... that the handwriting was on the wall for former coach Phillip Fulmer immediately following the 2008 opener.

As the Vols slogged their way off the field after an overtime loss to a sub-par UCLA squad in Rick Neuheisel’s debut, it was no longer a question of whether Fulmer would be replaced, but rather, if he would step down or be fired.

Ten seasons removed from the 1998 national championship, Tennessee football had fallen from the national elite into the arms of mediocrity. No longer a foil to their archrival Florida, the Volunteers were in danger of becoming an afterthought in the Southeastern Conference.

And that simply could not stand.

Enter new coach Lane Kiffin—the first hire outside the Tennessee famil...

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