The Tennessee Volunteers have been in a tailspin since Phillip Fulmer stepped down after the 2008 season.

However, the former title-winning coach has stayed involved with the Vols’ athletic department, which may come in handy in the next few months.

Most believe current coach Butch Jones will be fired either before the end of the year or after, but it’s almost certain he won’t be back in 2018.

Fulmer will likely play a part in finding the next Tennessee coach, but just how closely he’ll work with AD John Currie remains to be seen.

Tennessee insider Jimmy Hyams said on “The Opening Drive” on WJOX on Monday that he thinks Fulmer will be heavily involved in the potential coaching search:

“What’s his role going to be? He’s going to be an advisor to John Currie in this regard. I would think that given his experience and so forth that you’d want to lean on him for that advice,” Hyams said. “Based on what he’s said publicly, my guess is that John Currie may be trying to wait until the last minute to make that announcement public about what he’s going to do. Then, I expect Phillip Fulmer to be heavily involved in the coaching search. He’s got a lot of credibility around the country as far as coaching, and I certainly think he’d be involved in that search.”

Considering Fulmer’s standing in Vol Nation, it would be wise to bring him on board in a big role.

Of course, nothing makes sense in Knoxville these days, so it also wouldn’t be a big surprise to see Fulmer get completely shut out of the process.