IDK. What has Phil done that's so bad exactly? He inherited Jones who couldn't get it done. He hired Pruitt, who was a hot name at the time. IMO, Pruitt was overrated simply due to the incestuous god-like status every Saban DC gets...
Phil isn't coaching the TN defense, who has underperformed what most would expect of a "Pruitt team". Offensively, they don't look like a Chaney scheme and are underperforming there too. That's not on Phil.
IMO, they need to break free from the SEC incest... Lea has done more with less, under stricter recruiting conditions. He'd do fine there with the right OC. If Chaney's issue is that he hasn't been able to be "Chaney", then I'd even consider keeping him. If he's been allowed to do what he wants, I'd ditch him and find a hot hand.
and ISU? NC St? Maybe the Ville, but not the other two.
Well, he didn't inherit Jones. Currie fired Jones and had an agreement in place to get Leach, but Phil worked back channels with the BoT to basically cockblock Currie and Leach (not important whether that was "right" or not, he went backdoor to get his way which hints to how he would be if he was your boss). Currie was then fired and Phil stepped in and botched the entire process, finally getting someone to agree to be coach. The rumors have been consistent for some time that Phil is very "hands on" and has an omnipresence around the football office. Not in a good way I should add. For Phil, it's about UT and Phil, not just UT. All AD's have ego's, but this is on another level.
Meanwhile, you have a fanbase that is passionate, but irrational. If Lea would go 8-4 (similar to ole Butch), they will run him out of town (and that is likely given the schedule they would have, so long as Saban is around). The school has finished in the top 10 one time this millennium. The run in the mid-late 90's was fantastic, but the SEC was a 2 team league at that point. It was UF/UT. Bama was at the end of the Stallings era before they went to the abyss, UGA was languishing under Goff and Jimmy D, LSU was untapped potential and Auburn was cheating but still losing 4+ a year. The SEC is just so much different now and while there is obviously a significant amount of talent in the SE, UT doesn't have "home state" advantage like LSU / UF / UGA does. It's an uphill climb thru and thru.
I would much rather be at a school that a) doesn't have to play a guaranteed 3 games against the top 15 b) will pay me well (all the schools I mentioned would be over $3M per year) c) appreciate, but not demand, 9 wins annually
Plus, if you win 8-9 games a year, you will have your pick of top 10-15 jobs when they open. If your goal is to win a championship in your next spot, UT would have the best chance. But if your goal is to win a championship at some point, I would use some of the other schools as a stepping stone to something more. Matt Campbell isn't winning a championship at ISU. But Pruitt (or Butch or Dooley or Lane Train) isn't winning one at UT either. But Campbell at Texas would have a much better chance of a title than Campbell at Tennessee.
