Report: Phillip Fulmer as Tennessee’s next athletic director is ‘about done’
By Kevin Duffey
Published:
Tennessee wouldn’t find a better ambassador for its athletic department than former long-time coach Phillip Fulmer, and it seems now that Fulmer went from just another candidate to the clear-cut favorite.
As 247Sports’ John Brice reports, things are “about done” to make Fulmer the Volunteers next athletic director. Here’s the report from Brice:
In fact two different sources, intricately connected to University of Tennessee athletics, on Monday told 247Sports that a move to tab Fulmer as the new top athletics administrator was “about done” and another saying “it’s all but done” in terms of hiring Fulmer to a multi-year deal as A.D.
Fulmer’s tenure at Tennessee as the head coach didn’t end like he had wanted, and everyone has an opinion on how that went down.
“Since I was 18 years old, UT’s best interests have always been my interest,” Fulmer told Chris Low, via ESPN.com, earlier Monday. “I want what is best for UT. Dr. [Beverly] Davenport [UT’s newly named chancellor] has laid out a clear process, and we have to respect the time and her vision to complete that process.”
Other reports have had UT-Chattanooga AD David Blackburn linked to the position, but Fulmer seems to be the clear-cut favorite at this point.
Serving as the Vols’ head coach from 1992 to 2008, Fulmer amassed a record of 152-52, leading the school to the 1998 national championship. During his playing days for Tennessee, Fulmer helped the Vols to a 30–5 record from 1969–1971.
Ironically, Fulmer played for then-coach Bill Battle, who will resign as Alabama’s athletic director in March. The Crimson Tide recently hired Arizona AD Greg Byrne.
A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.
