Zach Azzanni
Current Role: WRs coach/recruiting coordinator, Tennessee
Quick background: Azzanni, a former receiver at Central Michigan, has made stops as a WRs coach at Valparasio, Bowling Green, Wisconsin and now Tennessee. He also spent a year as the passing-game coordinator at Florida (2010) and as the offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky (2011).
Why he might work: He’s the natural in-house candidate to be considered in this situation since he’s the only coach currently on Jones’ offensive staff that has a background as a coordinator. He’s worked with Jones for five seasons now (Central Michigan 2007-09 and UT 2013-14), knows Tennessee’s personnel better than anybody. With Tennessee’s offensive upswing at the end of the 2014 season, there’s a strong argument for continuity going forward.
Why he might not: He only has one season of experience fully calling plays, and that was at Western Kentucky. The receivers have improved under his watch at Tennessee, and though injuries have hurt the young group a lot, it’s fair to say that the receivers haven’t always been consistent over the past two years. There’s a lot to like about Azzanni, but it’s hard to say if Jones would feel confident with him running the whole offense. UT would still need a quarterbacks coach as well if Azzanni were elevated to the only OC.
