Phillip Fulmer's 16 candidates to replace Jeremy Pruitt at Tennessee revealed in email

Tennessee athletics director Phillip Fulmer considered some eye-opening candidates to replace Jeremy Pruitt as Vols football coach before Pruitt was fired and Fulmer retired in January 2021, an internal university email shows. Former UT quarterback Tee Martin, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, Florida coach Billy Napier and South Carolina coach Shane Beamer were on his list of 16 potential candidates. And so was a coach Fulmer called Alex French, whoever that is. Knox News obtained the email through an open records request. It contains additional revelations about Fulmer’s state of mind during the early stages of an investigation into NCAA major recruiting violations under Pruitt. The case concluded with Pruitt getting a six-year show-cause penalty and seven former assistant coaches and staff members each receiving multi-year show-cause penalties. That means they cannot coach or recruit in college for a period of time unless their future employer successfully argues otherwise to the NCAA. UT was put on a five-year probation, which includes 28 scholarships cuts, recruiting restrictions, vacating wins and a hefty fine. The text of Fulmer’s email was written to UT Chancellor Donde Plowman was a rough draft in response to her questions about the football program amid allegations of egregious infractions and his plan if Pruitt was fired. But the email was instead sent to Caitlyn Hardy, then Fulmer’s assistant director for executive operations, on Jan. 11, 2021, one week before Pruitt was fired for cause and Fulmer retired. Based on the context, some of the email appears to have been written in late November 2020, but not sent to Hardy until January. It could have been Fulmer’s way of storing his notes. There’s no available record of Plowman ever receiving the email. In the email titled “Football Appraisal,” Fulmer argued that Pruitt should be retained as coach. “I am not (at) all advocating a change in football and hope we do not get there with pending issues,” Fulmer wrote. “I do believe we can overcome our challenges, and I have seen signs of progress.” But Fulmer closed the email with a list of potential candidates if Pruitt was fired, along with some intriguing observations that ultimately led to UT hiring Josh Heupel. Phillip Fulmer considered Hugh Freeze despite ‘baggage’ Fulmer listed 16 coaches to consider, along with a brief comment on some. Beside Freeze, he wrote “baggage.” At the time, Freeze was rebuilding his reputation as a successful coach at Liberty. In 2017, Freeze resigned as Ole Miss coach amid a scandal that included 21 highest-level NCAA violations and the revelation that he had made calls to escorts. Freeze is entering his first season as Auburn’s coach. Billy Napier was another Alabama coach Beside Napier, Fulmer acknowledged his ties to Alabama. Napier served two stints as a Crimson Tide assistant coach alongside Pruitt. Fulmer knew hiring a coach with ties to rival Alabama could be dicey. He pulled it off once by hiring Pruitt. But it would be difficult to do it again, even for Fulmer, an iconic coach who led the Vols to the 1998 national championship. At the time, Napier was coach for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is now entering his second season as Florida coach. Tee Martin, a Pruitt assistant, was curious option Martin, the quarterback for Fulmer’s 1998 national title team, was the first name on the list. However, they were not numbered or ranked. Martin has the Vols’ seal of approval. His statue sits outside Neyland Stadium. But Martin was Pruitt’s assistant head coach from 2019-20. The fact that Fulmer would consider him as a candidate to replace Pruitt might indicate that Fulmer wasn’t aware of the serious NCAA violations alleged under Pruitt’s watch. The rest of Fulmer’s email also suggests that Fulmer was in the dark. Why Shane Beamer, Justin Wilcox were considered Beamer was on the list, but he was hired by South Carolina in December 2020. Fulmer wrote that Beamer “coached for me,” because he served as a UT graduate assistant from 2001-03. Justin Wilcox was also on the list. He served as UT defensive coordinator from 2010-11 under Derek Dooley. He is entering his seventh season as Cal’s coach. Bill O’Brien went to Alabama instead Fulmer acknowledged that Bill O’Brien had been recently fired as the Houston Texans coach, but he still made the list. In January 2021, Nick Saban hired O’Brien as Alabama offensive coordinator. After two seasons, he left to become the New England Patriots offensive coordinator. Will Healy and the rest of the candidates Beside Will Healy, Fulmer wrote “young, dynamic.” At Austin Peay, Healy was the 2017 FCS national coach of the year. In 2022, he was fired after four seasons at Charlotte. The rest of Fulmer’s list featured coaches who were considered for other jobs in late 2020 and early 2021. They included: Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell; Iowa State coach Matt Campbell; Army coach Jeff Monken; Utah State coach Blake Anderson (then at Arkansas State); Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell (then at Coastal Carolina); Virginia coach Tony Elliot (then Clemson offensive coordinator); Duke coach Mike Elko (then Texas A&M defensive coordinator); Buffalo Bills quarterbacks coach Joe Brady (then Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator). Who is Alex French? One final name was a head-scratcher: Alex French. That name doesn’t match any known candidates for college football jobs in recent years. If Fulmer made a mistake, it’s unclear for whom he was referring. But one possibility is Alex Grinch. In 2021, he was the Oklahoma defensive coordinator. Now he’s the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Southern Cal. Grinch is also the nephew of former Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. Fulmer also wrote Louisville and Missouri with his list of coaches but did not include names. At the time, Scott Satterfield coached Louisville and Eliah Drinkwitz coached Missouri. Those omissions, along with misspelled names and rambling thoughts, suggest the email was Fulmer’s notes rather than a completed presentation. Nevertheless, it gives insight into his thoughts when Pruitt’s job was in jeopardy. Did Fulmer forecast Josh Heupel’s hiring? Pruitt was fired on Jan. 18, 2021, one week after Fulmer sent the email to his assistant. Below the “coaches to consider,” Fulmer listed a few traits that he thought UT’s next coach should have. He wrote “offensive coach, great recruiter, disciplined, developer of players, builder of men.” Fulmer retired and was replaced by Danny White, who immediately searched for a new coach. His choice, Josh Heupel, fit the criteria that Fulmer also envisioned. Under Heupel, the Vols have touted the No. 1 offense in college football. He signed UT’s highest ranked recruiting class since 2015. The program has not reported a major NCAA violation under his watch. And Heupel developed many of Pruitt’s players into All-SEC performers and NFL Draft picks. In 2022, the Vols went 11-2 with an Orange Bowl win over Clemson for their best season in more than 20 years – back when Fulmer was the coach.