Tennessee wanted to move quickly in its search for an athletic director and it has done just that, as according to multiple reports, it has hired Central Florida athletic director Danny White to replace Phillip Fulmer. It was first reported by VolQuest.com.
White has guided UCF to an unprecedented amount of success since he arrived in Orlando in 2015. He hired two very successful head football coaches upon his arrival in Scott Frost and Josh Heupel.
Frost led UCF to a 6-7 record in his first year on the job and then 13-0 in year two before leaving to for his alma mater at Nebraska. Heupel came in and picked up right where Frost left off and has gone 28-8 in three seasons as head coach.
In addition to his hires, White has led a robust fundraising campaign and invested in marketing efforts that have bolstered the Knights’ brand awareness. He’s thought of as an excellent leader.
White signed a new five-year contract extension in March that included a bump in annual pay ($1,081,500) to make him the highest paid AD at a public school in the state of Florida. His contract states that he would owe $2.5 million before May 11, 2021 if he were to leave. The agreement ran through 2025.
During his time with the school, UCF’s football program posted a 41-8 record. UCF won a school-record 25 straight games which included back-to-back American Athletic Conference championships, consecutive appearances in New Year’s Six Access Bowl games and a win over auburn in the 2017 Peach Bowl.
The men’s and women’s basketball programs also made appearances NCAA Tournament during White’s tenure, with the men earning the first tournament win in school history and the women the program’s first at-large bid.
He has posted school fundraising records for annual gifts received and commitments, including $31.7 million in 2019, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Those efforts contributed to several new construction projects in the athletic department.
