Kirk Herbstreit is still getting it wrong when it comes to the Tennessee Vols
Kirk Herbstreit has never been shy about criticizing the Tennessee Vols for their decision to hire Greg Schiano to replace Butch Jones in late 2017, and then un-hire him after a wild fan revolt. Herbstreit immediately slammed the decision in 2017. And he's continued to slam the decision at various times over the years. This […]
Kirk Herbstreit has never been shy about criticizing the Tennessee Vols for their decision to hire Greg Schiano to replace Butch Jones in late 2017, and then un-hire him after a wild fan revolt.
Herbstreit immediately slammed the decision in 2017. And he's continued to slam the decision at various times over the years.
This week, Herbstreit once again brought the Schiano/Tennessee drama back to the surface.
And it happened during a conversation that had absolutely nothing to do with the Vols.
On ESPN’s College Football Podcast this week, Herbstreit was talking about Michigan's 4-0 start and he mentioned the Wolverines' recent win against Rutgers.
"Rutgers is better than when you hear ‘Rutgers.’ They’re better than that," said Herbstreit. "Schiano, another coach who is doing really good work. And to think Tennessee kicked him out of the door before they could’ve had him is crazy.”
It's easy to look in the rearview mirror and suggest that Tennessee should've stuck with Schiano after watching Jeremy Pruitt's disastrous tenure at UT.
But who's to say that Schiano would've succeeded in Knoxville?
What Herbstreit doesn't understand is that it's all about fit. Schiano is a New Jersey native. His personality works at Rutgers. But his style — especially following the Butch Jones era at UT — probably wouldn't have worked at Tennessee.
Schiano is a lot like Jones in his approach. And neither of them were a good fit in Knoxville.
I recently spoke with someone who has known Butch Jones for over 30 years. And they told me that when Jones was hired at Tennessee they immediately knew it would end poorly. Not because they thought Jones was a bad coach, but because they knew Jones would never be a good fit at Tennessee.
Fit matters. And Schiano wasn't a good fit for the Vols.
Of course, that doesn't fit Herbstreit's "slam the Vols at every opportunity" shtick he's had going on for the last several years.
Featured image via Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
