If you’re a Tennessee Vols fan, you’re likely familiar with USA Today columnist Dan Wolken.
Wolken is essentially an arch-enemy of Vols fans. He’s never afraid to disparage Tennessee — usually when it’s not warranted.
You might recall the Vols’ 2017 coaching search when UT almost hired Greg Schiano to replace Butch Jones.
Wolken and then Tennessee athletic director John Currie exchanged some texts where Wolken promised to help Currie with good PR on the Schiano hire.
John Currie texted national reporter Dan Wolken to ask for PR help on the Greg Schiano hire, appeared to called Vols fans "wacko"
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) March 23, 2018
(📷 via @DavidWCobb) pic.twitter.com/hOhdP1LkjT
That’s just one of the many reasons why Vols fans don’t care for Wolken.
On Saturday, he gave them another reason.
Wolken tweeted during Oregon’s loss to Washington that he thinks Ducks head coach Dan Lanning should be the national coach of the year.
If you want to vote Dan Lanning national coach of the year, I will not argue. He's the real deal. Love what Oregon does and how they do it. They play with great spirit and win on the margins.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) November 13, 2022
Lanning, who is in his first season as a head coach after serving as Georgia’s defensive coordinator last season, had absolutely done a great job in Eugene. Going 8-2 through 10 games is always solid — especially in a coach’s first season.
The problem, however, is that Vols head coach Josh Heupel is 9-1 through 10 games in his second season at Tennessee. UT is primed to make the playoff for the first time in program history just two years after going 3-7 and firing Jeremy Pruitt due to NCAA recruiting violations.
I respect what Lanning has done but Heupel is easily the coach of the year if Tennessee makes the playoff (and even if it’s the Sugar Bowl for the Vols, it should still be Heupel). The situation that Heupel inherited led to many analysts suggesting that it would be years before UT was bowl eligible again.
It’s gonna take Tennessee five years to get back to a bowl game. It did this to itself. Better start on a sequel to Decade of Dysfunction, @MarkNagi
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) January 21, 2021
Wolken, though, is never going to give Heupel any respect as long as he’s at Tennessee.
Vols fans, of course, don’t really care what Wolken thinks. But it’s disappointing nonetheless to see him spewing silly takes that disrespect Heupel.
Featured image via Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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