Tennessee AD Phillip Fulmer compares Jeremy Pruitt to Johnny Majors, draws criticism from fans
Since starting the season 2-0, the Tennessee Volunteers are 0-5 and have 2 tough tests the next 2 weeks, starting with Saturday’s game vs. Florida.
Through 30 games as Tennessee’s head coach, Jeremy Pruitt now has a 15-15 overall record, and many fans wonder if he’s the right guy for the job.
AD Phillip Fulmer came to Pruitt’s defense on Wednesday during Vol Calls, comparing Pruitt’s record to that of Tennessee legend Johnny Majors:
Phillip Fulmer: "An interesting statistic that i found, Coach Majors was 14-15-1 in his first 30 games and Coach Pruitt is 15-15 in his first 30 games"
“I really think we’re a better football team than our record has shown"
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) December 3, 2020
Naturally, frustrated Volunteer fans were quick to hop on Twitter to voice their opposition to Fulmer’s comparison:
Is that the same Johnny Majors that @phillipfulmer stabbed in the back?
— Remember the Fuckingers (@theknoxvillebr1) December 3, 2020
That was waaay before big media deals and coaches were making 100,000 and tickets were $7. Im not spending $100+ a ticket to watch us get blown out by KY. He sucks and we've gotten worse, like historically worse.
— Jason Pace (@jpace87) December 3, 2020
We’re really gonna do this..as a diehard fan, I’m hanging it up for football. I just can’t be bothered with a program that has losing mentality anymore. I have never cared less about a game than I do the Florida game this weekend. I could do much better things with my time.
— brandon presley aka mr. fahrenheit (@brandonkpresley) December 3, 2020
Did Johnny Majors get blown out by Kentucky at home in year 3?
— Preston H.🍊 aka coaching search szn (@prestonkh_11) December 3, 2020
If he wants to compare, that’s fine, but the Vols haven’t shown up in the 2nd half for 5 weeks straight. That’s coaching and recruiting. That being said, they are not better than their record shows. They should beat Vandy and will finish 3-7.
— Brad Sashko (@SashkoBrad) December 3, 2020
sure did Majors have 6 straight losses by 20+ pts at any point?
— Fire Pruitt (@HouseThicc) December 3, 2020
Johnny was a LEGEND. Pruitt is a GUMP
— Rambo (@JohnJVol1) December 3, 2020
Butch Jones’ record in his first 30 games at Tennessee: 14-16
— Jonathan Miles (@j_mizzles) December 3, 2020
— John Pickle (@John_Pickle) December 3, 2020
Can Pruitt and the Vols pull off an upset of No. 6 Florida or No. 5 Texas A&M in Neyland Stadium to finish off the season? We’ll find out soon enough.
In seeing the johnny major reference by fulmer, i couldn’t help that my first thought was also of fulmer ‘stabbing him in the back.’ at least pruitt has been put on notice as to what’s to come next.
a lot of tn fans deserve better than fulmer. fulmer has had a tendency to only speak to the media when things were going well….and there’s no tough questions. with his latest gem, i guess we’re seeing why he’s been living in a cave the last month and a half.
he tested positive for covid, so theres that.
“Tests” are not Cases. Not by a long shot.
I see you struggle with post comprehension. Keep trying swede.
Johnny MajorS; if you don’t mind? And while you’re at it, throw in a few warranted Caps. Petty? Maybe; but sure looks more valid. People ARE watching.
Clearly, Fulmer is sticking with Pruitt. It’s up to him now to change what he’s doing and recognize it isn’t working. A lot of times when a team consistently collapses in the second half it comes back to lack of conditioning.
The Vols program is a long-term project that will take time. It’s not a ready-made success story.
Give the guy the time and resources to improve the program or you might as well put a choke collar on every coach you hire at the introductory press conference. Make it an electric collar while you’re at it, it’s not like you are going to fry off any of Pruitt’s hair.
Wow, I see you Gatas are Happy with Pruitt at UT. I also see you Fail miserably at attempting to be humorous. Standards are lower; though.
He definitely needs some attention and love from the administration to prove to recruits he’s not on the hot seat right now. Save your current recruiting class with another 1-2 year extension.
Also Tennessee needs to do something serious about it’s dilapidated facilities. That stadium has avoided being condemned by the structural engineers for 8 years in a row now simply by paying the fines assessed to the school. How long before that’s not enough and the state closes it for good for the public safety? To say nothing of the rest of their outdated resources for the athletes.
UT needs to show the cash if they want to play, or just be content with being bedbuddies with the likes of Vandy.
If liberty and coastal Carolina can become great programs in 3 years-UT should beat opponents they out-athlete in year 3.
Neither Liberty nor Coastal Carolina has to play in the SEC. They have the resources to climb faster than either of those squads, but they have much farther to go being in the SEC. So it will take longer.
Oh Great Pumpkin, you so crazy!
Kinda wonder where Fulmer would be, if in 1998, Arkansas just takes a knee and runs out most of the clock, instead of fumbling the game away on a “no one can explain” QB rollout. Where would he be if Florida did not turn the ball over SIX FREAKING times and then miss a 10 yd FG in overtime. I won’t even mention the Syracuse and Auburn games, or the luxery of playing perennial power Miss St in the SEC title game. I will mention playing a National Championship game against a 3rd string QB, who never started a college football game before or after. Anyone name him? That is enough breaks for 10 years. How would he be viewed if just one of them didn’t happen? Great Pumpkin indeed.
Not the first time a national champion has had a few things go their way and it definitely won’t be the last. Whether he won the natty or not, he’d still be viewed as a great coach.
What an interesting statement and interesting story here! And, what an incredible number of interesting responses! Kudos to everybody.
I am going to show my personal fanaticism here. I like and have faith in Coach Pruitt to turn the corner at Tennessee through some top notch recruiting, but it is not possible to compare him to Johnny Majors, and it isn’t fair to try.
Coach Majors was the Prince William of Tennessee. His father was an all-time legendary head coach in the Volunteer State. He had younger brothers that were part of the royal family of Tennessee football.
As a player, I will admit that he was the guy I idolized as a kid. He was Peyton Manning and Reggie White combined, but in the case of Manning, it was if Archie, Eli, Cooper, and Arch all ended up playing at Tennessee.
Then, imagine this Volunteer Royal spending time turning around a morbid Big 8 (Big 12) program and then going to an Eastern Independent and winning the national title with the best running back possible of all time who won the Heisman Trophy.
That is what gave the state’s favorite son a pass for 4-7 and 5-5-1 seasons his first two seasons. It also helped that he slaughtered Vanderbilt both of those years 42-7 and 41-15, and he played Alabama close in losses those two years.
One has to wonder how much different the season might have been if the quarterback didn’t throw all those bad interceptions and why he did. The Vols need a transfer portal savior for 2021, and maybe they could take a gamble on Mackenize Milton from Central Florida. Or, maybe they could pick off Kaleb Eleby from Western Michigan.
Not that this matters any, but this might be interesting to some. The actor Lee Majors, who played the 6-million dollar man and the lead character in the Fall Guy, took his last name for acting purposes because he also idolized Johnny Majors. Coach Majors even invited him to watch a game from the sidelines.
That’s a pretty cool fact.
I could not care any less about where a coach grew up or his lineage. I want a proven winner. We the fans, the ones who support byour program are tired of second rate bargain basement coaches. Get off your ass and hire a winner Fulmer.
Coach Pruitt isn’t fit to wash the late great Coach Majors’ socks. One was a Heisman candidate coach who turned UT around after winning a natty at Pitt. The other is a semi-literate Gump that can’t beat teams he consistently out-talents and makes Kirby Smart’s qb decisions look like Bill Belichick’s.
Jesus, Fulmer has never been the sharpest knife in the drawer, in this just goes to show what an Idiot he is.
What Fulmer said is correct. Coach Majors record just like every other coach is his record just as Pruitts is.
Those upset about that can pound sand.
I feel they can run the ball against Florida..and if they can it will burn some clock, keep it away from Trask and those recievers. But Florida will probably stack the line of scrimmage and slow down the run, forcing a QB to make throws and get 1st downs, don’t know who its going to be though, and odds are Guarantano can’t get it done.
I kinda get where Fuller is going here but Pruitt will never ever be able to hold a candle to Johnny. 1. Johnny was one of the greatest college football players of all time coming in 2nd to Paul Horning for Heisman the only player to win the Heisman on a losing team ever. 2. Johnny had just won a National Championship with Pitt and left to coach his beloved Alma Mater at UT. That’s enough reasons for UT fans to give Johnny a longer leash.