Fact or Fiction: Phil Fulmer should return to coach the Vols
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals100 | Position | Team | State
1. Phillip Fulmer should come back and coach the Vols.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Fulmer has publicly ruled out a return to the sidelines and gave Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt a vote of confidence, but some are still thinking Fulmer would be a better solution for the mess at Tennessee. However, I am not one of those people. Fulmer is far too removed from his coaching days and the recruits these days - at least most of them - have no idea who he is or what he did. Sometimes coming back isn’t the best solution, especially for the man in charge of hiring the head coach. Pruitt may not be the solution, but Fulmer certainly isn’t either.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I don’t think Fulmer is the long-term solution at Tennessee but Mack Brown almost immediately turned the North Carolina program around and Herm Edwards has done the same at Arizona State. Fulmer is a fantastic coach who could serve as a bridge between the mess that Pruitt has on his hands at Tennessee and the next coach, someone capable of winning games and not getting blown out left and right.
2. The Gators will remain undefeated after this weekend.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. This is a tough one because I always like the Gators at home and I’m still waiting for Bo Nix to make some freshman mistakes that will hurt his team, but I really love the Auburn defense and its running game, and those two things will lead to victory on the road. If it comes down to quarterback play, and it could, I am still not a believer in Kyle Trask.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I also like Auburn here in a low-scoring, tight game in The Swamp. That running attack and that defensive front is outstanding and that’s where this game is won. The atmosphere in Gainesville is going to be even tougher than what Auburn faced at Texas A&M but I believe in Nix. Auburn has more talent than Florida and I’m leaning that way slightly.
3. Zachary Evans is the best running back in the 2020 class.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. The more I see of Tank Bigsby and Bijan Robinson, especially, the more I think they are better prospects than the talented back from Texas. And it seems they come with less drama and baggage as well. Evans has a ton of talent but there are some red flags there, and I think Bigsby and Robinson are better backs.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Robinson is putting up just insane numbers this year and by that I mean he has 993 yards and 17 touchdowns on 39 carries (that’s an average of more than 25 yards per touch). That is just incredible, but over the long term I still slightly lean with Evans, especially after seeing him at the Five-Star Challenge two summers ago. He’s a guy who can take a pounding in the SEC, gain huge yards and be incredibly special. Robinson can do that, too, and he’s definitely in the discussion, but by the slightest margin I lean to Evans - if he can clean up some unnecessary off-the-field drama.