Mike Leach
Quick Bio: Mike Leach has had success just about everywhere he’s been. He took Texas Tech to two Cotton Bowls and is in the middle of a great season with Washington State right now.
Pros: Leach is passionate, speaks his mind, and knows how to coach. Especially on offense. Leach won at least eight games in eight of his 10 seasons with Texas Tech (including an 11-win season in 2008) and has brought new life to a Washington State football program that had been a bottom feeder in the Pac-12 for years before he got there.
Cons/Questions: Leach isn’t known for his defense, and that doesn’t bode well in the SEC. He also has a checkered past when it comes to the alleged treatment of a concussed player that led to his firing at Texas Tech.
Dan Mullen
Quick Bio: If Vol fans want someone with SEC experience as a head coach, look no further than Dan Mullen. He’s been at Mississippi State since 2009 and once took the Bulldogs to the No. 1 ranking in the country in 2014. He’s taken a typical SEC bottom feeder to newer heights.
Pros: Mullen has not only made Mississippi State relevant, but he’s known as a quarterback guru too. He’s coached as either a head coach, offensive coordinator, or quarterbacks coach all of the following quarterbacks: Nick Fitzgerald, Dak Prescott, Tim Tebow, Chris Leak, and Alex Smith.
Cons/Questions: Mullen has reportedly had the opportunity to move on from Mississippi State before to bigger jobs, so why hasn’t he? If he likes having lower expectations, then the Tennessee job may not be for him. His record against ranked opponents while at Mississippi State isn’t good either.
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?