Phillip Fulmer made clear that his top priority as Tennessee’s athletics director was getting UT’s football program back on track.

According to Chris Low, ESPN, he’ll depart after more than three years on the job having failed to achieve his goal.

Fulmer, the former Vols football coach, will step down as AD after Tennessee completes a search to hire his replacement. He’ll leave behind a football program that is without a coach after Jeremy Pruitt was fired for cause Monday.

UT hired Fulmer in December 2017 when its football coaching search under AD John Currie went off the tracks. Fulmer took the reins of the search and hired Pruitt days later.

Like Currie, Fulmer’s exit coincides with a coaching search.

Pruitt compiled a 16-19 record in three seasons.

UT will replace Fulmer first and have that next athletics director lead the search to replace Pruitt.