Tennessee athletic director Danny White has plenty of difficult decisions to make. Replacing Bob Kesling shouldn’t be one of them.
If White wants to hold countless interviews and scour every state in the union or every county in Tennessee, he should do so if that makes him rest easier at night. However, there is only one person that White needs to call and he surely has his phone number.
Longtime University of Tennessee broadcaster John Wilkerson should be the next “Voice of the Vols” and there’s not really a close second. If Wilkerson, who currently acts as UT’s studio host during football and basketball broadcasts, handles the Vol’s baseball team play-by-play duties and hosts SportsTalk from 6-9 am EST, doesn’t want the job that Kesling just announced he was retiring from, then we can open up the discussion to other names. Until that happens, Wilkerson is the only one that should be considered.
There are some, perhaps White included, that might like a younger voice to handle the play-by-play duties for Tennessee football and basketball. However, younger doesn’t necessarily mean better, and, in this case it would also certainly mean not as qualified. There are some who might know as much about Tennessee athletics as Wilkerson, but not many. There certainly aren’t as many that have Wilkerson’s knowledge and have handled the thousands – yes, thousands – of broadcasts that he has manned for the Vols.
We can set aside personal tastes. There are some that never cared for Kesling, who replaced legendary broadcaster John Ward in 1999. There was a search held then for Ward’s successor, but anyone in the know knew what Kesling would get the job that he had long-been vying for. There are times to hold a nationwide searches. Then, there are times like these.
If Wilkerson declines an offer from UT, then there are other names to consider, like ESPN’s Tom Hart or Lady Vol play-by-play announcer Brian Rice. Both have strong ties to the Knoxville area and I’m sure would do a fine job. My concern is that Tennessee might go rogue and hire an announcer that doesn’t know the Vols’ athletic department nearly as well as the aforementioned trio, especially Wilkerson and Rice, who have both worked directly with UT.
One would think replacing Kesling will be White’s decision since he’ll catch all the flack for it if it doesn’t go well. However, one must remember that the Vol Network is owned by Learfield Partners so surely they’ll be consulted. That’s where things could get messy. Does the company have its eye on a young whipper-snapper that has served the company well? Perhaps, but that would be a mistake.
Wilkerson knows things that no other college broadcaster could possibly know about Tennessee. That comes with over 30 years of service. Wilkerson knows the traditions that go along with UT athletics and the history of Tennessee football better than any other broadcaster that might be on the radar. Wilkerson has been the studio host for football games for over 25 years. You might think of him as just “The Voice of the Diamond Vols,” but you’d be wrong.
Wilkerson has also handled Tennessee basketball games when Kesling’s schedule dictated he miss a game when basketball and football seasons would overlap. Wilkerson was able to do so because he’s a talented broadcaster who can handle any duties assigned to him.
Wilkerson is also the perfect mix of home cooking and five-star talent. While there is no question who Wilkerson is rooting for, he doesn’t wear his allegiances on his sleeve. Wilkerson, much like Ward, won’t say “we” when he refers to the Vols, but he’s also not afraid to let some excitement come across his broadcasts when things go Tennessee’s way.
I’ve covered more hires than I can remember, mostly coaching hires, but I’ve never thought nearly as strongly about a candidate as I do Wilkerson. There would be no “if” Wilkerson would do a good job. There would only be “when” he’ll do a good job.
Let’s hope White and the executives at Learfield know as much. If they don’t, they haven’t been listening.
