Mike Norvell
Quick Bio: He may only have two years of head coaching experience, but Mike Norvell has done enough in those two years to grab a lot of attention. He’s helped Memphis put together a phenomenal season for Memphis so far, and he’s attracting a lot of attention from the national media.
Pros: Norvell has helped spark Memphis into one of the better Group of Five teams this season. Riley Ferguson at quarterback has helped, but Norvell is appearing on many coaching lists as a candidate for open positions this upcoming offseason.
Cons/Questions: Is Norvell’s success at Memphis a flash in the pan or a sign of things to come? His inexperience will likely scare away a big Power Five program until he can prove himself some more.
Neal Brown
Quick Bio: One of the biggest upsets in college football this season belongs to Neal Brown. His Troy squad pulled off the upset and stunned LSU earlier this year. And that win is just one highlight in a fairly impressive track record for Brown.
Pros: Brown led Troy to their first 10 win season in program history last year and is well on his way to doing so again this season as they’re currently 8-2. He also has SEC experience as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator and QB coach from 2013-14.
Cons/Questions: What Brown has done at Troy has been nothing short of excellent. But much like many of the coaches in this category, he has no experience at the Power Five level. Tennessee is probably beyond hiring a Group of Five coach at this point.
2 Responses
The fans have to be there for the team and show them that we are still Vols. We cannot forget how hard this has been on them. We need to show up and make them proud that they came to UT and give the future Vols a reason to hope. GBO
Jimbo was a Nick Saban assistant. So Kirby wasn’t the first successful Saban assistant