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Jones says AD has Tennessee Vols ‘mad’

By: Wes Rucker
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KNOXVILLE — At least one University of Tennessee football player is still steamed at athletic director Mike Hamilton’s decision to part ways with coach Phillip Fulmer.

Sophomore wide receiver Gerald Jones isn’t the only player upset with the situation, but he is one of the most outspoken.

“I really don’t have too many things to say to Mike Hamilton right now,” Jones said after Sunday night’s practice. “He took a lot of stuff away from me, something that’s very valuable, and that’s my head coach.

“Coach Fulmer is one of the main reasons I came here, and he took it away.”

Jones said he wasn’t sure whether Hamilton would find a proper replacement.

“I sure hope so, because if not, he’s going to have a whole bunch of people mad at him,” Jones said. “He already has a lot of people mad at him, so he better make that up.

“I don’t know anything. He hasn’t said anything to us. I doubt if he will until he finds out who he wants to be the head coach.”

Jones said the only other college system he knew was Texas Tech’s. His best friend from Millwood (Okla.) High School is Red Raiders redshirt freshman receiver Tramain Swindell, and Jones nearly chose Tech before signing with UT.

Ironically, several close to the Volunteers program have suggested Texas Tech coach Mike Leach as a potential Fulmer replacement.

“A lot of people are asking me, ‘Well, who are you going to get? Who do you want? Who do you think has the best (background) that can fit this team?’” Jones said. “And I say, ‘I don’t know,’ because I don’t know too much about it.

“The only person’s offense I know about is Mike Leach, and that’s because my best friend plays for Texas Tech. That would be great for the receivers. That’s all I know.”

Jones said he spoke with Swindell on the phone for about an hour Saturday.

“We were reminiscing because I was bored. I didn’t have anything to do, and I didn’t have a game,” Jones said. “We were reminiscing about high school and everything, and how this year’s been going for him. He was just talking about the offense and how well they’re doing.

“He said, ‘So who’s your coach going to be?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, man, I don’t have the slightest idea.’ He kind of sounded depressed, he was like, ‘I heard Coach Leach was interviewing for the job.’ I didn’t know how to respond to him. I was like, ‘Yeah, I heard about it.’ I was like, ‘That would be bittersweet.’ He said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘I’ll be happy as (heck), but it (stinks) for you.’

“So we laughed about that.”

Leach, whose No. 2 ranked Red Raiders play fifth-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday, has declined to speak specifically about other jobs.

“Playing OU is enough of a handful without worrying about any of that,” Leach told local media last week.

Hamilton has declined to comment on the Vols’ coaching search since last week, but Leach’s name has surfaced in discussions with many close to the UT program.

The other most prominent names have been North Carolina coach Butch Davis, former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly and Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

Several others have been mentioned as well, but Hamilton hasn’t publicly discussed any of them.

UT junior quarterback Jonathan Crompton, who will start Saturday against Vanderbilt for the first time since late September, said his peers outside the locker room haven’t bothered him much about the coaching situation.

“I actually think a lot of our student body understands what we’re trying to do as a team,” Crompton said. “We’re trying to get out here and win these last two games, send the seniors out right.

“The coaches and especially this team (want) to make it a good memory instead of a bad memory.”

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