Trooper Taylor told the News Sentinel on Wednesday he is leaving Tennessee to take a co-offensive coordinator position at Oklahoma State.
Taylor is expected to remain with the Vols through the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1.
“We think Taylor is a good fit here,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told The Oklahoman. “He’s not a guy who just wants to take the offense over. We don’t want to bring in a guy from the outside and do that. Why change what we do? It’s really that simple.”
Taylor, 37, coached with Gundy one year at Baylor (1996). Taylor has coached at Tennessee the past four years, the first two as running backs coach.
“I think Trooper has the capability of being a coordinator,” Gundy told The Oklahoman. “He wants to be part of Oklahoma State football. He likes what he sees here. He and I have had a prior relationship.”
Taylor had been considering a similar position at Baylor and was waiting to see if he would be named UT’s offensive coordinator to replace David Cutcliffe, who took the head coaching job at Duke last week.
Gundy told The Oklahoman he talked with Taylor on Tuesday. A deal was struck on Wednesday.
“I had a friend in this business who called and said, ‘You know Trooper is out there,’ ” Gundy told the newspaper. “I really hadn’t even thought about it because I wasn’t going to do this until after the bowl.”
Regarded as a strong recruiter, Taylor has been on Phillip Fulmer’s staff at Tennessee since 2004. He also has coached at Tulane and New Mexico, and he played defensive back at Baylor before joining the staff there.
More details online and in Thursday's News Sentinel.
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Comments » 104
BigVolinCarolina writes:
Interesting turn of events....honestly, I wish Trooper the best.
But, I didn't see this one coming...Mr. Gundy must be some "man"!
MDT writes:
Guess fulmer is going to have a harder time staying in the immediate family now. Heres hoping we dont go and get some re-tread in the extended family either.
DenmarkVol_aka_Mbumburu writes:
Good luck, Trooper. We wish you and your family the best.
breecejr writes:
I didn't see that one coming either, and I wonder how a co offensive coordinators position would work. We have some big holes to fill now, I really hope we get some fresh blood in here, we really need it.
jkrug#330649 writes:
How did the interview go with Kippy Brown? He would excel in the position of Offensive Coordinator at TN.
invisiblekid writes:
Hmmm, I guess the meeting on Monday didn't go too well. Fulmer better bring in some top notch replacements or recruiting will take a beating this year. And for the record, I don't think Greg Adkins and Sparky Woods are it.
tennecwingrider writes:
I hate to loose Trooper and Cutcliffe. However, I do think this is an opportunity of epic proportions for this program and for Fulmer. It will not be hard to attract some creative and excellent coaching talent to Tennessee. Do this, and the recruits will follow. This is a huge crossroad.
agentorange writes:
volcr, you may be the only openly gay poster on here. way to be.
Ohiovol16 writes:
Unbelievable! Huge loss fot UT. This young coach brings excitement and energy to a program that has way too many older coaches that are stuck in there old time ways.
So now all the QB's have pulled out because of Cutcliff leaving, what follows? Fulmer thinks those kids come to UT because of him when all I've read for three days now is how both Mannings made there decissions based on Cutcliff, not Fulmer. Tee Martin was the same. Keep losing your best recruiters and see where it takes us. I'll give you a hint deeper down the list in the SEC East. TIME FOR A COMPLETE CHANGE, NEW IDEAS NEW ENERGY AND EMOTION!!!!
tennisvol writes:
Big loss for TN. The program is in ole Phil's hands now, but does the ship seem to be sinking.
We'll just have to wait and see. Looks like this is going to hurt recruiting.
hdav06#387651 writes:
Hate to see Trooper go, but going back to that trite phrase "We were looking for someone when we found him" maybe UT will do well with his replacement.
ONUV writes:
sheep scatter
outermonvolia.com
vol52 writes:
CO OC is extra on the job training. They want help recruiting.I wish TT well. I also wish we could have found a way to keep him. The wheels are coming off the coaching staff but I cut them no slack. Tradition does not graduate and coaches can be replaced.
volunteer33 writes:
Loosing Cutcliffe hurt recruiting but Taylor departure will destroy an already bad class.
GerryOP writes:
As I posted elsewhere, no room on the UT staff for a young, capable, innovative, ambitious coach. Stay the course. We've done it this way for 15 years and it always worked. No reason to change now.
God bless and Godspeed Trooper. It was great having you here. Thanks!
cgbtn writes:
I think anyone expecting a new approach or an innovative OC will be disappointed. With CPF in charge, I expect the next OC to be about as successful as was Randy Sanders. The OC will have the freedom to do exactly as he is told. Cutcliffe's big plus here was that he is the only coach in the world that CPF trusts.
CrankE writes:
This is good news though. Really. Had Taylor stayed, Fulmer would have insisted that he do it his way. There would have been friction, problems, lack of production, controversy, and bad blood.
Fulmer has the opportunity to hire someone to bring in a new playbook and toss the old one. Which could mean some growing pains in the short term, but a lot more hustle and production on the field in the long term.
Or Fulmer can try to promote from within and stick to the status quo. How many of you think that'll work?
We're going to find out very shortly whether UT football is going to change course, or just stay the course. The clock is ticking, and everyone is watching.
vol52 writes:
NO ONE should be worried about recruiting. With PF's raise he will be aggressive with recruiting! At least that is what Mikey said.
chrisw2967 writes:
wow , Fulmer has to feel like the wheels have came off , pretty soon him and Chavis will be standing on the sideline by themselves looking at each other and saying what do we do now.
Like I said this could be the start of the end for Fulmer , every decision he makes from here on out better be one of those he is 100% right. If not it pushes him that much closer out the door.
Im sure year 2008 season will be a free pass and it wont count against him.
It will be hard to get a recruit that has a 1 star beside his name.
tino2009 writes:
Stay the course...will eventually hit a wall.
Good luck Trooper, will miss you.
asleep#212036 writes:
cgbtn,
Fulmer has only had 2 OC's - Cutcliffe and Sanders. Personally, I'm glad Fulmer didn't hire Trooper just because. It didn't work out with Sanders and if he thought he needed someone with more experience, good. That's the reason he trusted Cutcliffe-experience. Troop doesn't have it.
And knowing, as they do, the effect Troop's leaving might have on recruiting, you can bet they already have someone else practically signed up and ready to go. Further, on recruiting, most of the kids with the stars are skill players, which are not necessarily our priority as much as linemen. So naturally the recruiting services will have us lower because our average recruit has fewer stars and we have signed significantly fewer players than most of the other schools (normal for us), so our total score is lower. Wait til signing day to decide if we recruited well or not. Go Vols!!!
cdldoc#211897 writes:
This doesn't sound like the usual "they all suck". A bunch of you wanted this staff blown up and now maybe it is not such a good idea? Even the Great Kippy from the Crappy Lions will not be able to turn this into a good situation. More great news for the haters and whiners. Maybe all the players will quit and some of you can be really ecstatic.
chrisw2967 writes:
Fulmer will not hire A OC that he wont be able to control or will be threat to his job.
Like I said before all Fulmer needs to do is hire a OC that will burn the old playbook and stand on the sideline and stay out of the coaches way and act like he knows what he is doing.
this is going to get interesting.
imnotwithphil writes:
Like rats fleeing from a sinking ship... I wonder if the departing coaches know what's in store for the Vols in 2008...
bedmagic_23#311856 writes:
Trooper, I will miss you and your infectious personality. I am going into my 2nd year as an O.C. and I was looking forward to picking your brain and Cutcliffe's brain at the coaching clinic. Now I don't know if I'll even come. I wish you and your family the absolute best and I'll probably see you somewhere down the road.
cdldoc#211897 writes:
chrisw2967 says this will be "interesting". A bus wreck is interesting in an perverted way. Some of you just want our Big Orange winner's bus to wreck.
Feared_Mustang_Package writes:
I'm excited for 2008. Anyone else?
Pocket_Passer writes:
Time to man up!!! Let's bring some good folks in here and get this thing rolling.
onecrazyvol writes:
OMG!! I just don't believe this. Especially with the potential to lose the other w/ Cut.......
Phil.......ya better man up!!
hdhurst writes:
Taylor going to OKL ST and Cutcliffe going to DUKE is about 2 good coaches bettering themselves. Yes, these coaches brought good things to UT in the last 2-3 years, but neither are NOT irreplaceable. Everyone good program has had these type of moves, coaches trying to better themselves. Just because we have 2-4 coaches leaving right now doesn't mean the wheels are coming off or coach Fulmer's job is in jeopardy. Why can't we just let the events ride out and see what he does to get the right hires to replace them? And yes, I am still excited about 2008. GO VOLS!!
TommyJack writes:
Last one out, please turn off the stadium lights....stay the course. CPF is searching the whole scenario. Holy Moly
1bigutfan writes:
I guess we now know how the meeting with CPH went on Monday. Oh well.
ClearVol writes:
Obviously, feared mustang is not a TN fan. Not only is there nothing to fear at TN (hasn't been for years and that is a tremendous problem) but the only reason to be excited for 2008 was to see what POSITIVE changes would be made to the program. Losing TT is a bigger long term loss that Cut. In business we say people don't leave companies, people leave people (management 101).
utvols1 writes:
another bone head move by Fulmer. He has grossly underestimated the fan and players (and recruits) love and loyalty to TT. This program has barely recovered from losing Gardner to UGA. Think our recruiting sucks this year? We just lost a great QB cause of Cut leaving now with TT going it will be comical. At least OSU & Duke aren't in the SEC. Clear Vol is dead right....people leave people.
TommyJack writes:
ClearVol: How is losing a respected coordinator less harmful than losing a position coach?
silentfan writes:
As I said before, I really don't see that Cut and Troop have done anything in the coaching department that any other competent coach couldn't have done. Like everyone else they have their strengths and weaknesses; they were good choices at the time; they did a nice job; and I thank them for their efforts and wish them the best in their new jobs.
Taylor may very well be a terrific OC someday, I can't say; but when competent people replace incompetent people and succeed, the natural tendency is to accord the new guys much more ability then they may actually have. I think it would be wise to remember that the Vol offense of 2005 was one of the most poorly coached squads in modern UT history. You can blame Phil for that, but the results of the past 2 seasons suggest otherwise. What decent coach would not have done a better job than the guys who got replaced?
As far as I know, UT is still regarded as one of college football's best places to work, so I can't imagine that Fulmer won't have plenty of good choices. I'm betting his phone is already ringing like a machine gunner's ears.
tigervol9802 writes:
Doug Marrone is going to be brought in as OC and will be groomed as the next head coach. Calm down people.
Good luck TT.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
TJ- we got the lights out for you. But there's a red one that flckers on every hour or so. You may have to attend to that.
That said, best of luck Trooper. You apparently found a better situation for yourself and no one can fault that. They {powers that be} didn't think you are important enuf to keep. Alice in wonderland scenario unfolding - curiouser and curiouser....TDTN and tngeoff, what's your in-depth take?
PowerT writes:
Were we supposed to give troop the job because he bumbs chest with the players and listens to the same music? If he was good enough to be the OC at UT he would have gotten a better job than he did. I like TT but Phil made the right move. Now lets get someone in here that can make a diffrence.
bigtimevol writes:
OK, time to get with it. “I had a friend in this business who called and said, ‘You know Trooper is out there,’ ” Gundy told the newspaper. This statement tells me one of three things:
1. UT didn't think he was qualified as OC.
2. Trooper wanted to get out of Dodge.
3. He wanted to get back to the region he's from.
It's really TOO quiet on the hiring front. You'd think we'd hear about the frenzy of folks coming in to interview...OR more likely we've already got our guy and there will be an announcement this week. Every day that goes by hurts us in recruiting. I thank Cut and Trooper, but why are we keeping Cut around??? Cut him loose and move on down the road. TOO much potential conflict of interest!!!
Oenoboy writes:
None of us have any idea what is going on so everyone stop playing Chicken Little and chill out. It seems pretty obvious Fulmer had first option on Trooper and passed. I would venture to guess (because I don't know) all these guys sat down and figured out the best options were for all involved. They made a living out of strategy people and they all work pretty close with one another. You act like they work in different cities and don't even know each other.
Why don't we all hold back judgment and put the panic buttin away until our new offensive coaching staff is revealed. There is a great deal of coaching talent out there and UT has plenty of money to go get their man.
TommyJack writes:
Someone please explain the co-coordinator concept to me?
waterskier3#226480 writes:
the ship has sprung a leak tito and the crew is jumping ship as fast as possible... the offense has been turned around and so the coaches leave... the defense suxs and no one is made to leave or given the opportunity........
fulmer you have a good christmas and new year because my guess is after wisc beats your butt in the bowl game and you use the excuse "well the coaches changing was a distraction" and then no OC will work for you because you will want control then you'll promote greg adkin and say he was the man all long... YOUR BUTT will be out of here in 2 years....
TIMES ARE CHANGING ON HILL...... lets hope it continues... 8 wins season are a given at UT and the vol nation should expect more....
bigtimevol writes:
Definition of co-coordinator: "We don't think you can be an OC, but we'll give you a title to come recruit for us...AND, when the offense stinks, there are two people to blame instead of one."
jimbovol writes:
Don't let the hit you where the good Lord split you!!! I am so sick of coaches running after more and more money. There is no way he could have taken Cut's position, he is not ready for Division 1. How does he know he would not have had a similar spot here. As a Co-corrdinator he doesn't call the shots. How many other offensive corridinators do you see doing cheast bumps and junk on the sidelines. That is fine for a position coach but he needs some maturity. Could you imagine Tom Moore cheast bumping Peyton. Both positions that Trooper coached have a lot of problems, like holding on to the football(Arian Foster) and catching the football(any Tennessee Reciever!!). Those are important the last time I watched a game. (Sec Championship)I can not wait to see the new offense and a whole new look!!!
ULTIMATEVOLUNTEER writes:
ut won many games before cutcliff and taylor. ut will win after them too. ut will get good coaches. fulmer is a great leader and has always gotten good assistants.
GerryOP writes:
Oh, c'mon guys. We all know what PAF is doing! cgbtn said it earlier around 5:22 "The OC will have the freedom to do exactly as he is told." PAF remembers how he got where he is and he will never hire someone that might not be the ultimate puppet. So, there goes Trooper down the road. The only staff member that showed the least bit of enthusiasm for the players.
Someone posted earlier that Cutcliffe was the only o-coach in the world that PAF trusted -- totally -- so he has been confortable for the past two years. And, what did we get? Cal, Florida, Alabama and sneaking out a couple of wins we had no right to get! But, oh yes, we won the SEC East! The players are still buying Cracker Jacks to see if they can find a ring inside that says "2007 Champs - SEC East." But he trusted Cutcliffe. And then Poor Ol' Phil got all indignant because a parttime KNS writer challenged him. What a guy!
Am I a "hater?" No! But seeing the three nationally televised disgraces this year and hearing Good Ol' Phil's Alfred E. Neuman "What, Me Worry?" comments after the games was embarrassing. (Some of you guys may be too young to catch that last one! Ask your parents, they will explain.) And, I do not like to see my University embarrassed -- on national television.
Ya'all have a Merry Christmas!
Whew! I feel better now!
BigOrangeVol29 writes:
Best of luck, Trooper we will all miss your enthusiasm. That being said, I just don't believe he was ready to be the OC and I think Fulmer agreed, that's why Trooper was let leave. Clearly, his loss will impact our recruiting and we'll probably lose a couple of guys to transfer, but I fully believe we'll be alright, especially if tigervol happened to be right and we were able to land Marrone as OC. I think Kippy will be a good choice as well, but the Saints offensive success the past couple of seasons would look awful good to potential recruits. I guess we all got what we wanted(unfortunately me included) when we wanted a new offensive staff and now we're staring it down and we're all wondering what's next.
99gator writes:
just curious....
why the constant donut references? (yes, i know it has to do with fulmer's size). but, is it well known that he is a fan of donuts or something. does he do krispy kreme commercials in knoxville or eat donuts at practice or something.
i ask because there are so many other unhealthy foods that one could claim he eats, but donuts is always the choice. why is he not a burger king man, mcdonald's man, etc?
i understand criticizing his coaching skills or decisions. that's fair game. but, he's a tenn alum and he won the school a national title. why keep making fun of him personally?
eb502us#225637 writes:
"Someone please explain the co-coordinator concept to me?"
It's the same concept we've had at Tennessee for the past umpteen years. Fulmer-Cutcliffe, Fulmer-Sanders, and Fulmer-Cutcliffe II.
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