Taking temperature of Tennessee coaches Kim Caldwell, Josh Elander, Josh Heupel

It's a good time to take the temperature of Tennessee coaches — Kim Caldwell , Josh Heupel , Rick Barnes and Josh Elander — to see who may have a hot seat and who is comfortably cold. There's a wide range of situations between them, and it's too early to tell the status of some. That being said, on this podcast episode of " The Volunteer State ," UT beat writer Adam Sparks and columnist John Adams do a vibes check of each coach in UT’s revenue sports.

To hear the full discussion, listen to the one hour, eight-minute podcast here or wherever you listen to podcasts. Here are a few highlights. Can Kim Caldwell experiment still succeed or is it doomed?

Adams wrote that Tennessee athletics director Danny White should admit his mistake and fire Caldwell as Lady Vols basketball coach before the program dips even further. In her first season, Caldwell went 24-10 and made the Sweet 16 to earn a raise and contract extension . In her second season, the Lady Vols went 16-14 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the worst season in program history.

And now, numerous players are expected to leave the program. On the podcast, Adams doubled down on his position. He understood why White hired Caldwell in April 2024 , but he now believes Caldwell is the wrong coach.