The Big Names
These coaches are some of the biggest names in college football who are believed to be looking for new jobs for the 2018 football season. Not all of them are currently employed, and at least one of them doesn’t actually have experience as a head coach. But all of them are coaches whom Tennessee is likely to target first.
Chip Kelly
Quick Bio: Known for his offense, Chip Kelly had major success at Oregon before heading to the NFL. Kelly was 46-7 in four seasons as the Ducks head coach, and there’s speculation he may be looking to get back into the college game after having little success in his last couple seasons in the NFL.
Pros: Kelly’s offense was potent at Oregon, and he helped develop some really good quarterbacks, including Heisman winner Marcus Mariota. He helped lead Oregon to a National Championship, two Rose Bowls, and a Fiesta Bowl in his four years as head coach.
Cons/Questions: Kelly hasn’t been in college football since 2012, and his time in the NFL, specifically at San Francisco, has tarnished his shine a bit. Not only that, but there are many questions about some NCAA issues that he was involved with at the tail end of his Oregon tenure.
Les Miles
Quick Bio: Les Miles was fired just four games in to the 2016 season at LSU after a disappointing start and repeated failures to live up to expectations. But Miles had found success at LSU before then and has a track record of success.
Pros: Miles had a winning percentage of 77 percent at LSU and helped lead the Tigers to a national title in 2007. He helped take them to another appearance in the title game in 2011 as well. Miles certainly has SEC experience, something Vol fans will crave in their next head coach.
Cons/Questions: Although he took LSU to a title game twice, Miles was notorious for underperforming with the Tigers. His LSU teams often slipped up once or twice against inferior opponents, and they were often overshadowed by Nick Saban’s Alabama squads. He was also known for being stubborn about his offense and refusing to adjust it to more modern day approaches.
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?