Kiffin to Be Introduced as Vols Coach on Monday

Though Tennessee officials tried to keep Kiffin's hiring quiet until after Fulmer coached his last game, word of it leaked on Friday, the day before Fulmer closed his career with a 28-10 win over Kentucky.

That win extended the nation's longest active winning streak by one team over another to 24 games and helped the Vols (5-7, 3-5) avoid becoming the first team in program history to lose eight games in a season.

In his final press conference following the game, Fulmer deftly issued a challenge to his successor.

"To me he ought to win every football game next year. How's that for pressure on the new guy?" he said with a grin.

Fulmer said he plans to take some time to relax, though he might be interested in the Clemson coaching job should it not be offered to interim coach Dabo Swinney.

"(Tennessee) is a very special place and it would take a special place for me to go to, but being unemployed right now, I'm interested in those kinds of jobs because that's a special place," Fulmer said of Clemson.

He also said he plans to reflect a bit and take some time to spend with his family, who he acknowledges has paid a huge price for his commitment to coaching.

"It's a crime to see people like that forced out of the profession," Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said.

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