Here's a suggestion for handling the naysayers who disagree with Tennessee's decision to hire Lane Kiffin as its 21st head football coach.
Just sit back and listen as they say the 33-year-old coach is too young, too inexperienced and not a Tennessee guy.
Then sit back, take a moment and say "Yep, but he sure can recruit."
Debate over. You win.
Because there's nothing Tennessee needs more than a great recruiter.
If the debate does continue, offer up the following points:
No. 1 - Youth should only help Kiffin recruit. Who better to relate to a high school prospect than a former player who isn't nearly old enough to be a father figure?
No. 2 - Kiffin may not have a ton of experience but he has great experience. Ever seen those NFL-talent laden Southern California teams? Kiffin helped build them.
No. 3 - Kiffin is indeed a Tennessee guy if you truly understand what that means. It means you eat, sleep and breathe recruiting.
"That was really the first thing I was looking to is what's this coach's recruiting record and what's their plan?" said athletic director Mike Hamilton, who introduced Kiffin at a press conference Monday at Neyland Stadium. "He had a plan from the outset."
His plan centered around recruiting nationally, based off another plan he saw in 2005.
When USC coach Pete Carroll promoted Kiffin to recruiting coordinator, Carroll said it was time for the Trojans to recruit nationally and not just rely on California.
Only it wasn't USC that was going to recruit nationally, it was Kiffin.
Carroll put his young go-getter in charge of the other 49 states while the rest of the USC staff continued to focus on talent-rich California.
Before Kiffin became the king of frequent flier miles, he helped land Patrick Turner, the highly touted receiver from Nashville who chose USC in a fierce recruiting battle with UT.
With Kiffin at the recruiting helm, USC reeled in eight out-of-state prospects in 2006 and six in 2007. Those classes ranked first and second in the nation, respectively.
The pitch was simple: Want to play right now?
Other schools say it (including UT in the past), but the Trojans had an incredible track record to lean on thanks to several sensational underclassmen such as Reggie Bush, Mike Williams and Dwayne Jarrett.
"Once you get that in place, it gives you the ability to go anywhere to get any guys no matter whose backyard they're in," Kiffin said. "That's why Patrick Turner's not here today."
Kiffin's "play now" mantra is so important that he has already challenged UT's current players to step it up in spring practice before the 2009 class gets on campus next summer.
And remember Kiffin isn't just a former ace assistant recruiter. He has been a recruiting coordinator.
That, he said, makes all the difference for a first-time college head coach.
"Some guys go to be head coaches and are never recruiting coordinators - that's a big jump," Kiffin said. "If you go from just a small area and all of the sudden you become the head coach, that's a hard thing to do."
As for now, recruiting at Southern Cal is much different than recruiting at UT.
The Vols have only gone to two bowls in the last four seasons. The Trojans are perennial BCS Bowl participants, having played in the Rose Bowl the past three years and the Orange Bowl before that.
Yet that wasn't always the case. In Carroll and Kiffin's first season at USC in 2001, they went 6-6 and lost to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Nevertheless, USC hauled in a signing class ranked 11th by Rivals in 2002.
And when it comes to other facets of recruiting, Kiffin likes his new gig.
"When I walked in today and saw these facilities, they're unbelievable right now," Kiffin said. "Walk into SC (Southern Cal). You wouldn't believe it. We didn't have anything."
Kiffin also likes UT's recruiting reputation.
"When I went to USC and we started recruiting, every major kid in his junior year - when he doesn't really know (where he's going to school) yet - had Tennessee in their top five," Kiffin said. "There's name recognition here."
Kiffin calls his experience and youth a perfect fit to be a great recruiter at UT.
"It usually doesn't happen," he said. "Usually, you're young and inexperienced or you're old and experienced."
Moments after wrapping up his press conference, Kiffin was off to visit with the top prospect in the state, receiver Marlon Brown from Harding Academy in Memphis.
"That means a lot," Brown said in a telephone interview with the News Sentinel.
Kiffin's only recruiting weakness could be his appeal. If he has success at UT, opposing recruiters will ask prospects just how long will it be before a Carroll-less USC or an NFL team comes calling?
Kiffin again had an answer.
"My agents won't like me for saying this but I'm not going back to the NFL," he said. "Not because of what I think of it but because of what I think of Tennessee and being at this place."
Eat, sleep and breathe recruiting? Sounds like Kiffin can speak it, too.
Dave Hooker covers recruiting. He may be reached at hookerd@knoxnews.com.
Josh Ward contributed to this report.
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Comments » 44
kdaaron#423958 writes:
On 104.5 The Zone Radio out of Nashville, Mike Hamilton said Lane Kiffin was a great recruiter and that is one of the main reasons why he hired him.
About 5 minutes later when asked what role he would like Coach Fulmer to play now that he is no longer the coach, Hamilton said, "We would like to use him in fund raising. Phil was such a great recruiter, we know he would be great at fund raising."
In his speech, Kiffin said he wanted to thank John Chavis for 20 years of some of the greatest defenses ever seen in the SEC. About 14 hours prior, Kiffin told Chavis and ALL of his assistants to hit the road and that their services were no longer needed at Tennessee.
Whose nose is longer Hamilton's or Kiffin's?
King53 writes:
Im sold...sign me up!
tnbigg writes:
Good column Dave...oh wait...is iowavol going to reprimand me again? I forgot to get his permission to post a very short analysis which may in his enlightended view be too vague...
Volsfan75 writes:
1st
Sidewinder writes:
Just because I hammered nails into the White House doesn't mean I'm fit to live there. Being an assistant at USC is this guy's claim to fame? Come on, sell me something better.
jwright13#576991 writes:
Dude,
you just don't get it...
wyomingvol writes:
Yeah, New Coach, cleaning house.
I still hope he finds a postion for Burt Reynolds.
hotrodvol writes:
Let'er rip biggie, I always like to read what you got to say.
Kiffin is going to work harder than any coach out there, but he will have to. Once he gets the talent level up, we will be competitive again like the 90's.
fredricks writes:
It certainly looks like he has all the tools he needs. All the man needs now is a good pair of work boots! He's going to need them. :)
BigVolinCarolina writes:
I see the point you're trying to make, but Kiffin wasn't inconsistent or lying.
When a new head coach comes in, it's expected that he'll clean house and put in his people--not only for familiarity but also for loyalty. When a current assistant is retained by the new head coach, it is more of the exception than the rule.
gohawks1 writes:
I had some early doubts, but I'm starting to like this guy. I hope the new attitude translates to lots of victories.
Step one - get the top players here. Sounds like Kiffin's already ahead of the game on that one.
PreventUT writes:
No. 1 Some players want a coach who has demonstrated success. A ring looks good on even the most wrinkled hands.
No. 2 He sold Pete Carroll to the recruits. Now he has to sell himself.
No. 3 No, I don't know what you mean.
I'm not knocking the guy. I just think there's more to worry about than what Hooker calls his "appeal" - whether or not he's going to go back to the NFL anytime soon. He hasn't coached a game and some people are scared of losing him??
Bottom line - he's going to need some help to recruit well, and the Reaves/Monte hires were a good first step.
jsmithnga#207674 writes:
First of all I like Fulmer and supported him; however, I also believed it was time for him to go albeit not in the manner it happened. Kiffin was also my first choice for remplacement from the start so I will strongly support him. However, all you Fulmer haters who most never supported because of your love for Majors are now badmouthing the people that have a right to their opinions to not support him in the beginning; sounds hypocritical to me (sort of how the liberals think; if you don't agree with me, I hate you).
andy112382#209793 writes:
If you listen to the entire press conference on utsports.com, rather than sound bytes, Kiffin covers everything I could have thought to ask and explain himself, his previous actions, current actions, and future plans very well, so I do not really see what you are trying to suggest or prove.
GO VOLS!!!
kb7398#233189 writes:
Maybe Lane does a good job in his first collegiate head coaching job, but he'll be gone in 4-5 years if he has any success at all.
As far as letting go on Fulmer, we have no choice in that matter. Hamilton plunged the knife in Phil's back and that's that unfortunately.
I don't know...100 more wins than losses and a national title is better than 5 wins at a sorry excuse of a pro franchise even if his hands were tied.
PreventUT writes:
OK, I missed this:
"The pitch was simple: Want to play right now?"
Uh, everyone uses that pitch. And it was true back then because USC was rebuilding.
Nowadays....USC goes with its "best" players, and at the end of the day those players just so happen to be their experienced upperclassmen.
The new pitch - nfl competition! But I'm sure they go back to that old one right before those rare down years.
Caspian writes:
Loved Majors. Loved Fulmer. Was time for Fulmer to go. And now I'm liking this new guy more by the minute. Liberals = Hypocrits? Wow, you hit the nail on the head on that one.
tenuscvol writes:
Chill out kdaa...
There are no easy answers at times like this for some subjects so you just give em the best answer you can and hope they move on...
Me thinks you should cut them some slack on this one..
GoVols!
stayingorange writes:
I'd say the fact that you're spending time reading all about Kiffen right now says plenty for what's in store for the Gatorzzzz. Enjoy the beating Saturday too.
tenndave writes:
These type of comments are hysterical. No. 1 we want a successful coach. No. 2 If he is successful then yes others will come calling to try and hire them away. No. 3 Yes they may leave. The downside would be we built a national program with big bowl games. Hello, what is he downside???????? And since when did UT not have the match money for anyone??? Do you want to hire a non successful coach so we won't lose him to someone else?? How idiotic can that thinking be???
MrBamSeydu writes:
Dear Mrs. Fulmer, get off the message board please.
rockytop#413695 writes:
kd did you actually listen to what he said? He said they were being let go, not based on their performance, but because he knew what direction he wanted to go on that side of the ball. In other words, he's saying he already has offered the job to his Dad Monte. He can't announce it yet due to his dad's current contract with Tampa. He said we want to do this right and not fast. In other words, I'm hiring one of the greatest if not the greatest defensive coaches in football and even though Chavis and his staff did a phenomenal job over the years, Coach Kiffin is going in another direction. He wants the opportunity to finally get to coach with his dad. Can't blame him for that.
Think before you speak man.
King30 writes:
1st!!!!!!
To second this.
Well said, Tenndave. We can all hope Lane's so succesful everyone'll come calling. He'll love Tennessee so much in one year's time he won't want to leave!
RTYAB
NoogaVol55 writes:
Nice response...When you really think about it, what in coming coach has ever came in and retained all the coaches on one side of the ball. I am not an Obama fan, but would he go in the white house and keep half of Bush's cabinet. NO!! He respects Chief and I honestly believe him when he says that he respects what he has done, but if he wants to bring in new ideas and a new system, why would you expect him to keep Chavis. I respect what Chavis did but let's be honest, he didn't exactly handcuff UF or UA the last two years. I realize it is not all his fault, espeacially when the offense is 3 and out evrey posession, but he has to own up to some of it. The Fulmer years are over...time to move on.
P.S His pops is a defensive legend who could defend a buffet from Rosie O'Donnell...and I'm pretty sure he is on board. Go Vols!!
tenndave writes:
News just broke on yahoo that we committed a recruiting violation already. It has to do with calling recruit before it was official. Won't pan out but the fact that Spurrier called attention to it immediately tells you the old guard in the SEC are indeed worried about the impact we are fixing to have on recruiting.
GO VOLS! GO LANE!
tnbigg writes:
I agree...especially when its visor boy! What a laugher...Lane Kiffin is going to clean his recruiting clock...what young man who has tremendous ability is going to choose a luke warm program going no where fast like South Carolina vs a hot young coach who just spoke the equivalent to a pied piper speech that will cause even committed to other school players to think long and hard about passing up what is happening in Knoxville (was that to Knox-Centric? I better be careful or Carol Peterson will write a counter point...demean me...and then want to hug...gag...)...the picture looks beautiful to young men who seek to be a part of something exciting and have heard that they could contribute immediately...bring it on!
tnbigg writes:
Spot on Bro'...he W I L L coach them up...and that will appeal to many young men out there looking for a place to play right away...by the way...glad to see that stud defensive tackle from San Francisco (junior college transfer) is still coming here! We need some big time defensive tackle depth...if Kiffins Dad comes here...our defense will be incredible...especially with some of the guys we already have...like Eric Berry - Heisman trophy candidate for 2009...according to me...:)
OldBob writes:
Remember the young Steve Alford with the lifetime basketball background and who became a head coach at a very early age? That hasn't turned out as great as everyone predicted. Can you name where he is at now?
rusty_shackleford writes:
You hire quality people that others will want. Why employ people that no one else will have?
I like the way he talks about recruiting and competing. Let's wait to see what happens in the spring when we convert words to actions.
UT must have made the right choice. Too many fans from other schools talking about how he can't win/won't stay! Kind of like Vol fans did when urban moved to Gainesville. ;-)
little stevie superior just waved the white flag with the recruiting whine. He's done!
txvolsfan writes:
Bob Stoops and Mark Richt
southernson writes:
MAXIM # VIII The team that gets the best player WIN.. GETTEEMMMMM COACH KIFF . YOU DA MANNNN
pdhuff#552644 writes:
We have been bombarded with "vague" (work like heck-stay the c,etc) for 17 years, so you are excused.
He might even design some plays that the opponet doesn't know is coming.
arkyvol writes:
"Because there's nothing Tennessee needs more than a great recruiter."
earth to hooker: we just fired one of the best.
idiot.
WeLoveTennesseeVols writes:
We do, and we're gonna' have some more too! So just slither back into your swamp!
Volgrad777 writes:
I dont think a lot of you get it. He didnt lie , he is just choosing to go into a different direction. Its like he said , you always have to change culture when a new coach comes in , and hes bringing in his own culture and i for one am happy. I also think most of you are going and thinking about him leaving and all of the pessimistic stuff all wrong. One guy said it but hes making my point for me , " hes never coached a game and some are worried about losing him". To me that means hes a pretty hot commodity then and i just cant fathom how that is a bad thing. Dont you want other schools to be envious of out coaching staff??? Secondly , do you notice how the only knock on the guy is his age. Have you ever even one time heard someone say hes not a good coach or cant coach??????? NOPE
GAMountaineer writes:
I have lived in the Chattanooga area for 10 years now after marrying into a Vols family. I'm personally a WVU fan but have followed UT for a decade now. As a neutral observer I think you guys hit a home run. Anyone can go out and hire a retread (Spurrier at SC). I believe this hire will energize a recruiting base that needed it. If anyone doubts his ability to recruit just look at his wife. If he can recruit a beauty like that I don't think a 17 yr. old kid will be any problem.
Hudro writes:
If you will recall the wolves began to howl when we went from Majors to Fulmer. Many said Majors was done wrong. It is the same now but will pass with the first few victories as it did when Fulmer began to win. The "Fulmerites" will be with us for a long time.
Volumni writes:
It just occurred to me that while the "he needs Daddy to be successful" posters haven't really gotten started (they may be right), it's really unusual that a Head Coach would want his father there, isn't it? I think it speaks well of his maturity and self-confidence that he wants the best coach, who happens to be his father, to be DC. There have been, and still are, hundreds of coaches who put their sons on staff, deservedly or not, to give them jobs.....Holtz, Spurrier, Bowden, Knight, etc. Is this a first?
This speaks well of the young man. The fact also that he has put his team on notice that they will have to compete also bodes well for this and future recruiting classes. I say we move up the ranks for this recruiting class, not backwards.
volinlouisiana writes:
Very good point. Lane was in my top 2 in the beginning with Butch D. being my 1st choice, but now I'm glad we got Lane. I'm sold and he just sold me more with that superb press conference.
He definitely has the most upside of any coach out there and I think his age/ football pedigree make him the obvious choice.
I'm excited about UT football again!
TommyJack writes:
Earth to Arky: Yeah, and he couldn't coach a lick.
smokyredbone writes:
Dude, smoke another one! He thanked Chief for his service,because he shows appreciation and respect for him doesn't mean he has to retain him! He is a good recruiter,and Fulmer would be a good fundraiser! I don't see the problem!
smokyredbone writes:
Arky> If he was bringing them in,why were we so overmatched in nearly every game??
volnknox writes:
I agree, Fulmer is done. He's gone, quit talking about him. I was a Fulmer supporter but there comes a time to let the past stay in the past and look to the future. All of you so-called fans- are you ut vol fans or just fulmer fans? Big difference. get behind our new coach or move on
weisgarber2003#313889 writes:
OldBob writes:
Remember the young Steve Alford with the lifetime basketball background and who became a head coach at a very early age? That hasn't turned out as great as everyone predicted. Can you name where he is at now?
What does Alford and basketball have to do with U.T. and football? Different sports, different personalities and totally irrelevant comparison. Some young coaches don't make it and some older coaches don't make it, in many sports.
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