Why Tennessee AD Danny White could miss out on the perfect eventual replacement for Rick Barnes
The Tennessee Vols' 2022-23 season could best be described as an up-and-down affair that ended on a down note. Tennessee was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament via a loss to Florida Atlantic in the Sweet 16. The Vols had Final Four aspirations this season, but they came up short in large part due to injuries […]
The Tennessee Vols' 2022-23 season could best be described as an up-and-down affair that ended on a down note.
Tennessee was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament via a loss to Florida Atlantic in the Sweet 16.
The Vols had Final Four aspirations this season, but they came up short in large part due to injuries to point guard Zakai Zeigler (torn ACL and lost for the season) and guard Josiah-Jordan James (banged up most of the season and was never truly 100 percent…not even in the NCAA tourney).
While Tennessee came up short of its ultimate goal, the disappointing ending to the season isn't an indictment on Vols head coach Rick Barnes.
Barnes is possibly the greatest basketball coach in Tennessee history. He's brought remarkable stability to UT's basketball program and always has the Vols in the mix. Winning a championship in college basketball — or even making a Final Four — is incredibly difficult. But Barnes always has Tennessee in the conversation.
Anyone that thinks Barnes should be fired or forced to retire because of the loss to FAU is misguided. Barnes, who is just a year removed from winning the SEC Tournament at Tennessee, is one of the sport's best coaches of all time. He may not have a championship on his resumé, but he's been one of the most consistent coaches in college basketball over the last 35 years.
But the fact of the matter is that Barnes is about to turn 69 years old. The world of college athletics has changed tremendously over the last couple of years. With NIL and the transfer portal becoming the biggest stories in college sports in recent years, the job of a head coach has changed dramatically. Recruiting essentially never stops — even when a player signs, a coach has to continue to recruit the player to ensure the player doesn't enter the transfer portal.
Many of Barnes' contemporaries have retired in recent years. Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski and Jay Wright have called it quits amid the rapidly changing landscape of the sport. Barnes' time is undoubtedly coming soon. And while it should be his decision on when his time is finished, I think most fans recognize that end of his coaching career will be coming sooner rather than later.
So what does Vols athletic director Danny White do when that time comes?
Well, if Barnes were to retire this offseason (there's no indication or expectation that he will), White would have a perfect answer.
Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May, who has his team in the Final Four after a win against Kansas State on Saturday, would be the perfect answer for White and Tennessee.
We know that White, at times, likes hiring coaches he's familiar with. He did with Josh Heupel in early 2021. It's not a prerequisite for White, but it can certainly help.
And May is a coach that some deep connections to White.
For starters, before landing at FAU, White was an assistant at Louisiana Tech and Florida. The coach that he served under? Mike White, Danny's older brother.
That's not the only connection that May has to Tennessee's athletic director.
May's current athletic director at FAU is Brian White, Danny's younger brother.
If there's anything that White wants to know about May, he should have no problem finding it out.
May would be a great fit for the Vols not only because of his connection to White but also because his team plays tough basketball while also scoring points at a higher clip than UT. Scoring points, of course, was a big issue for Tennessee this past season (FAU was No. 37 in scoring while the Vols were No. 196).
The big problem for White and the Vols is that May will likely receive several job offers after his team's Final Four run. It's possible he stays put, but it's also possible that a program like California or Texas Tech makes him a big offer that he can't refuse.
If Barnes stays put — and I think he probably will — there's a good chance that May won't be the answer for Tennessee.
There will be plenty of other options out there, but it's hard to imagine a better fit for the Vols than May.
So what do you do if you're Danny White?
That's a tough question to answer. And it's why White is in a really tough spot right now when it comes to Tennessee's basketball program.
Of course, White is earning $2.2 million annually to answer that question. It'll be on him to get this right, whatever the outcome ends up being.
