Why Tennessee wanted Danny White of UCF as next Vols athletics director

Donde Plowman knew what she wanted in Tennessee's next athletics director: an experienced leader and forward thinker with a track record of hiring successful head coaches.

It took the UT chancellor just days to achieve her goal.

Tennessee made a statement hire Thursday by prying loose University of Central Florida athletics director Danny White to replace Phillip Fulmer, filling a job that opened Monday.

“We’re trying to go big and make a big change, a big turn and get some really positive things going in all of our sports, especially football," Plowman told Knox News in an exclusive interview Thursday.

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White’s coaching hires helped elevate UCF football to national prominence, and he helped bring a modern game-day experience to the Bounce House, UCF’s football stadium. White started at UCF in 2015, and previously was the AD at Buffalo. Both places achieved elevated success under his leadership.

“I want people to see we’re serious,” Plowman said. “We’re serious about Tennessee becoming a national brand and destination location for not only our academic side of the house, but athletics, as well.”

Plowman described White as “a bold, winning leader” whose track record is remarkable.

“You look at the impact of his leadership when he left, it’s just stunning,” Plowman said. “He’s hired great coaches. He’s gotten fan enthusiasm again. He’s filled stadiums when nobody was coming. He’s of championship orientation. He’s got a competitive spirit, and he’s just really smart, and he’s good with people.”

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White is the son of Duke athletics director Kevin White and the brother of Florida Atlantic AD Brian White and Florida men's basketball coach Mike White. His sister, Mariah Chappell, is an assistant AD at Southern Methodist University.

Danny White’s first task will be filling Tennessee’s football coaching vacancy after Tennessee fired football coach Jeremy Pruitt for cause Monday amid an ongoing investigation into alleged NCAA recruiting violations. Fulmer is stepping down after more than three years on the job.

At Buffalo, White hired basketball coaches Bobby Hurley and Nate Oats. They parlayed their successes into jobs at Arizona State and Alabama, respectively.

White also hired football coach Lance Leipold, who has established Buffalo as a top Mid-American Conference program. Leipold had won six NCAA Division III national titles at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, but had never coached in Division I before White hired him.

At UCF, White hired football coach Scott Frost, who departed for Nebraska, his alma mater, after going 13-0 in 2017. White replaced him with Josh Heupel, who is 28-8 through three seasons.

White’s hiring history “was huge,” Plowman said. “And he's made hires that weren't necessarily obvious to people. He's really thoughtful and strategic about the types of hires he's made."

Plowman spearheaded a three-person search committee that included UT System President Randy Boyd and Board of Trustees Chair John Compton.

Plowman interviewed White on Zoom on Tuesday night, and Boyd and Compton joined them for another Zoom interview Wednesday morning. The trio flew down to meet with White on Wednesday night in Florida.

White was the only candidate Plowman interviewed.

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Tennessee has not announced the length of White's deal, but he will earn $1.8 million annually and be eligible for $300,000 in annual bonuses, UT confirmed. His salary will increase by 5% annually. Fulmer’s salary was $900,000, not including an annual $150,000 retention bonus.

White was earning more than $1.1 million annually at UCF. He had a $2.5 million buyout for leaving UCF before May, which Tennessee will pay.

“We just made the decision that we’re investing now for the future, and so we’re going to find a way to pay that, and it was worth it to us, because I think the returns down the road are going to be so much greater than $2.5 million,” Plowman said. “That’s one thing Randy, John and I agreed on at the beginning — we’re going to try to do this right for Tennessee."

White took over a UCF athletic department with some of the best resources in the American Athletic Conference, but coming off an 0-12 season and the retirement of football coach George O’Leary.

White hired Frost, and two years later the Knights were atop the AAC. They made back-to-back New Year’s Six bowl games during the 2017-18 seasons. From 2017-19, UCF compiled a 35-4 record.

“He’s a builder,” Plowman said. “That just really attracted me. The search firm really brought his name forward as the best candidate out there.”

White has a reputation as an aggressive fundraiser and facilities builder. He claimed attention nationally for branding UCF as national champion in 2017 after the team finished 13-0, capped by a victory over Auburn in the Peach Bowl after not being selected for the College Football Playoff. 

“We’re turning the page. We want to win championships,” Plowman said. “I want us to be the destination school for anyone who wants to come coach or play sports or grow up in athletic administration.”

Knox News' Mike Wilson and USA TODAY's Dan Wolken contributed to this report. 

Blake Toppmeyer covers University of Tennessee football. Email him at blake.toppmeyer@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Current subscribers can click here to join Blake's subscriber-only text group offering updates and analysis on Vols football.