5 questions with Paul Finebaum
Paul Finebaum charmed audience members with stories of his days as a Tennessee student and funny moments from “The Paul Finebaum Show” during his appearance Monday at the Big Orange Tipoff Club at Calhoun’s on the River.
Afterward, the SEC Network radio and television personality chatted with Knox News, offering his take on Vols football and men’s and women’s basketball.
Here’s what he had to say. Questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.
How would you evaluate Jeremy Pruitt’s performance through two seasons as Tennessee football coach?
Knowing that he was safe after the way last season started gave him a chance to relax, exhale and do what I think he’s capable of doing. I really like where the program is. Fans are either too down or too up. And, lately, the fans are thinking Tennessee has arrived. I don’t know. I think the questions at quarterback are obvious. But he is now moving into the rarefied, elite air in the SEC in recruiting. And you have to be. If you’re not in the top 10 in recruiting, you’re nowhere.
I got some fans here upset a couple years ago when I said I thought that he could likely be Nick Saban’s replacement. And I say that not based on a whole lot of what we’ve seen so far, because it’s not a great sample, but it’s how revered he is in that building in Tuscaloosa. I think Phillip Fulmer saw some of that and heard some of that, and it’s coming true.
What are realistic expectations for Tennessee in 2020?
I think adding a win next year is realistic. As good as things are, the program, to advance, means that somewhere along the line and somewhere pretty soon, you’re going to have to knock somebody off. You can be a good program and lose to Alabama, Florida and Georgia every year. Jim Harbaugh is making $8 million a year losing to his biggest rival every year. But I don’t think Tennessee fans want that.
The big rival here, I think, is Florida. Georgia is also in that conversation, but I think Tennessee has to beat Florida. There’s no getting around it. For all of the fans of Jeremy Pruitt and of this program, it would be hard to call this a huge success until that happens.
Phillip Fulmer recently declared, ‘The Vols are back.’ He backed off the next day and said the Vols are on their way back. For the Vols to truly be ‘back,’ what does that mean?
I liked hearing it, and I think Fulmer was right the first time around. By being back, to me, it means they’re relevant again. And they weren’t.
Last year, I made a statement that, ‘I think Tennessee is a bowl team.’ You don’t want to be a bowl team. You want to win eight, nine, 10 games. And I think this program is positioned to do that. To do that, you have to be solid across the board, and I think through really strong recruiting, the team is getting there.
I like what Pruitt has done. There are some things you can always pick at. I think there are things he could do better.
One of them is to be a little more outgoing from a public standpoint. I don’t mean this to be picky, but he’s a good communicator. The players love him. He’s a great recruiter. You’re selling your program every time you communicate, and I think he’s capable of expanding that a little more.
What did you think of Fulmer hiring Kellie Harper as the Lady Vols’ coach and how she’s doing in her first season?
I absolutely am crazy about the hire. I don’t think you have to look at the record. I think you can just feel it.
Programs have to build, but I have no doubt this program is coming back fast.
Last year, the men’s basketball team attained a No. 1 ranking and a Sweet 16 finish. This season has been a step back. Was last season a flash in the pan, or should that be what Tennessee can expect going forward?
I think last year was the future. Just look at the recruiting. You can do it the way Rick Barnes did it for the last two or three years, or you can go out and recruit your way to the Final Four. I think he’s doing that.
I don’t have any doubt. Smart basketball people could see there was a chance for success this year, but next year will be a completely different story.