TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 24: Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos looks on during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 24, 2015 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)With Jeremy Pruitt out as head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, the program will be casting a wide net to find their next coach. But it appears they may be looking to Peyton Manning for some leadership in that search.
According to Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports, Manning is going to have “a big role” in picking the head coach. Manning, of course, is a legend at Tennessee, and his name carries all kinds of weight in the NFL and college ranks alike.
While bringing Manning on board is certainly a nice change of pace from that one Tennessee fan who tried to influence the hire in 2018, Manning doesn’t exactly have a spotless track record with coaching suggestions. Lest we forget, Manning also gave Pruitt his vote of confidence this past September. That vote of confidence preceded a 3-7 season.
More alarmingly to Vols fans, Manning gave Adam Gase a recommendation to the New York Jets for their head coaching search in 2019. Fans are already commenting on this fact non-stop in the comments to Feldman’s report.
#Tennessee has fired Jeremy Pruitt. Once again, the Vols have a coaching search on their hands. Peyton Manning will have a big role in this decision, sources tell me. Here are the candidates we think they’ll consider: https://t.co/wyRhpYLrSq
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 18, 2021
Jeremy Pruitt was fired following three seasons and a 16-19 record.
He was almost fired after going 5-7 in his first year at the helm. But an 8-5 campaign in 2019 which culminated in a Gator Bowl win earned him renewed confidence from the program.
But after a miserable 2020 along with self-reported recruited violations afterwards, Pruitt was sacked today.
As for Peyton Manning, he has made a lot of connections in his 20-plus years of football. There’s no shortage of qualified candidates he can give a recommendation to.
Who should the Vols hire as their next head coach?
