Phillip Fulmer and Tennessee avoided total disaster late on Monday night, persuading Rick Barnes to remain in Knoxville. Barnes, the 2018-19 Naismith Coach of the Year, became the main target of the UCLA coaching search.
UCLA offered Barnes a reported five million dollars per year, but Tennessee came in with a new deal which was apparently enough to sway him.
It was a massive victory for Phillip Fulmer, who faced the very real possibility of seeing his most stable program collapse right before his eyes. Here’s what he had to say after Barnes made his final decision to stay.