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The New Year has been tough for Tennessee. Sporting director Philip Fulmer has announced that he will retire once the university finds his replacement. Football coach Jeremy Pruitt and nine other staff members were sacked during an internal investigation. Additionally, a massive exodus of volunteer football stars is underway. Thursday, however, brought much-needed good news to Rocky Top. UCF athletic director Danny White has been named Fulmer’s successor as athletic director in Knoxville.
“Danny White is an innovative leader in the field of college athletics with a solid track record in recruiting and developing leaders. He brings the combination of winning attitude, competitive drive and dedication to integrity and academics. that we’re looking for, ”Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman said. . “We undertook this research urgently and found strong interest from a solid pool of applicants, which allowed us to act quickly and with great confidence. I am proud to say that we have found our leader, and I want to thank President Boyd, our directors, and our staff for their support and hard work. “
His first goal will be to hire a new football coach and stabilize a program that has struggled for more than a decade and could face NCAA sanctions in the end.
White’s references speak for themselves. Since joining UCF in 2015, he has developed the Knights football program to make it one of the best in the Group of Five. The 2017 Knights went undefeated and won the Peach Bowl against Auburn under coach Scott Frost – whom he hired before the 2016 season. Frost moved to Nebraska, but that winning streak has remained intact under coach. freshman Josh Heupel. The Knights raced the regular season draw again before falling to LSU and Joe Burrow in the Fiesta Bowl.
UCF was not his first foray into college football success. He hired Wisconsin-Whitewater coaching legend Lance Leipold – winner of six Division III national titles – to take over at Buffalo ahead of the 2015 season. White moved on soon after, but Leipold went 37-33 with the Bulls, including three consecutive bowl appearances and a 10-game winning season in 2018.
He also appointed Bobby Hurley to lead Bulls men’s basketball for two seasons. They went 42-20 in two seasons before Hurley moved to Arizona State. White then hired Nate Oats as Hurley’s replacement before the 2015 season. Oats went 93-46 and made the NCAA tournament three times in four seasons before getting the job in Alabama.
“I am delighted to be coming to Knoxville and to a university with a great competitive tradition and an enthusiastic and dedicated fan base,” White said. “Volunteer fans have an expectation of winning, and my first task will be to find a new head football coach. But I want all Vols to know that I am deeply committed to excellence in all of our sporting programs.”
White is the brother of Florida men’s basketball coach Mike White and the son of outgoing Duke athletic director Kevin White.
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