Coaching Hot Board
It’s that time of the year that Vols fans have come to love: a coaching search. As the season comes to a close, we once again find ourselves in the midst of chaos (no not like last year, last year was worst-case-scenario chaos).
On the 1 year anniversary of Schiano Sunday, it was announced that OC Tyson Helton would be taking the head coaching job at Western Kentucky. This came soon after fans started to call for his job after a disappointing offensive season. The Volunteers’ offense did finish 110th nationally and 13th in the SEC for scoring, and 122nd nationally and dead last in the SEC in yards per game.
Whether all this was more on Helton or the personnel does not matter now. Helton has left for the WKU job, and we are looking for a new OC regardless of how well or poor he did his job. This is our Coaching Hot Board, and will be updated daily to reflect who is being talked about the most.
*Note- This list is in order of who is the most agreed-upon “leaders” to take the job. Stay up to daye throughout the coming days for updates on here and on the page.
Hugh Freeze
- update 11/29 — it’s being reported that Pruitt has met with Freeze to discuss the coordinator vacancy
- update 12/4 — it has been reported that Freeze has met with multiple schools, including Florida State. He could end up getting to choose between Tennessee, Florida State, Auburn, Alabama, and its rumored there are other offers
Arizona Hotshots Offensive Coordinator, former Ole Miss Head Coach
This is a name that was thrown in immediately, and it has picked up more and more steam. Freeze seems like nearly the ideal candidate; he has experience and success in the SEC and against Bama, his offenses and recruting led Ole Miss to contend in the SEC West, and his offensive scheme would work almost flawlessly with Tennessee’s personnel.
His high powered offense may be a little skewed; Freeze and the Ole Miss offense only averaged more than 35 PPG once, and never cracked the Top 25 in offense outside of 2015.
Ole Miss under Hugh Freeze:
2012– 7–6 (3–5) 31.5 PPG, 46th nationally, 5th in SEC
2013– 8–5 (3–5) 27.6 PPG, 54th nationally, 8th in SEC
2014– 9–4 (5–3) 28.3 PPG, 70th nationally, 11th in SEC
2015– 10–3 (6–2) 40.8 PPG, 8th nationally, 1st in SEC
2016– 5–7 (2–6) 32.6 PPG, 42nd nationally, 4th in SEC
Dan Enos
Alabama Quarterbacks Coach
*update 12/3 — Alabama OC Mike Locksley is currently a candidate to take the head coaching vacancy at Maryland, leaving Enos as the most likely to take his place if he does go and if Alabama does not hire Hugh Freeze. Enos has become a clear №2 candidate if Freeze cannot be secured by UT
I began this coaching search believing that Enos was merely just a name thrown out there by an agent or media outlet. But his name has gained some traction and has been spotted on several boards.
There’s a reason Enos isn’t on many people’s radar, and that’s because he’s a quarterbacks coach as of now. He has history as an OC for Arkansas, and he has coached Tua into a Heisman frontrunner, and Pruitt still has to have connections at Bama. This wouldn’t be my first choice, but I wouldn’t be pitching a fit if Enos ends up being the guy.
Tua’s 2018 stats under Enos:
189/269 (70.3%), 3189 yards, 36 TDs, 2 INTs, 212.5 Passer Efficiency Rating
Arkansas Offense under Enos
2015– 35.9 PPG, 27th nationally, 2nd SEC
2016– 30.3 PPG, 57th nationally, 8th SEC
2017–28.8 PPG, 61st nationally, 8th SEC
Fun Fact: Enos took over as head coach the year after Butch Jones left Central Michigan. He went 26–36.
Chip Lindsey
Auburn Offensive Coordinator
- update 11/30 — it’s being reported that Pruitt has also met with Chip Lindsey; he and Freeze are the two most likely candidates now
- update 12/3 — Lindsey has been hired by Kansas as the OC for Les Miles, ruling him out as a coaching candidate
This may not be the sexiest hire, but it could work. While Auburn’s offense has been nearly as ineffective as Tennessee’s, who do we think has been calling the plays on The Plains? Gus is an offensive minded guy, so its hard to know who has more control over the Tigers’ offense. If Pruitt goes with Lindsey, we can hope that he made it knowing he’s better than what he has shown in Auburn.
Auburn’s Offense under Lindsey:
2018– 28.3 PPG, 73rd nationally, 10th SEC
2017– 33.9 PPG, 25th nationally, 4th SEC
Freddy Kitchens
Cleveland Brown’s Offensive Coordinator
*update 12/4 — no meetings have taken place between Kitchens and Pruitt despite their connections, and he has all but dropped off the radar in talks regarding the next OC, making him the least likely possible candidate on the board
This is a name that has been thrown around a bit mainly because of his connection to Pruitt. They were born and raised within a county of each other, and they even played together at Alabama in the 90s. Kitchens however has made the move to the NFL, and is quite entrenched there. He hasn’t coached college ball in over a decade. and he has had success coaching Baker this season, so he probably will want to try to stay where he is.
Kliff Kingsbury
Former Texas Tech Head Coach
*update 12/3 — Kingsbury has been hired by USC as an OC, ruling him out as a candidate
This is a candidate that could be fun to see, but maybe not the most likely. Despite Kingsbury just being fired from Texas Tech, he is still considered a great offensive mind. He will probably be looking for a team that will better suit him and his air raid offense. Pruitt wants to run a more pro style offense, so hiring Kingsbury wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense, but then again neither did Helton.
Texas A&M offense under Kingsbury:
2012–44.5 PPG, 5th nationally, 1st SEC, Heisman Winner (Manziel)
Will Friend
*12/4 — multiple reporters and a former player have stated that Pruitt wants to hire someone outside the program. Despite this if a candidate cannot be secured, Friend will be the safety net
Friend has been the most likely if Pruitt decides to promote from within his staff. This is one of the least desired option by fans. Friend is the O-Line coach, and we all know how well that group fared this year.
He does however have experience as an offensive coordinator. He served Colorado State, under Mike Bobo, from 2015–2017. His offense averaged around 30 points per game, and actually got up to 35 points per game in 2016.
2015– 29.6 PPG, 62nd nationally
2016– 35.3 PPG, 28th nationally
2017– 33.4 PPG, 31st nationally
Now you may think this is Mike Bobo and not Will Friend. Possibly, as he coached over that same stretch. But Friend left for Tennessee before the 2018 season and Bobo stayed at Colorado State. This past season, their offense dropped all the way down to 110th nationally, only averaging 22.8 PPG. It’s not exactly proof that Friend is some kind of hidden talent, but I think it says something, and Pruitt may see it as well. How he does coaching an offensive line shouldn’t have anything to do with his playcalling ability. And this is assuming it even is actually his fault, but our line was bad before this season. It may not be one of the top moves on the list, but it may not be as bad as it looks to fans.
