Alabama Football: No coaching candidate can save the Volunteers

Alabama football won’t have to worry about Tennessee for a while

Tennessee is in the middle of a massively ridiculous recruiting scandal that is still unfolding. Alabama football fans are unsure who will be in charge of the Vols, but it won’t really matter. No coaching candidate can save them from themselves.

Tennessee has the worst reputation in the SEC right now. They recruited quality players, but a lot of them have decided to enter the transfer portal. Alabama might even land a player or two. Because of this, all leadership on the field will be lost. The Vols are left with a barren roster and no reason to believe that things will turn around soon. That alone makes it hard to attract the right coach.

Even if they manage to get the right guy, the struggling will continue. Tennessee will likely suffer from recruiting sanctions that will keep them from landing top-tier prospects. The perfect coach can help, but they would only be able to do so much for the first few seasons.

You also have to consider the level of competition Tennessee will face. They will be in recruiting battles with the best teams in the country. Every year, they have to face off against Florida, Georgia and Alabama football. If they go 0-3 in those games, they have practically no room to grow as a team.

By the time fans forget this scandal, the Vols will be still dealing with the repercussions of their actions. They have been on a roller coaster in recent years, but they will trend downward for the foreseeable future.

What is the perfect coach for Tennessee right now? I would say they need someone with a reputation for developing poor recruits into quality players. This could be a mid-level coach who has his team always competing.

The issue with this is that it likely won’t work in the SEC. The best programs have a history of success with top-level coaches. At the end of the day, Tennessee can’t rise from the ashes, no matter who they put in charge.