Tennessee Vols legend Tee Martin guided UT to its last national championship (1998), but that apparently wasn't enough to secure a job with his alma mater after his brief NFL career ended.

Martin recently appeared on 104.5 The Zone's 3 The Pro Way podcast (hosted by former Vols wide receiver Joey Kent) to discuss his playing and coaching career.

The former Tennessee quarterback told Kent that after his playing career ended in 2005, he couldn't get a coaching job. Martin told Kent that he even reached out to UT to get a job as a graduate assistant and was denied.

"I had sent in job applications at LA Tech (Louisiana Tech), got turned down," said Martin. "[I sent in a] job application at Georgia Tech, got turned down. [I] had asked to be a GA (graduate assistant) at Tennessee — they looked the other way."

Sounds like Phillip Fulmer once told Tee Martin “nope” when Martin needed a job pic.twitter.com/EjT5SBa7Gx

— zach ragan (@zachTNT) May 29, 2022

Martin's last season in the CFL was 2005, so this was near the end of the Phillip Fulmer era at Tennessee.

It's a bit surprising to hear these comments from Martin, considering he helped Fulmer win a national championship with the Vols. It's not uncommon for coaches to hook up their former players with graduate assistant jobs. And Fulmer giving Marting a graduate assistant job was the least he could do for his former quarterback.

Martin ended up coaching at Morehouse College for a year before landing at North Cobb High School and later North Atlanta High School. He eventually landed a gig as the quarterbacks coach at New Mexico, where he spent a season before getting hired by Kentucky. Martin spent two years with the Wildcats before he eventually worked his way up to offensive coordinator at USC.

The Mobile, AL native was hired by Jeremy Pruitt at Tennessee ahead of the 2019 season. Martin spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Vols. After Pruitt was fired, Martin had a "verbal agreement" with Fulmer to return to UT for the 2021 season.

Tennessee co-head coach, pass game coordinator and receivers coach Tee Martin has a verbal agreement with outgoing AD Phillip Fulmer on a 2-year extension with a raise. Martin has yet to sign it as the investigation and search for a new AD has held up the process.

— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) January 21, 2021

It's unclear what exactly happened with the agreement, but there were some hurt feelings somewhere along the way.

Just got off the phone with my Quarterback Tee Martin and to say my guy his hurting is an understatement! My brother if my vision was ever clouded I have clear sight on everything you’ve sacrificed for our University. Damn the pain in my brothers voice I’ve never heard before!

— Peerless Price (@PeerlessTheVol) January 27, 2021

Martin alluded to things being "worked out" after he left Tennessee for a job with the Baltimore Ravens.

"I had an opportunity to go to the National Football League and take this job, and Tennessee and Danny White, we’re working things out currently," said Martin to The Athletic in early 2021. "They’re doing good by me and that’s all I can ask. So we’re going to leave it at that."

Martin is one of the best to ever play at Tennessee. And it's clear he loves his alma mater, despite some disagreements over the years.

Hopefully there are no hard feelings that linger between Martin and the Vols.

Featured image via George Walker IV / The Tennessean, Nashville Tennessean via Imagn Content Services