Danny White explains what made Tennessee AD job attractive, how he plans to make coaching hire with potential NCAA issues
By all accounts, Danny White is one of the rising stars in the college athletics world. The new Tennessee AD is responsible for building UCF into arguably the most prominent G5 football program in the country and has made incredibly successful coaching hires in football and basketball at two schools — White previously served as Buffalo’s AD.
So how did Tennessee manage to land White, considering all the issues on Rocky Top at the moment?
That was the very first question White was asked during his introductory press conference on Friday.
“If everything was humming here and going great, I wouldn’t be standing here. It wouldn’t be an attractive proposition for me,” White answered. “I was really proud and excited about what we were building from the ground up at UCF.
“This isn’t a ground-up, because it’s been there, but there’s a lot of building that needs to happen. The challenges, in terms of the NCAA investigation, the challenges in terms of not being where we want to be competitively in football, that excites me, that energizes me. And I want to be a part of fixing it and building it.”
If you didn’t know, White comes from a family entrenched in college athletics. His father is the AD at Duke, one of his brothers is the AD at FAU and his other brother is head coach of Florida’s men’s basketball team.
“I’ve known coming through the college athletics ranks what Tennessee Athletics is and can be on the national stage in athletics and again, just want to be a part of it,” White added.
Tennessee may be a big name with a ton of history and tradition but the biggest hurdle currently standing in the program’s way is the current investigation into alleged recruiting violations.
How will White overcome the investigation and what will his message be for coaching candidates when they inevitably ask about the investigation?
“I’ve already learned, and will continue to learn more working with outside counsel that’s working the investigation, and just looking at other case precedents with other NCAA cases,” White shared. “Until it’s done, nobody will know exactly what the final results are but we will be very transparent and honest with the candidates in this search and give them a good forecast for what that will look like.”
Sounds good. Guess we’ll wait and see.
I’m so tired of us being garbage. I’ve never seen us beat bama. It’s a joy to be slightly competive in games. I just want to be a perinnial contenders so badly. I hope that this will work. Sounds good.
It will probably be 10 more years, before UT has that chance.
You must have just started watching football. Ten more years? You really think Saban will be there ten more years? When he leaves, Bama will fall once again. Always has. Always will.
Just hang in there a few more years. I think Tennessee finally realized they needed to spend more money to compete and they’ve got the money.
Bringing in a recognized up and coming AD may play well with the NCAA who we all know is like a crazy gf…she either great in bed or she stabs you with a knife. They may work with him in all this. As hires go, he passes the eye test with flying colors.
Bringing in a AD of that stature is a good thing, but it will have no bearing on what level of football coach they can bring in. For good or ill the coach is going to have to own the losses, the AD does not have a record attached to his resume.
Of course the AD has a record. Look it up. Your basketball coach would disagree with you.
Sounds like a Man with plenty going on in the Cranial Dept. Tennessee may Finally get headed in the right direction.
Does he have the juice to tell the Haslems, et al, to mind their own pea patch and let him do his job? That will be one of the keys to success for him.
1980. Last time GA won a Natty. Go away. Go win something something. Then come back to the grownups table.
Dude, no single individual has been more responsible for Tennessee wandering in the wilderness for the past decade and a half than Jimmy Haslam. An incompetent truck stop mogul who was just as ineffective as an NFL owner. And he wants to “own” UTK, no question about it. The only man in history to tank both an NFL franchise and CFB program simultaneously.
And you’re good with that?
Well I never knew the Titanic was painted orange