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.
3 Responses
My opinion is: Be careful who you wish for, you might get them! We all know Jon Gruden knows a lot about football but how much does he know about being a College Football Coach? We need a person who is a dynamic coach that will take these recruits to the next level. We already have the talent in place, we just need to have a coach that knows how to develop them. So, Mr. Currie, please be careful and choose the right coach this time! I love Tennessee Vols football and just want it back to the glory days. Go Big Orange!
I don’t get the reluctance to welcome Jon Gruden back to The Hill. Any leader making anything much more complicated than meat loaf has to delegate much of what gets done to assistants. Does Jon Gruden know how to win football games? I think he does. Will elite players flock to K-town to play for him? I think they will. Can Coach Gruden attract good assistants? He must have to win a Super Bowl.
He is the guy if the university will finally show it cares about winning.
Bobby Petrine, T. Martin, new ideas, more disciplined better connected to the players. Able to instill Tennessee volunteers traditional into the game .and bring us back where we belong. I think recruting will still be good with either one of these as coaches?