The press conference to announce the firing of Jeremy Pruitt at Tennessee pre-empted the “The Paul Finebaum Show” on the SEC Network on Monday afternoon, and the host was understandably stunned.

“Just an absolutely staggering day on Rocky Top,” Finebaum said. “Listening to the Chancellor say some of the things she said about the head football coach at the University of Tennessee, Jeremy Pruitt, who was fired today. They didn’t try to manufacture kind words, parting of the ways, stepped down, flat out fired.”

Finebaum’s first guest on the show was a fellow Tennessee graduate, Chris Low, of ESPN.com, who lives in Knoxville and has covered the story in recent weeks about the NCAA investigation surrounding Pruitt and his staff.

Low shared that he believes the original tip came from someone inside the program although at the press conference, Chancellor Donde Plowman declined to reveal if the person was inside or outside of the building.

Finebaum recalled that he can’t remember how many conversations he and Low have had about the depths of the Tennessee program. Finebaum said he and Low were at an event in Knoxville where there was optimism about the program.

“Now this shattering event, and it just seems like program can never get it right,” Finebaum said. “I know that’s something that fans talk about at the end of a bar, but I ask you as a graduate, from a graduate, when are they ever going to get it right?”

Low referred to the winning streak Pruitt had to end the 2019 season and start the 2020 season as the winds changed swiftly. Low then recalled the number of chancellors, presidents and athletics directors at Tennessee in recent years.

“It’s staggering, the instability,” Low said.