Tim Burchett has been the mayor of Knox County since September of 2010 and served for 16 years in the Tennessee General Assembly prior to that. To say Burchett has familiarity with Tennessee and its people is an understatement.
Burchett is fairly active on social media as well, and he’s shared his thoughts on Vol athletics before. One Vol fan decided to jokingly ask the Knox County mayor if he had any athletic director experience hidden on his resume since Tennessee is in the middle of search for a new AD. And Burchett elected to offer up his opinion on the University of Tennessee’s current state in their search for a new athletic director.
Hire the most expensive search firm you can find and hire someone from somewhere else. Preferably someone who looks down on us. https://t.co/8tj1ICIKyf
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) February 25, 2017
The consensus among Vol fans is that Tennessee should hire someone with “orange blood” for AD. David Blackburn from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and former Vols head football coach Phillip Fulmer have been the two most popular names bandied about during the search. But with no new news about either candidate and with a search firm hired, many fans are beginning to assume an “outside voice” will be hired instead.
Many fans, and Tim Burchett apparently included, don’t want to see another AD without Tennessee ties take office. Dave Hart was hired in 2011 and had no prior relationship with UT. Most Vol fans haven’t been pleased with his tenure and want someone who is more familiar with UT and someone with a connection to it in some way.
Tennessee’s athletic director search has taken many twists and turns over the last few months. UT doesn’t appear to be ready to make a decision any time soon, either. So expect a few more twists along the way.
