There's New Hope in Volville

Much has been said about the new Tennessee Vols head football coach, Lane Kiffin.

I, for one, was excited about the hire back in December.

Come January, I was getting a little worried about his mouth.

In February, I begged Kiffin to shut his mouth.  

Now, in March, I am back on the Lane Train and I can’t wait until April 18 for the Orange/White game.

I actually wish the real season started yesterday.

There has been so much buildup about this guy who has never been a head coach at the college level. The media loves him or hates him, depending on who you ask.

Alabama fans, Florida fans, and Al Davis hate his guts. Tennessee fans, players, and boosters love him.

Apparently, so do recruits.

Tennessee’s two latest signees; the No. 1 all-purpose RB in the country, David Oku; and the No. 1 overall prospect in the country, RB Bryce Brown, have Tennessee supporters absolutely giddy about the Big Orange future… and present for that matter.

Adding those two to a class that was already ranked No. 15 is an absolute miracle.

Kiffin and his staff of uber-recruiters went after a top-notch class with a little over two months left until signing day.

Their recruiting haul was spectacular for such a short amount of time. Especially when you consider how many recruits changed their minds after Fulmer was fired.

Also thrown into that mix are how many recruits that were told “thanks, but no thanks”, by this new staff.

The knock that most Vol-haters use is that Tennessee got recruiters and not coaches. Maybe that viewpoint is correct. Maybe it’s not.

I say it’s the Vol-haters grasping at straws to come up with something negative.

Sure, Kiffin has given many a reason to hate him. Heck, even I was sick of his mouth at more than one point this off-season.

Is Kiffin cocky? I would say so. Is Kiffin confident? Yep. Is Kiffin a big jerk? Apparently. If Kiffin a good coach? I think so.

Why do I think so? Well the top reason has to be that he came into this program and immediately instituted a new frame of mind. Players are actually accountable for things they do now.

He has also instilled discipline and hard work into a stale, stagnant program. Have you heard about the 5 a.m. workouts? Or the new rules against wearing earrings and hats on campus? Or the one about not being able to take your iPod into class?

All those are minor things that can pay off big time. It encourages respect and responsibility from a crew of kids who had grown careless under the previous staff.

Remember the reports about Erik Ainge? During his freshman and sophomore years, he was considered a punk. Hat backwards, earring-wearing, disrespectful punk.

Fulmer hires David Cutcliffe, Ainge straightens his act up. Cutcliffe wouldn’t put up with his childishness. Ainge would become one of the premier signal-callers in the SEC during his Junior and Senior years.

There is a lot more discipline than meets the eye.

Still the question remains; Can Kiffin coach? Can his staff coach?

Look at the names on the staff. You tell me that a guy like Monte Kiffin can’t coach. You tell me that one of the most respected men to ever grace an NFL field can't coach. Please tell me that. Any of you Vol-haters; I beg of you to tell me he can’t do it.

I beg you Alabama fans, who cursed and used all sorts of profanity when you lost Lance Thompson to the Vols; please tell me he can’t coach. I’m begging you.

Vol-haters, please tell me that Jim Chaney will be a bust. And then go back and watch film of the mid-to-late 1990’s Purdue teams. Tell me how he developed Drew Brees and Kyle Orton and made that offense a juggernaut in the Big 10.

Then take Lane. Go back and look at how his offense worked at USC. Compare his and Nick Saban’s first seasons in the NFL. Go and compare him to Steve Spurrier’s NFL stint. Come back and let me know what you find.

Alabama fans; how many of you thought St. Nick would lose six games in his first season at Bama? How many of you thought Louisiana-Monroe would be one of those losses?

Now how many of you thought after that six-loss season that you’d be No. 1 for over half the next season and play for an SEC title?

How many of you Florida fans thought Urban Meyer would lead your team to a National Championship in his second season in Gainesville; or a second championship in his fourth season?

Georgia fans; did you know that Mark Richt would turn your mediocre program into a perennial top 10 in just two seasons?

I don’t know how these guys will work out at Tennessee. I don’t know if Tennessee will win 10 or lose 10 in 2009.  

The truth is that none of you had a clue that any of that was going to happen. But what you did have was hope.

What all three of those programs had was proud tradition, past memories, and poor football when those new coaches took over.

Now, Tennessee fans, we have hope. We have a new day. We have a top 10 recruiting class, and two of the most electrifying high school RB prospects in recent memory.

We have a young coach who is doing some great things. We have the best coaching staff in the SEC. We have a new football mindset.

Hopefully within the next couple of years we’ll have an SEC title. Hopefully within the next five years, we’ll have a national title.

See, it’s all about hope. That’s why Fulmer was fired. We didn’t have hope with Fulmer. We had the same old thing every year. We had the same old song and dance every spring and fall.

To all you Vol-haters: Give us our moment. Grow some thicker skin. Quit whining because Kiffin said something about your precious program or its precious coach.

To my fellow Volniacs: If you don’t care for Kiffin’s style or his mouth, much like I don’t, just overlook it.

And just think about this; Nick Saban isn’t winning the honesty award any time soon. Urban Meyer will never be a finalist for the Sportsmanship trophy. Steve Spurrier was never voted "nicest SEC coach." Bear Bryant never won a game with his class or demeanor.

Lane Kiffin may not win a ton of games in 2009, but there is finally hope in Volville.

He has already won back a rabid fanbase with his recruiting and team discipline.

Hopefully, the winning will start on the field soon.