Email shows Phil Fulmer’s candidates to replace Jeremy Pruitt as Tennessee head coach

Legendary Tennessee coach and former athletics director Phillip Fulmer was in the process of searching for a head coach in January of 2021 when he abruptly resigned from his position before the hire was made.

Fulmer was ultimately replaced by UCF AD Danny White, who went on to hire current Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel.

While Fulmer didn’t have the opportunity to hire a head coach in 2021, we now know who he was considering to replace Jeremy Pruitt, who was fired for cause for committing recruiting violations. Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel has released a list of 16 names Fulmer was considering at the time.

Sparks obtained emails from Tennessee through an open records request stating that the following coaches were being considered:

Hugh Freeze: At the time, Freeze was still at Liberty and was coming off of a 10-1 season. He ended up spending two more seasons at Liberty, before being hired by Auburn this past offseason. Fulmer reportedly had “baggage” written beside Freeze’s name, according to Sparks.

Billy Napier: The former Clemson and Alabama assistant was the head coach at Louisiana in January of 2021. He was coming off of a 10-1 season. Napier ended up being hired by Eastern divisional rival Florida following the 2021 season. Napier and the Gators finished 6-7 in 2022.

Tee Martin: The former Tennessee quarterback, who won a national title with the Vols as a player, was the assistant head coach under Pruitt. He ended up being hired by the Baltimore Ravens and is currently still in the NFL.

Shane Beamer: Before South Carolina hired Beamer, Tennessee was reportedly considering him. Beamer was at Oklahoma at the time, serving as the assistant head coach under then-Sooners coach Lincoln Riley. The Gamecocks ultimately hired Beamer before Tennessee made its hire. Beamer was also previously an assistant at Mississippi State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Georgia.

Justin Wilcox: The former Vols defensive coordinator and current Cal head coach was reportedly considered for the opening. Wilcox has been at Cal since 2017. The Bears are coming off of a 4-8 season. Cal had gone 8-5 in its most recent full season under Wilcox as Fulmer was looking to make a hire.

Bill O’Brien: The longtime NFL coach had just been fired by the Houston Texans but was reportedly still on Tennessee’s radar. O’Brien ended up taking the Alabama offensive coordinator job and spent two years working under Nick Saban. He was hired as the Patriots offensive coordinator this offseason.

Will Healy: He was the head coach at Charlotte at the time and was viewed as a rising star in the industry. However, Healy was fired this past season after going 1-7. He is currently an analyst at UCF under Gus Malzahn.

Luke Fickell: Even before Cincinnati reached the College Football Playoff, Fickell was on Fulmer’s radar. He was coming off of a 9-1 season after serving as a longtime Ohio State assistant. Fickell was hired as the head coach at Wisconsin this offseason.

Matt Campbell: The Iowa State head coach was coming off of a 9-3 (8-1) season and a win in the Fiesta Bowl. Campbell has done an excellent job at Iowa State, but the Cyclones are coming off of a 4-8 season in 2022.

Jeff Monken: The longtime Army head coach and former Georgia Tech assistant was coming off of a 9-3 season. Army won nine games again in 2021, before going 6-6 in 2022.

Blake Anderson: He was at Arkansas State at the time and had won seven-plus games in six of the past seven seasons. Anderson ended up landing at Utah State instead and went 11-3 in his first year, before a 6-7 season in 2022.

Jamey Chadwell: The former Coastal Carolina head coach and current Liberty signal caller is known as having one of the brightest offensive minds in college football. The Chanticleers were coming off of an 11-1 season. Coastal won 11 games again in 2021, before going 9-3 this past season. Chadwell is entering his first season at Liberty.

Tony Elliott: The former Clemson assistant and current Virginia head coach was the Tigers offensive coordinator when they won a pair of national titles. Year 1 at UVA didn’t go great, but Elliott was viewed as one of the top assistant coaches in the country when he was hired by the Cavaliers.

Mike Elko: A longtime successful defensive coordinator, Elko was at Texas A&M as the DC at the time. He ended up being hired as the Duke head coach and surprised many by going 9-4 in his first year in 2022.

Joe Brady: He was one of the hottest names in coaching for a while after serving as the passing game coordinator for LSU in 2019 when the Tigers won a national title. Brady was the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator ahead of the 2021 season. He ended up getting fired by the Panthers and is now on staff with the Bills.

“Alex French” (possibly supposed to be Alex Grinch): While it hasn’t been confirmed who Fulmer was talking about, it’s possible he was referencing Alex Grinch. The former Ohio State and Oklahoma defensive coordinator is currently the DC at USC.