IT IS OVER

Thanks for the memories as Bob Hope use to sing. That is the tune I pick for the state of Tennessee football and coach Phillip Fulmer. The best days have come and gone and it is your time to bow out gracefully. As a Vol fan I appreciate your accomplishments as our head coach, and I will truly never forget the great runs you had at Tennessee. With that being said, it is simply time to move on! We are mediocre at best and I believe we are even below mediocrity at this point.

The list below are candidates that I would like to see Tennessee take a serious look at when the inevitable comes to pass at the end of this football season. They are in no particular order, but I will list the pros and cons of each coach.

1. Jon Gruden/ Tampa Bay: A long shot candidate, but he has ties to the program as grad. assistant in the 70's and his wife is from nearby Jefferson County. The drawback would be the money situation, as I am sure he is making a ton of money in the NFL.

2. Brian Kelly/ Cincinnati; This guy has won at different levels within college football at the likes of Central Michigan and now with the Bear cats. He brings a high octane offense to the game and a high energy level! Reminds me of Bruce Pearl on the gridiron! Can he compete on the recruiting trail in the SEC?

3. Jim Leavitt/ South Florida: Doing a terrific job with the Bulls program! A players coach that also seems to have very good discipline within his program. Also, has great recruiting ties to the state of talent rich Florida. Is he ready for the competition of the SEC and the elevated level of play?

4. Chris Petersen/ Boise State: If you can win at Boise State and beat the likes of Oklahoma, maybe he could really be outstanding here at Tennessee with the facilities and tradition that Tennessee has! Again, the level of play week to week would be a drastic change.

5. Butch Davis/ North Carolina: Has been a success in the college game every where he has been plus has added NFL experience that would aid in recruiting. Doing an exceptional job recruiting for the Tar Heels. He has had NCCA problems in the past which is a huge concern.

6. Bronco Mendenhall/ BYU; This guy is creative and his BYU teams are always exciting to watch!. He has brought life back into a program that was down. My concern would be his ability to bring a complete staff with him. Remember, this team beat UCLA 59-0 after that same UCLA team beat us in their previous game. Apparently he can learn from film study( a novel approach at Tennesse).

7.Skip Holtz/ East Carolina: Besides hating his father Lou I think Skip has done an excellent job with the Pirates and would deserve a look see. Again, having Lou anywhere near does make my stomach churn.

8.Jeff Tedford/ California: The shine has come off him a bit with last years 6-6 record, but he still has the reputation of being a very solid coach. The Cal program stunk before his arrival.

9.Jim Grobe/ Wake Forest: My boy, Ren Tenn Tenn brought this name up to me, and I like it! Hell, if you can win at Wake imagine what you could do at Tennessee?

10. Bobby Johnson/ Vandy: See the above but replace Wake with Vandy. The Steve Martin clone has done a wonderful job with little talent and tough academic requirements that many other SEC teams do not have!

This is just my two cents worth on possible coaches I would like to see Tennessee look at when the 2008 season ends. Let me know if you guys have others in mind. By the way, is it almost basketball season yet?