those numbers are somewhat alarming. Nevertheless, the potential Heupel brings to Knoxville kicks off a promising era of Tennesssee football.
FOOTBALL TURNOVER
The Daily Beacon • Thursday, January 28, 7, 2021 Wednesday, October 2020
Pruitt’s termination: Allegations, unfulfilled duties SARAH RAINEY Campus News Editor
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On Jan. 18, former UT head football coach Jeremy Pruitt received a termination letter signed by Chancellor Donde Plowman and Vice Chancellor and former Director of Athletics Philip Fulmer. According to the letter, he was terminated after roughly two and a half years as head coach – Pruitt signed an employment agreement on July 24, 2018, and termination was effective as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Nine other employees also received letters of termination. Pruitt’s letter repeatedly referenced the former head coach’s Employment Agreement, mentioning the duties he was expected to uphold based on Section 4.1 of the agreement. The letter began by listing these duties, starting with how Pruitt was hired to fulfill the head coaching position at the “NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Level,” then emphasizing that he was meant to do this “in compliance with Governing Athletic Rules.” Then, it continued with Pruitt’s specific duties he was asked to uphold as head coach, specifically mentioning recruiting and hiring. It said that he was tasked with “leading, supervising, evaluating, recruiting…” football team members along with “the ‘recruitment, hiring, supervision’ of the football team’s assistant coaches.” After listing his responsibilities, the letter reiterated Pruitt’s task of fulfilling his duties “in compliance with Governing Athletic Rules,” along with “University Rules,” and then mentioned his recruiting responsibilities once more. Finally, the letter discussed the reasons for Pruitt’s termination based on “Cause.” If the university terminates a coach due to cause, it is because the coach has been involved in a series of prohibited activities “in the reasonable and good faith judgement of the University.” There are six reasons listed regarding these prohibited activities, ranging from “conduct or omission(s) by Coach that constitutes a Level I or Level II violation of one or more Governing Athletic Rules … or … that is likely to lead to a NCAA finding …” of these violations to “conduct or omission(s) that constitutes material neglect or inattention by Coach to the standards or duties generally expected of University employees and specifically required of Coach under (the) agreement.” Another reason to be terminated for cause listed was “conduct or omission(s) by Coach which brings or is substantially likely to bring Coach and/or the University into considerable public disrepute, embarrassment, contempt, scandal, or ridicule.” Although this letter came in January of 2021, it mentioned that UT “received information suggesting serious NCAA violations in the football program” on Nov. 13, 2020, which were then investigated by Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC,
Former Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Courtesy of AP Photo / Vasha Hunt on Nov. 19, and that “an active NCAA investigation is ongoing.” There was a seven-hour-long meeting with Pruitt in which they addressed these allegations, and Plowman and Fulmer write that the university has found that conduct by “at least two assistant coaches and several recruiting staff members” have a possibility of leading to violations of “one or more Governing Athletic Rules” by the NCAA. They went on to mention that they believe the NCAA will find that Pruitt “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program and/or monitor the activities of the coaches and staff members who report … to (him).” These reasons, Plowman and Fulmer wrote, are what caused the university to decide to terminate Pruitt – along with the other staff members — and that the investigation will likely bring “embarrassment … ridicule” to the university. Pruitt was then “suspended with pay pending the effective date of (his) termination” and was asked to return all of his university-issued belongings, as well as told that he could not contact any student athletes, whether they were current or prospective, or staff members of the athletic department. He was, however, offered an opportunity to record a final video message for his team. The letter concluded with a concise statement of well wishes and regrets. “It is a sad day for all of us, and I hope we all rebound from this unfortunate chapter. We wish you the best of luck,” Pruitt said. Termination letters were also sent to assistant coaches Brian Niedermeyer and Shelton Felton, detailing similar allegations and ending with the same line used in Pruitt’s letter. According to the letters, it seems that the
university believed the problems lied with the coaching staff’s duties – specifically recruiting – and that they suspect Pruitt did not properly monitor their actions. During UT’s press conference with Plowman and Fulmer, the chancellor touched on Pruitt’s leadership responsibilities and his apparent failure to uphold them. “Coach Jeremy Pruitt is the leader of the football program. He is responsible for hiring assistant coaches and the staff, and making sure that those who report to him comply with the NCAA rules. This is written into his employment contract,” Plowman said. “In addition, under the NCAA bylaws, he is presumed responsible for the actions of all staff members who report to him, either directly or indirectly. Coach Pruitt hired and was responsible for monitoring all nine employees that we have issued termination letters to today.” Plowman stressed that the disturbance felt from these terminations was due to the “number of violations and number of people involved, and their efforts to conceal their activities from (their) compliance staff and from leadership within the athletic department.” However, Plowman especially emphasized their worry for how the commotion may affect student athletes, highlighting the football players who were not involved in any of the prohibited activities. According to an article from the Associated Press, Pruitt will not receive a $12.6 buyout, quoting Plowman saying that because he was terminated due to cause, there will not be a buyout. It is likely that more information will be revealed regarding the details of these allegations as the investigation continues, but for now, Tennessee’s newly hired director of athletics Danny White announced the hiring of a new coach to replace Pruitt. White hired Josh Heupel, former head coach at the University of Central Florida.
FOOTBALL TURNOVER
Wednesday,November Thursday, January18, 28,2020 2021 • •The TheDaily DailyBeacon Beacon
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FOOTBALL TURNOVER
January 28, 2021 66 The TheDaily DailyBeacon Beacon• •Thursday, Wednesday, October 7, 2020
The legalities of Pruitt’s firing: Does he have a case? JOSH LANE Assistant Sports Editor
The firing of Tennessee’s former head football coach Jeremy Pruitt presents the university with a handful of legal challenges, which may not be fully resolved until the NCAA’s investigation is complete, whenever that may be. For now, let’s unpack the legalities of Pruitt’s firing as much as it’s possible. There are several important issues regarding Pruitt’s termination. First off, does he actually have a case, or will his defense be dismissed? Well, it could go either way. In Pruitt’s original contract, there were over 30 fire-for-cause provisions laid out. Essentially, these are offenses by Pruitt that give the university a good cause to fire him and in which he does not get the buyout for his contract, which is a total of $12.6 million. His termination letter included several lines from his contract on which this was allowed. “Conduct or omission(s) by Coach that constitutes a Level 1 or Level 2 violation of one or more Governing Athletic Rules.” “Conduct or omission(s) by a person who reports, directly or indirectly, to Coach that constitutes a Level 1 or Level 2 violation of one or more Governing Athletic Rules.” According to Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman, Pruitt had committed several Level 1 and Level 2 violations, though the exact violation and how many, she did not know. The reports seem to indicate that he was in violation of failure to control his staff, more than something specific he did. This brings up another question. What exactly are Level 1 and Level 2 violations? There are four levels of violations laid out in the NCAA rulebook: a Level I violation is a severe breach of conduct; Level II is a significant breach of conduct; Level III is a basic breach of conduct; and Level IV is an incidental issue. Level 1 is the worst, most severe violation. According to the rulebook, “They seriously undermine or threaten the integrity of the NCAA collegiate model, and they provide substantial or extensive recruiting advantages, major competitive advantages or impermissible benefits.” Level I violations can include lack of institutional control, lack of head coach oversight of compliance, academic misconduct, failure to cooperate in an NCAA investigation, unethical or dishonest conduct, cash payments or benefits given to recruits or an extensive collection of Level II or Level III violations. Pruitt would mainly fall under the lack of institutional control category, though as reports continue to come out, it might change.
Level 2 violations are similar to Level 1 but are categorized as significant, instead of severe. They would be violations that show not necessarily a lack of institutional control, as with Level 1, but are systemic issues. Again, it is unclear at this point the full extent of Pruitt’s violations, but if Plowman and the investigation found a Level 1 or Level 2 offense, as they have indicated, they would have cause to fire him, without the contract buyout. Pruitt, with the help of a retained attorney Michael Lyons, plans to challenge the termination on several fronts. According to a statement from Lyons issued Jan. 18, the two believe UT had terminated Pruitt mainly for financial reasons and not for any of the fire-for-cause provisions from his contract. Prior to the 2020 season, Pruitt had received a contract extension through 2025 and a raise, though he deferred the raise to 2021 to help with the financial trouble Tennessee athletics has had as a result of the pandemic. “We believe the decision to be the culmination of an orchestrated effort to renege on contractual promises made to Coach Pruitt upon his hiring in 2017 and reiterated less than five months ago,” Lyons said. The speed at which Pruitt’s five-page, single-spaced termination letter was prepared — according to Lyons, less than three hours after the meeting with Pruitt and Plowman — and the speed at which the letter was leaked to the public could be explained by a premeditated decision. If this ends up being the case, and there is no evidence of any violations from Pruitt, then he might have a chance in court. Lyons also said in his statement that they plan to defend “any allegation that he has engaged in any NCAA wrongdoing, as well as examining the University’s intent to disparage and destroy Coach Pruitt’s reputation in an effort to avoid paying his contractual liquidated damages.” The most likely scenario in all of this is that Tennessee reaches a financial agreement with Pruitt and pays him a portion of the $12.6 million that would be owed had he not been fired with cause. There are countless examples of universities paying a settlement to a fired coach, instead of taking the matter to court. Most recently, Gregg Marshall, the men’s basketball coach at Wichita State, was paid a $7.75 million settlement to resign as the head coach. He had more serious allegations, but it is a comparable scenario to what Tennessee might do with Pruitt. Regardless, time will be the most telling factor as more information becomes available about Pruitt and the recruiting scandal.
FOOTBALL TURNOVER
Thursday, October January 28, 2021 • The TheDaily DailyBeacon Beacon Wednesday, 14, 2020
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Timeline of the events surrounding investigation, Pruitt’s firing JOSH LANE Assistant Sports Editor
When Tennessee fired its head football coach Jeremy Pruitt and nine other assistant coaches on Jan. 18, the situation unearthed several questions about the timeline of his firing. How was the letter of termination prepared so fast? When was the first violation reported? Who was the first source? Let’s look at the timeline of events to see what exactly happened. This whole series starts, at least as far as we know right now, on Nov. 13, when according to Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman, a “credible source” first reported potential NCAA violations to Plowman’s office. More details about the source were not given by Plowman; she only repeated that it was “credible.” Plowman met with the University’s General Counsel, the office that provides legal advice and representation to the UT Board of Trustees and the university administration, and on Nov. 19 retained Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, an independent law firm from Kansas to aid in the internal investigation. Michael Glazier and Kyle Skillman were the two attorneys that were retained to assist in what a university statement called “regulatory issues that have been brought to our attention.” Glazier is a former NCAA investigator who now serves as a consultant for schools facing NCAA violations. Skillman also advised schools during NCAA investigations. In December, the NCAA began an official investigation into the allegations after UT informed both it and the Southeastern Conference about the findings. Plowman did not give a specific date as to when the investigation officially began. When asked about the NCAA’s investigation on Dec. 19, after the loss to No. 5 Texas A&M, Pruitt said. “Anytime in college football or college athletics, you have typical compliance stuff. That is all I know.” He either did not know the full extent of the violation other than an investigation was taking place or did not admit to knowing more about the situation. On Jan. 14, Pruitt was interviewed by NCAA staff and the attorneys retained by UT. The exact details of the interview have not been made public, but a transcript was available to Plowman, who had not read it four days later. One day later, Jan. 15, Plowman and Tennessee’s athletic director Phillip Fulmer received an update from Bond, Schoeneck & King regarding the investigation. Again, little details of the meeting have been made public, but given the timing of following events that will be discussed later, it’s cer-
tainly possible that the university made the decision to terminate Pruitt and the other assistants at that time. Saturday, Jan. 16, the university hired a search firm to assist with the hiring of a new athletic director. Plowman said that she and Fulmer made the decision after the update on Friday and insisted that the firm was not hired before a decision was made. “It gives us the opportunity to have them available when we need them for either of these two searches,” Plowman said. Plowman then said that both she and Fulmer met with the NCAA compliance staff the morning of Jan. 18 to “clarify things we heard.” As the day unfolded, several important events took place, culminating in a press conference that evening. A termination letter was sent on the same day to Pruitt by UT officials, citing “serious violations of NCAA rules.” Plowman did not confirm any specific violations, as it would potentially interfere with the investigation. In Pruitt’s letter, the university concluded “that these likely findings were the result of either your material neglect or lack of reasonable preventive compliance measures.” Tennessee would suspend Pruitt without pay until his contract was officially terminated, which took place Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. ET. Once Pruitt was fired, he retained an attorney, Michael Lyons, to defend against the allegations. Lyons released a statement on behalf of Pruitt and the defense Monday night, in which several important details were made public. First, Pruitt and Plowman had an inperson meeting Monday before the letter of termination was given out. According to Lyons, Plowman confirmed to Pruitt that “(1) the University’s investigation had yet to have been completed; (2) the Chancellor had not yet read Coach Pruitt’s NCAA interview transcript; and (3) there was no evidence that Coach Pruitt was either actively involved in any alleged violations or knew they were occurring.” Less than three hours later, Pruitt was emailed his five-page, single-spaced letter of termination. The letter detailed that the investigation showed evidence of multiple Level I and Level II NCAA recruiting violations, and gave six fire-for-cause provisions that Pruitt violated. The contents of the termination letter were “immediately leaked to the public.” This is where the exact timeline gets dicey. If, as Plowman told Pruitt, the university had not reached a final decision on his coaching status in their meeting, then it is very suspicious that a long, detailed letter of termination was sent out just hours later. And since it was immediately leaked to the public, it seems as if the letter had been drafted well before the meeting.
It is possible, though not confirmed, that when Plowman, Fulmer and the firm met on Jan. 15, they reached the decision to terminate Pruitt. This would explain why the termination letter was available so quickly and how it was leaked that fast. Lyons additionally stated that they plan to defend the allegations that Pruitt violated any NCAA rules. He believes that the firing was based off other reasons and planned before Monday. “The timing of the university’s actions and decision appear to be preordained and more about financial conTennessee’s former head coach Jeremy Pruitt calls to his players venience and expeduring the Tennessee and Alabama football game at Bryant-Denny diency than a fair Stadium on Saturday, Oct.19, 2019. File / Daily Beacon and complete factual determination by the University,” Fulmer’s successor, on Jan. 21. The investiLyons said in the statement. gation of NCAA violations continue. If Pruitt were fired without cause, Tennessee would owe the former head coach a sum of $12.6 million as a buyout of his contract. In the presser Monday evening, the chancellor indicated that Tennessee’s part of the investigation is winding down but that the NCAA will continue with its course for some time. No time frame was given on how long that might take. Plowman also announced that Kevin Steele, a defensive assistant coach who was hired on Jan. 12, will serve as the interim head coach while the investigation continues. Fulmer confirmed that Steele had no prior knowledge that he might serve as head coach in the interim. “He did not know that he may be serving as acting head coach,” Fulmer said. “He did know that there was an investigation going on.” Fulmer additionally announced his retirement that same night, though it is not in connection with the recruiting scandal. He cited his desire for the next athletic director to choose the next head coach. On Wednesday, Jan. 20, the first day of UT’s spring semester and two days after Pruitt’s firing, four starters from the football team entered the transfer portal. The group included linebackers Henry To’o To’o and Quavaris Crouch, running back Eric Gray and offensive lineman Jahmir Johnson. And most recently, Tennessee announced the hiring of former University of Central Florida athletic director Danny White, as
FOOTBALL TURNOVER
The Daily October Beacon •28, Thursday, January 28, 2021 8 8Wednesday, 2020 • The Daily Beacon
Leadership instability leads to offseason departures, transfers ETHAN STONE Contributor
The climate of Tennessee football has changed drastically in the past few weeks. The firing of head coach Jeremy Pruitt and several other staff members for Level I recruiting violations prompted reactions among current student athletes and recruits alike in relation to their status with the team and university come next fall. Here’s where things stand. The transfer portal On Wednesday Jan. 20, a few days removed from Pruitt’s firing, four Vols’ starters made the decision to enter the portal. This development followed a players meeting led by interim head coach Kevin Steele and former athletic director Phillip Fulmer, as well as other members of the athletic department. These departures include linebackers Henry To’o To’o and Quavaris Crouch, breakout running back Eric Gray and one of Pruitt’s first signings of the 2018 class in offensive lineman Jahmir Johnson. To’o To’o and Crouch combined for 125 tackles across the 19 games they were featured in this past season, as fellow sophomore Eric Gray rushed for 772 yards and four touchdowns in nine games. Later in the same week, freshman defensive
These departures, as well as those lost to the NFL draft such as defensive back Bryce Thompson and all-SEC offensive lineman Trey Smith, will prove a stout challenge to the new coaching administration. In total, of the 22 players that started week one against South Carolina, 12 remain on the Volunteers football team. Recruitment moves
Henry To’o To’o File / Daily Beacon back Key Lawrence entered the transfer portal as well, raising the number to five players departing the team in a week’s time. Lawrence totaled eight tackles and one pass deflection in his three games as a Vol this season. This week, J.J. Peterson also announced his intentions to transfer, becoming the fifth linebacker to depart from the team. Two position coaches dismissed from the university, Shelton Felton and Brian Niedermeyer, coached linebackers in their time at Tennessee and face serious recruiting violations in conjunction with Pruitt’s tenure. These six join a list of more than a dozen who have entered the portal since the end of the season, including starting quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and outside linebacker DeAndre Johnson.
The news forced many high school recruits set to arrive on campus in 2021 to reconsider their future plans with the Vols. As of a week after the announcement of the firing of the head coach and several staff members, five commits have expressed their intentions to step away from considering the University of Tennessee. Among these hesitations is the top signee of the 2021 class in defensive end Dylan Brooks, who asked for a release from the Tennessee football program stating, “It was just the best thing for me” in a text message to reporters. The Vols also lost commitments from fourstar wide receiver Jordan Mosley, three-star offensive tackle Colby Smith and three-star defensive end Jimmy Scott, all of whom stated their intentions on their personal social media accounts. Auburn transfer Big Kat Bryant, a defensive end who labeled Tennessee as his transfer destination a week prior to Pruitt’s firing, later deleted his commitment post in response to the personnel decision. No intentions have since
been stated. Who’s staying? These developments did not come as a surprise to the university, which vowed to make future retention a priority this offseason. “As many challenges as we have, also look at (them) as opportunities,” former Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer said. “We’ve got a great brand name. We will work diligently to keep our players here and welcome the new ones … then continue the recruiting process that’s going on now.” Plenty of current players took to social media following the exodus of starters to the transfer portal. Defensive end Darel Middleton and defensive back Trevon Flowers were among many who announced their intent to stay with the team on their personal accounts. Former five-star offensive tackle Darnell Wright also announced his intention to stay with the program. This decision came after many media outlets reported the former ESPN 300 recruit would be joining fellow offensive linemen Wanya Morris and Jahmir Johnson in transferring from the program. Many signees recruited by Pruitt’s administration have also announced their intentions to stay and compete next fall, such as JUCO running back Tiyon Evans and four star quarterback Kaidon Salter. At this point, the Volunteers will take any good news they can get.
8 Wednesday, October 28, 2020 • The Daily Beacon FOOTBALL TURNOVER
Thursday, January 28, 2021 • The Daily Beacon
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Looking back on Fulmer’s long career at UT, recent retirement JAKE YODER City News Editor
It’s been a tumultuous time to be a Tennessee Vols fan the past few weeks. Not only did the university announce the firing of football coach Jeremy Pruitt following an investigation into potential recruiting violations, UT’s athletic director, Phillip Fulmer, also announced his retirement. Fulmer has had a long career with Tennessee, one that began all the way back in his time as a student athlete in the late 1960s. During his time as a player, Fulmer had a pretty successful college career. He not only garnered All-Southeastern Conference honors as offensive guard, but he also contributed to Tennessee’s 30-5 record from 1968-71. After graduation, Fulmer coached offensive line and linebacker at Wichita State for five years. He then briefly coached offensive line at Vanderbilt for one season before coming back to his alma matter in 1980. For the next 13 years, Fulmer served many different roles in the Tennessee coaching staff, includ-
ing offensive line coach and offensive coordinator. Beginning with a partial season in 1992, Fulmer served as the Vols’ head coach until 2008. He had a mostly successful career, leaving with an overall record of 152-52. He not only coached Peyton Manning for all four of his seasons with the Vols, but he also helped the team achieve the conference title in 1997 and the national championship in 1998. After stepping down from coaching at the end of the 2008 season, Fulmer led a generally quiet life for the next 10 or so years. In 2017, it was announced that he would be taking over as Tennessee’s new athletic director amidst former AD John Currie’s disastrous search to find former head coach Butch Jones’ replacement. While Fulmer was originally hired in an interim role, his contract was extended to four seasons after he hired Jeremy Pruitt. Things seemed all well and good for Fulmer entering 2020. The football program was on a six-game winning streak, but soon COVID-19 hit and Pruitt’s tenure collapsed with a 3-7 record, including six straight losses by double digits. Many immediately had questions about Fulmer’s status with UT, and they
didn’t have to wait long to get an answer. In the same press conference where Pruitt’s firing was announced, Fulmer announced his early retirement. “Phillip concluded that he thought it best, and suggested, that a new coach and a new athletic director form a partnership that could provide longterm stability and success for our football program,” Chancellor Donde Plowman said during the press conference. “Phillip came out of retirement to take his current athletic director position and never intended it to be long term.” Fulmer himself reemphasized Tennessee’s need for stability in this strange time, noting that he hopes the next head coach and athletic director can hold the positions for 10 or more years. “My thoughts are that I’m 70 years old, and I’m not going to be the athletic director at age 80. It was always my expectation that I’d move on from athletics sooner rather than later,” Fulmer said. “It only makes sense that I make that move this semester so that a new coach and new athletic director can implement their vision together.” Seeing as how Fulmer would be stepping
down before the end of his contract, questions were raised on how his departure would be handled by UT. In a statement to Trey Wallace, writer for FOX Sports Knoxville and Read-Optional, the university noted that they would continue paying Fulmer for quite some time after his official departure. “We anticipate that when (Fulmer) leaves the athletic director position, he will receive $37,500 per month through December 31, 2023,” a spokesperson from UT said. Soon after the announcement of Fulmer’s retirement, UT announced that Danny White, the University of Central Florida’s current athletic director, would replace Fulmer. “I am thrilled to be headed to Knoxville and to a university with a great competitive tradition and a spirited and devoted fan base,” White said. “Volunteer fans have an expectation to win, and my first task will be taking on the search for a new head football coach. But I want all Vols to know that I am deeply committed to excellence in all of our athletic programs.” As of writing, Fulmer has not made any further statements on his retirement or White’s hiring.
Pruitt’s tenure marked by coaching turnover, middling results ANDREW PETERS Contributor
Former Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt was fired last week, along with several other members of the football coaching staff, after Level I and Level II NCAA recruiting violations allegedly occured. Pruitt leaves behind one of the worst tenures by a coach in Tennessee football history, winning just 13 games and losing 12. Pruitt’s time at UT started in December of 2017, when Butch Jones was fired after four seasons with the Vols, and Tennessee began their coaching search. Shortly after, John Currie was fired as athletic director after just eight months, and Phillip Fulmer was hired as acting athletic director. A week after the hiring of Fulmer, Pruitt was hired as head coach at Tennessee, after spending two seasons as defensive coordinator at Alabama. Over the offseason, Pruitt put together his coaching staff, including Tyson Helton as offensive coordinator, Kevin Sherrer as defensive coordinator and Chris Rumph as co-defensive coordinator. In May of 2018, Pruitt landed five-star 2019 offensive tackle recruit Wanya Morris, one of his first major recruiting wins In September, Tennessee would kick off the Pruitt era with a blowout loss to West Virginia in Charlotte. The team was shaky to
start the season but looked strong in a win against No. 21 ranked Auburn. Pruitt believed this win was a glimpse of what was to come for the Vols. “We beat a really good football team today,” head coach Jeremy Pruitt said following the win at Auburn. “It’s a fantastic effort by our guys, something that we can build on down the road.” Tennessee also looked promising in a win against No. 12 Kentucky, but followed their impressive win with blowout losses to Missouri and Vanderbilt to end the season 5-7, with UT missing a bowl game for the second straight season. Shortly after the end of the season, Helton was named head coach at Western Kentucky, leaving the Vols in search of a new offensive coordinator. During the offseason, the Vols closed their 2019 signing class strong with the additions of five-star offensive tackle Darnell Wright and four star linebackers Henry To’o To’o and Quavaris Crouch. Pruitt also got a jumpstart on the 2020 class, earning fourstar quarterback Harrison Bailey’s commitment. In February of 2019, Pruitt set his coaching staff for the 2019 season, including impressive hires of Jim Chaney as offensive coordinator and Derrick Ansley as defensive coordinator. The Vols once again had a coaching staff that was considered to be one of the best in the nation. In August, the Vols began what looked to be a promising season. However, the Vols
lost their first two games in an embarrassing fashion against Georgia State and BYU. Pruitt was frustrated with his team, but was ready to find ways to improve. “We gave up a 70-yard play with 17 seconds left on the clock,” Pruitt said following the loss to BYU. “It’s hard to figure that one out. We’ll go back, we’ll coach them up and get them to where they understand those situations better.” After a rough start to the season, the Vols’ only other losses came to top 10 opponents. Tennessee ended the season on a six-game winning streak, including a bowl win against Indiana, finishing with a record of 8-5. After the Gator Bowl win, Pruitt declared the 2020s “the decade of the Vols.” After a strong second year at Tennessee, things continued to look up for Pruitt, as Knoxville native and Georgia offensive lineman Cade Mays announced that he was transferring to Tennessee, adding to Pruitt’s top-ten ranked recruiting class. Mays addition, mixed with Trey Smith returning for his senior season, had pundits believing the Vols’ offensive line was one of the SEC’s best Tennessee kicked off its COVID-shortened 2020 season with wins against South Carolina and Missouri. While the Vols looked promising early on, they followed these wins with a sixgame losing streak, tying the longest losing streak in school history. Pruitt was verbally frustrated after the Vols’ continuous losses.
“That’s not my job,” Pruitt said when asked about his message to the fanbase after the Auburn loss, the Vols sixth straight double digit loss. “My job is to coach, okay. If you want to ask me a football question, ask me a football question.” Late into the season, Tennessee was verbally reported to have committed NCAA violations by a “credible source.” Tennessee then hired Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, to represent the university. Several weeks after the reports, the NCAA opened formal investigation into Tennessee’s violations. During the midst of the investigation, Pruitt finished what would be his last season with a loss to Texas A&M, leading the Vols to their least number of wins in program history. Days before his firing, Jeremy Pruitt announced the hire of Kevin Steele as a defensive assistant. Steele would step into the role of interim head coach days later. On Jan. 14, Pruitt was interviewed by NCAA enforcement staff and the attorneys representing Tennessee. A day after the interview, university leaders met with Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC. After the meeting, university leaders decided to fire Pruitt, along with nine other Vols football staff members. Now, the NCAA continues the investigation and compliance investigation. Current available information suggests the violations to be serious.
FOOTBALL TURNOVER
10 The January 28, 2021 TheDaily DailyBeacon Beacon• •Thursday, Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Cloud of NCAA investigations hanging over Vols’ football program RYAN SCHUMPERT Sports Editor
When Donde Plowman announced Jeremy Pruitt’s termination due to NCAA violations the UTK chancellor called it “a dark day,” painting a gloomy outlook for the Vols’ football program moving forward. What’s known about the investigation is limited due to its ongoing nature, but the details we do know help us paint a fuller picture of the situation. Tennessee fired Jeremy Pruitt with cause. Will they be successful in not having to pay any of the former head coach’s $12.8 million buyout? That remains to be seen, but Plowman made it clear that UT doesn’t intend to pay Pruitt his buyout and laid out the case for firing him with cause. In Pruitt’s termination letter, two amendments from his contract are cited as the reason for his termination. “Conduct or omission(s) by Coach that constitutes a Level 1 or Level 2 violation of one or more Governing Athletic Rules.” “Conduct or omission(s) by a person who reports, directly or indirectly, to Coach that constitutes a Level 1 or Level 2 violation of one or more Governing Athletic Rules.” In discussions with the media, Plowman has made it clear that the violations that occurred fall under that criteria. “What our counsel has told us is that we’re looking at Level 1 and Level 2 violations,” Plowman said. “I don’t know yet exactly how
many or exactly the specifics of it.” Despite the dark image that Plowman’s message cast Monday, new director of athletics Danny White seemed less concerned about the potential of sanctions or difficulties in finding a new coach. “I don’t know that I ever considered it would be crippling,” White said. “I don’t think a university and an athletics department and a football program with this much history and this much going for it is going to be crippled by something. I think it’s a matter of, ‘How long is it going to take to climb out of it?’ I didn’t make this in a short-term type of way. I view this, hopefully, if y’all will have me, maybe you’ll be running me out of here in six months, I don’t know. But hopefully this is something I’m building for the long term and being part of for the long term. I’m not really contemplating some of the short-term scenarios.” While White is likely trying to sound optimistic as he embarks on the search for Pruitt’s replacement, his message was still a more positive one than Plowman’s. White made it clear that he would be honest and upfront with all candidates about the nature of the violations. Jeremy Pruitt and his lawyers have stated that they believe the coach is innocent of any wrongdoings, seemingly including the actions of his staff, and have indicated that they believe the investigation was used as a ruse to fire him with cause. “The timing of the University’s actions and decision appear to be preordained and more
File / Daily Beacon about financial convenience and expediency than a fair and complete factual determination by the University,” Pruitt’s lawyer Michael Lyons said. “Moreover, it seems clear that the recent leaks to the press are indicative of an interest to steer the narrative in a way that is desirable to the University to justify a decision likely made weeks ago.” The timeline and immediate actions of the NCAA are what could make or break the situation for Tennessee. UT’s internal investigation began shortly after Plowman was notified of possible violations on Nov. 13. The NCAA became involved in the investigation “within the last 10 to 14 days” from Pruitt’s firing on Jan. 20. How involved and satisfied the NCAA was with the investigation is unknown, but NCAA representatives and Tennessee investigators were involved in an eight-hour interview with Pruitt the Thursday before he was fired. While Tennessee’s internal investigation is
winding down, how long the NCAA’s investigation continues and how many resources they pour into it remain to be seen. “We don’t have a good feel for that,” Plowman said of the timeline around the investigation. “We hope it’s nearing its final stages, but then the NCAA continues on their own, but our part of it we hope is completed pretty soon.” Self punishment from Tennessee is a realistic outcome. Bowl bans or postseason bans are popular for struggling teams under investigation — see LSU football and Auburn basketball — and could be in play for the Vols. Scholarship reductions would be another viable option for Tennessee. The NCAA limit for number of scholarships players in football is 85, with schools being able to sign a maximum of 25 scholarship players each year. As of now, Tennessee has had 10 players enter the transfer portal this offseason. Realistically, it will take Tennessee multiple years to catch up to 85 scholarships given the cap on the number of players that can be signed each year. It would make sense for the Vols to take away some of those scholarships as a punishment. Whether the NCAA would view Tennessee’s self punishment as adequate will be immensely important to the Vols’ ability to move forward. The NCAA rarely does anything quickly, and the cloud that an NCAA investigation can have over a new coach and his program can be even more impactful than sanctions.
Trigger warning: This story contains discussion of violence and sexual assault
SEC probes through the years: Steroids, recruiting investigations ALLIE JUSTIS Copy Chief
The University of Tennessee recently fired Jeremy Pruitt and nine other football personnel on his staff. The situation is just one of many instances of corruption that have arisen in the SEC throughout the past several decades. Here are some other situations that have rocked the SEC in the past 50 years or so, that may shed some light on the outcomes of UT’s current predicament. However, it is important to consider that these situations vary in severity and involve many different types of violations and crimes. Rick Pitino recruiting investigation Back in 2017, the University of Louisville experienced a similar scandal involving head men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino. Due to Pitino’s infamous “action and inaction,” said best by the university’s interim president Gregory Postel, Pitino lost nearly $40 million and didn’t receive any parting pay.
During the entire investigation, led by the FBI, Pitino took a lie detector test, but ultimately his contract of $7.8 million dollars a year through 2026 was terminated, bringing about the end of his career. Chuck Person FBI probe
Also in 2017, the FBI charged four major college basketball assistant coaches and six other staff members with being involved in a major corruption and fraud scheme. The most relevant name on this list of people would be Auburn’s assistant basketball coach Chuck Person, who was personally found to have accepted over $50,000 in bribes during his recruitment process for the university. Auburn suspended Person without pay following his arrest. Vanderbilt rape case A major event that rocked UT’s biggest in-state rival Vanderbilt was the infamous Vanderbilt rape case. In the summer of 2013, four Vanderbilt football players — Brandon Vandenburg, Cory Lamont Batey, Brandon E. Banks and and Jaborian “Tip” McKenzie — gang raped an unconscious woman while
videotaping the entire assault. Once this story came to light, all men were arrested and charged with five counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. Three of the four men charged are serving 15+ year sentences as of the date of publication, and one of the four accepted a plea deal with 10 years probation. Lynn Lang booster situation A little further back in 2000, Alabama also took some heat when booster Logan Young was convicted of bribing high school coach Lynn Lang $150,000 to steer defensive lineman Albert Means towards Alabama’s football team. However, what makes this scandal particularly interesting is that this story only came to light when Phillip Fulmer, the head coach of UT football at the time, personally faxed over proof of the situation to Roy Kramer, the conference commissioner. In one quote from the nearly three page fax, Fulmer said, “I get the feeling we are falling behind fast on these two kids because of Logan,” which launched a five year probation and a two-year bowl ban after a full inves-
tigation was held looking into the circumstances surrounding Albert Means’ recruitment to Alabama. Clemson steroid distribution Even further back, in 1985 after the death of track athlete Augstinus Jaspers as a result of steroid and prescription drug abuse, it was found that Clemson’s athletic program was involved in a large scale steroid operation. Clemson coaches Sam Colson and Stan Narewski both resigned following the incident and were later implicated for the distribution of illegal drugs. In the end, both were given suspended 18-month sentences and fined $1,000 each. With all this being considered, the SEC has a history of corruption and morally questionable actions coming from both coaches and players. However, it can also be said that as long as the SEC and the UT administration have a strong leadership at their core and a clear direction with which way they want to take the culture of their college athletics programs, then surely they will make light work of cleaning up the mess at UT.
FOOTBALL TURNOVER
Wednesday, Thursday,October January 14, 28,2020 2021 • The Daily Beacon
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Athletic Director Danny White lays out plan for hiring new head coach RYAN SCHUMPERT Sports Editor
Note: Josh Heupel has been selected as Tennessee’s new head coach.
New Tennessee director of athletics Danny White isn’t a stranger to hiring football coaches; he’s made three. He also isn’t new to starting a new job and immediately having to hire a new football coach; he did it at UCF when he hired Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost to rebuild the Knight’s program. The search always starts and ends the same way: with the players. “Ideally, it starts and ends with the student athletes,” White said of his process of hiring coaches. “I want to hear from them first and I want them to be the first ones to know who their new coach is. What happens in between, there’s a whole lot going on there and I’m going to do a lot of homework. I’ve spent a lot of time researching. I’m fortunate to have a pretty significant network in collegiate athletics; I realize it’s probably because of the way I grew up, but I can get a candid opinion of them and understand who they are from a character standpoint. I don’t want to even be interviewing someone if I have questions about them.” Amidst an NCAA investigation, Tennes-
see’s new director of athletics echoed the same message that Chancellor Donde Plowman and UT President Randy Boyd did on Monday, a need for a coach that will do things the right way and not take shortcuts. White’s message went even deeper into character and the need for someone that will serve as a good role model for players. “Integrity is an enormous part of who I am, of who we hire,” White said. “I want a head coach that I can trust unequivocally, and that that person is going to hire a staff of high character people. That goes beyond just staying within the rules and following regulations whether that be university, conference, NCAA. It’s having the right morale compass that will rub off on our student athletes. Be a role model for our student athletes.” How does that affect Tennessee’s search in particular? Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has been a popular name amongst fans and fits the profile of White’s past hires, a young offensive coach. However, off the field problems have plagued Kiffin since his lone season as the Vols’ head coach in 2009. White won’t have to look hard to find answers about Kiffin’s character and suitability for the Tennessee job as White’s brother Brian is Florida Atlantic’s athletic director and was Kiffin’s boss for three years.
While Kiffin is a popular name amongst Vol fans, White says that will have no impact on his search and in his past coaching searches, the ultimate hire wasn’t often on fans’ and the media’s radar. “The last few coaching searches I’ve done at UCF, there’s that list of one, two, three, four, five and everybody’s debating who that should be,” White said. “The people we’ve hired haven’t even been on that list. I’m not paying attention to that list. If I am, why even hire me? You might as well just look at the list and start calling them up and see who will do it. It’s way more in depth in that. We’re going to be expansive in our search and make sure we turn over every single stone.” “We’d love to excite our fanbase with whatever the hire is, and we hope we do. Sometimes when I’m in a room with people with opinions, and they’re way smarter than me. They could be a doctor or an electrician and they can all do jobs that I would not be able to do in a million years. But I’m a reasonably smart person and I’m going to be very, very close to this and I’m going to have all the facts on hand and I’m going to do my very best to make the best decision for the University of Tennessee.” White will look to move quickly in hiring the Vols’ new head coach with signing day under two weeks away and multiple Tennes-
see players in the transfer portal. When asked whether interim head coach Kevin Steele was a candidate or not, White sidestepped, saying everyone in the room was still a candidate at that point. Still, Steele’s age, 62, and his defensive background make him an unlikely candidate for White to peg. Even with an established athletic director in White, Tennessee could be a difficult job to sell due to the ongoing NCAA investigation. While White doesn’t believe the fallout will be “crippling,” he did acknowledge the importance honesty would play in his side of hiring a new coach. “Just looking at case precedent of other NCAA cases, until it’s done no one will know exactly what the final results are but we’ll be very transparent and honest with the candidates involved in the search and give them a good forecast for what that will look like,” White said. White’s track record of hiring coaches is phenomenal both in football and basketball, revolutionizing UCF football with the hire of Scott Frost and stabilizing the Buffalo program with the hire of Lance Leipold. White will look to do what no one in Knoxville has done in the last 12 years: hire a football coach that can successfully turn around the reeling Volunteer program.
Nine football staffers ousted alongside head coach Jeremy Pruitt RYAN SCHUMPERT Sports Editor
Jeremy Pruitt wasn’t the only university employee that was ousted due to the internal and NCAA investigation into football recruiting violations. Tennessee terminated outside linebackers coach Shelton Felton’s and inside linebackers coach Brian Niedermeyer’s contracts with cause while five off the field employees were fired. The off the field employees that were terminated included director of football player personnel Danny Stiff and assistant director of football player personnel J.T. Hill. Stiff and Hill are in the top of the recruiting department and helped with scouting. Stiff had been on Tennessee’s staff since Pruitt arrived in Knoxville serving as assistant director of football player personnel, until Drew Hughes left his position as director of football player personnel last spring to take the same position at South Carolina. Stiff was promoted to Hughes’ position, and Hill was hired away from an off the field position at Alabama to become Pruitt’s assistant director of football player personnel. The other employees in the recruiting department fired included Bethany Gunn, Rachel Bell, Chantryce Boome and Taylor
Hooker. Quality control coach Larry Harold was also let go. It was the widespread nature and quantity of violations that disturbed Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman the most. “We were briefed extensively, and President Boyd was there, too, Friday,” Plowman said. “It was stunning. The number of people involved, as I said in my comments, and the number of incidents. That was shocking and partly what you see in the actions that we’re taking today.” While the departure of those in the recruiting office may not seem like a massive loss at face value, they will be missed in the short term as Tennessee tries to continue to recruit and evaluate prospects during this time of instability. With Tennessee down four assistant coaches, the coaches still on staff have been busy with easing the concerns of current players and keeping them out of the transfer portal, making it nearly impossible to pick up the extra recruiting work left by the seven staffers terminations. Niedermeyer and Felton were fired with cause due to these amendments in their contracts. “Conduct or omission(s) by Coach that constitutes a Level 1 or Level 2 violation of one or more Governing Athletic Rules.” “Failure of Coach to report promptly to
the Director of Athletics or the staff member staff as outside linebackers coach in January in the Athletics Department with primary of 2020. While that seems to limit the time responsibility for compliance any actual Felton could have committed violations, the knowledge of or reasonable cause to believe former Georgia high school coach was on that a violation of Governing Athletic Rules Pruitt’s first staff in 2018 as a quality control or University Rules has been committed by a coach. Coach and/or any other person.” The assistant coach’s termination has af“Conduct or omission(s) by Coach that fected Tennessee with a pair of inside lineconstitutes material neglect or inattention backers, To’o To’o and Crouch, entering the by Coach to the standards or duties generally transfer portal. expected of University employees.” The smaller football staff made it even Neither Niedermeyer or Felton have more imperative that Tennessee move with contested their termination the way Pruitt speed in hiring a new athletic director and has, but Niedermeyer was on an expiring contract and was owed no further money while Felton had just one season left on his contract, meaning UT would have owed him $250,000 in 2021. Niedermeyer had extensive recruiting success in his roles as Tennessee’s tight end and inside linebackers coach. The Alaska native was 247sports recruiter of the year for the 2019 signing class, helping the Vols sign Henry To’o To’o, Quavaris Crouch and Darnell Wright. The former assistant director of recruiting operations at Alabama had been linked to the investigation from its offset and his departure was Former inside linebackers coach Brian Niederno surprise. meyer. Felton, however, hadn’t been linked to the Courtesy of Tennessee Athletics NCAA violations prior to his termination on Jan. 18. Felton had just joined Tennessee’s
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The January 28, 2021 TheDaily DailyBeacon Beacon • • Thursday, Wednesday, October 14, 2020
FOOTBALL TURNOVER
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