Tennessee Vols: Jauan Jennings isn't back on team but has avenue to return, Phillip Fulmer tells WNML

Jauan Jennings is not back on Tennessee's roster, and there's no guarantee he'll be reinstated, Vols athletic director Phillip Fulmer said during an interview with WNML on Monday, but the door remains open to Jennings rejoining the program.

Whether that happens, Fulmer said, is up to how Jennings conducts himself from here.

"He's got a lot to do to prove that he wants to be on this football team," Fulmer said on "The Erik Ainge Show" on WNML. "If history has any kind of truth to it, he won't make it with what he's done before. But if he changes and listens and learns and everything, then he'll get there in the fall. It's up to him. He can't blame any other coaches. He can't blame anybody else. It's up to him."

Jennings hinted in an Instagram post last week that he'll be back with UT for the 2018 season – "Vol Nation one last season! Support has to be there like never before!” he wrote – but it's clear from Fulmer's comments that Jennings is not currently a member of the program. Jennings is, however, enrolled in classes for this semester.

Jennings, a wide receiver, was dismissed from the program amid his junior season on Nov. 22 in the aftermath of a rant he recorded on video and posted on Instagram.

Brady Hoke, who was then serving as UT's interim coach, announced the dismissal, saying he reached the decision in conjunction with John Currie, who was UT's athletic director until he was fired Dec. 1 and replaced by Fulmer.

More: Tennessee Vols: Stanford QB Keller Chryst emerges as graduate transfer possibility

Amid Jennings profanity-laden rant, he called Tennessee's coaches fakes, snakes and liars.

"Jauan more embarrassed himself, really, than anybody else. He was responsible," Fulmer said on WNML. "And management is an issue. You've got to make kids understand."

Fulmer met with Jennings after being appointed AD.

"As the athletic director, I did my due diligence," Fulmer said on WNML.

But Fulmer indicated that the decision of whether to reinstate Jennings lies with first-year coach Jeremy Pruitt.

Fulmer said in the radio interview that there's a line where second chances cannot be considered for players – "Everyone needs to understand there are clear limits," he said – but he added that Jennings "hasn't really crossed those limits."

"But he sure embarrassed himself and embarrassed the university and said some things that he wished he had back," Fulmer said on WNML.

"We'll see where it goes," Fulmer added. "... I think if he gets through this process that he has in front of him, then he will have proven himself, that he's willing to get back to the team."

More: After gaining ground in 2018 recruiting, Jeremy Pruitt will have to play catch-up in 2019, too

Jennings, a Murfreesboro native, has 57 receptions in his career. That's more than any receiver the Vols are set to return next season.

Jennings played in just one game last season. He dislocated his wrist in the season opener against Georgia Tech, an injury that required surgery. He caught three passes for 17 yards in that game. He was not seen on the sideline after that injury, unlike several other injured Vols who stood on the sideline in their jersey at home games.

In 2016, Jennings ranked second on the team with 580 receiving yards on 40 catches. That included his catch of Joshua Dobbs' 43-yard Hail Mary to lift Tennessee to a 34-31 victory over Georgia.