UT’S HAMILTON SENDS MESSAGE WITH FULMER’S NEW DEAL

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As we’ve been saying since our own Jimmy Hyams revealed a month ago what Phillip Fulmer’s new contract would look like, the deal itself is a message from athletic director Mike Hamilton to the fans and media who believe the Vol football program is slipping.

That message being: Stop your whining, Phillip Fulmer isn’t going anywhere.

Hamilton admits as much in a chat with Drew Edwards of The Knoxville News Sentinel.

In the past year, three different columnists from across the state of Tennessee wrote that a change was necessary at the top of the UT football program.  Another columnist wrote in the past few weeks that Fulmer was sitting on the hottest seat in the SEC.

Not now.  Not only does Fulmer’s contract give him a big raise and seven more years on the job… it also provides the coach with an automatic one-year extension every time he reaches the magical eight-win plateau in a single season.

David Climer of The Tennessean thinks UT might be setting the bar a bit low at 8-5.

Hamilton speaks often of high expectations.  But the proof is in the pudding.  8-5 at Florida or Georgia will get you fired.  8-5 at Tennessee will get you another raise and an extra year added to the end of your contract.

That’s now a fact and it’s in writing.