Danny White is one of the most coveted sports directors in the country. All those things about winning the “national championship” at UCF in 2017? Every AD in the United States was jealous that White proclaimed it, held a parade to celebrate and hung a banner to declare it.
Never mind that a 13-0 season for a Group of Five program under Scott Frost that year gave the Knights 12th place in college football and a spot in the Peach Bowl. White spoke more about the players who won him than about himself. It also showed that an innovator outside the box was probably punching under his weight.
White was assigned to a job on the Power Five at the tender age of 40. The surprise is that it was in Tennessee that White will oversee a football program about to go on probation. White’s name is related to vacancies at USC, Georgia, Ole Miss, Auburn and Kansas. In fact, it had emerged for almost every opening of substance in Power Five.
Why Tennessee and why now?
“What makes this different is the opportunity to build,” White said on Friday at his introductory press conference. “… I am not the substitute leader type. If there is no opportunity to build and fight for something, I will be bored to cry.”
It could be that Tennessee was so desperate and White was so available that this was the right person at the right time. It didn’t hurt that Tennessee overpaid, throwing him $ 1.8 million in salary. This would easily make it one of the top 10 NAs in terms of annual compensation.
“I don’t think it was money,” said Tom McMillen, CEO of Lead1, FBS’s athletic management organization. “I think it was a situation where he did what he could [at UCF]. “
White had indeed reached his ceiling with the Knights. The decisive game of college football is not going to expand anytime soon.
White certainly won the press conference on Friday. Now he needs to hire the right guy to win games. His hiring record is excellent, with White signing Frost and then Josh Heupel at UCF.
“I hope to win the press conference today,” said White. “You are going to tell me that today or tomorrow. We are not going to try to win the press conference … making a decision that we don’t want in the short and long term. I hate to lose. I imagine our fans hate to lose, maybe as much as I do. I want the same things that they want … I think they are asking for my trust, so they have an AD that works until the end. “
What is at stake is only the long-term health of one of the most famous programs in the country. Tennessee hasn’t won a championship in 22 years and lately, he seems quite incompetent, even trying to compete.
Coach Jeremy Pruitt was summarily dismissed for cause and ran out on Tuesday. But AD Phil Fulmer – who was in charge when the alleged cheating happened! – was honored as a head of state.
Retirement? Make it a forced retirement. Tennessee couldn’t even make the right transition.
White is an experienced sports department leader, a pioneer whose time has come. Proclaiming a national championship on a Group of Five program is one thing. Competing realistically for one in Tennessee is another.
“I’m on the other side of this conversation right now,” said White.
The last five head coaches who came to Knoxville, Tennessee, did so with no previous experience as head coach for the Power Five. White is well aware of the Twitter cult that approaches to judge who he hires.
“If you’re upset or negative, send a message to your friend,” said White. “Don’t post on social media.”
It is easier said than done. The last time Tennessee held that position, Greg Schiano’s hiring was leaked. Social media went crazy. There were demonstrators on the corners using a lame excuse to reinforce their disapproval of Schiano as the next coach. Schiano almost unmasked that connection to the Jerry Sandusky scandal while at Penn State.
In the confusion, Fulmer played a game of strength that got the then AD John Currie fired. In Currie’s place, Fulmer hired Pruitt. We know how it worked. The prospect of White’s footballer having to be examined again by faceless Internet trolls is daunting.
“Social media can be great, but it can also be painful,” said Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman.
White’s presence makes Tennessee more reliable. He is the son of the legendary Kevin White, who announced his retirement this week as Duke’s AD.
During Tennessee’s turbulent search process, Plowman realized that White was ranked 4th nationally among the ADs. It is easy to discover the first three: Joe Castiglione, from Oklahoma; Gene Smith at Ohio State and Barry Alvarez in Wisconsin. This is not bad company.
“When we called to see if he was interested, he said, ‘I can win a national championship there. This has been the iconic brand. “I told someone that this was the time to turn off the microphone for me.”
At stake is the long-term health of a fallen SEC power. White did not directly address the search for coaching. He did not say whether Heupel would be a candidate, merely stating that “everyone is a candidate”. White left open the possibility that interim coach Kevin Steele could finish 2021, succeed and even win the permanent seat. This does not seem likely. You don’t spend nearly $ 2 million for an AD to oversee the interim coach’s rise.
What’s more likely: White leaves Steele in place for 2021 while assessing the coaching landscape. Working for you: the word is out in the industry. The next coach is likely to be overpaid because of the ongoing NCAA matter. Think of a six-year contract with an additional year added to the contract for each year of probation. It has happened before.
Call it collateral damage to the budget just to revive the Vols.
“I’ve never worked on a major brand before,” said White. “And I kind of like the fact that the brand needs to be a little polished.”
If White waits, who knows what names will be available next season. Ploughman may have started to mitigate NCAA penalties in public by dismissing Pruitt and eight other employees involved in the alleged violations. The program is facing several Level I and Level II breaches related to recruitment.
“The last coaching search I did at UCF was that list of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, all debating who should be,” said White. “I’m not even paying attention to that list. If I am, I don’t know why you hired me. It goes much deeper than that.
“At some point, it comes down to a hunch.”
In fact, there seems to be leadership in Tennessee at the moment. Now comes the hard part, playing the championship again at the SEC.