Galactic Realignment Continues: SoCon's Turn To Steal

((HT: Mercer University their own selves))

It's time for Level Two of Galactic Realignment to rear its ugly head...

After the loss of the College of Charleston to the Colonial and Davidson to the Atlantic 10, SoCon commissioner John Iamarino is not sitting idly by to figure out what to do.

He's bringing in Mercer, East Tennessee State, and VMI starting on July 1, 2014. ETSU and Mercer are leaving the Atlantic Sun Conference who has already lost Belmont. VMI is in the Big South Conference and will be SoCon full-time now in all sports. VMI is expected to formally ratify joining the league Friday when its Board of Visitors meets.

Mercer is in the Pioneer League in their first year of football, so in essence they get a mulligan year to figure things out before the SoCon and ETSU will be hitting the ground running with Phillip Fulmer as their fearless leader in 2016.

"The past several years have been a tumultuous time in intercollegiate athletics. Conference realignment has affected traditional rivalries and disrupted the geographic integrity of conferences across the country. Mercer's affiliation with the Southern Conference will, however, restore historic rivalries and reduce travel burdens on our student-athletes," Mercer President William D. Underwood said in one of those prepared statements. "We look forward to continued competition with our colleagues in the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2013-14. We have enjoyed close relationships with a number of outstanding academic institutions within the A-Sun that we anticipate will continue beyond our change in conference affiliation."

"We're honored to have Mercer become a member of the Southern Conference," said Southern Conference Commissioner John Iamarino "The combination of outstanding facilities, successful athletic programs and undeniable academic excellence makes Mercer a great fit for us. We're delighted they've accepted our invitation."

Here was Mercer's first-ever spring scrimmage as they get ready for season one...
((HT: 13WMAZ-TV))

BREAKING: Fulmer Back In Football At ETSU

((HT: WJHL-TV))

Phil Fulmer is back in football as the Director of Football Operations at East Tennessee State University...

He had long been thought of as "active in the process" for the return of the Buccaneers to football and no head coaching candidates have been interviewed at present...

ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland gave the challenge to Fulmer and he said in the press conference that just concluded in Johnson City that he "would be whatever they wanted me to be..."

Last month, Fulmer was in Johnson City discussing the future of football with the school's interim athletic director, Dr. Richard Sander.

University spokesman Joe Smith said the visit was informal and the result of an earlier offer by Fulmer to help ETSU as it pursues the return of football.

Here's a story setting up the whole thing when he visited a couple of weeks ago...
WJHL-TV: News: Weather, and Sports for Johnson City, TN

More when we know more...

Would Fulmer Return To ETSU...???

((HT: Johnson City Press/Williams))

Safe to say, the HQ knows that Phillip Fulmer would come back to coach football. He intimated as much at a recent Boys and Girls Clubs fundraiser in northeast Tennessee.

From Williams:

“I’ve always said I would coach again if the right opportunity presented itself. I would coach again, but it would have to be a real unique situation.

“We’ll see,” Fulmer said. “I would certainly be willing to help any way that I can as they look at whatever is out there.”

Fulmer is going to keep an eye on the situation as it may (or may not) develop in Johnson City. The Buccaneers dropped football back in 2003, thought about bringing it back in 2007, didn't bring it back, and are now thinking about doing it all over again.

Dr. Brian Noland is the current president at East Tennessee State. He told Kelly Hodge of the Press, back in December, that the school looks to have football in place by 2016:

“The process will begin in January as we move into a new semester,” he said. “We’ve already begun the data collection, financial reviews and looked at feasibility studies other institutions have conducted. If it’s the will of the community to move forward on football — and I anticipate that’s where we’re heading — we could start filling staff positions in 2013.”

Here's some Bucs highlights from the 1996 season to keep your interest in the short term. Brandon Walker was Southern Conference Freshman of the Year over some guy named Randy Moss...