Jeff Brohm
Quick Bio: Not only did Jeff Brohm play quarterback in the NFL for several seasons, but he’s turned into a fairly successful head football coach at the college ranks as well. He led Western Kentucky to one of their best seasons in program history in 2015 when the Hilltoppers went 12-2. He then led them to a 10-3 record before taking the head coaching position at Purdue.
Pros: Brohm knows offense and knows how to teach quarterbacks. He played at the highest level (even if it was sparingly), and he’s been a college coach since 2003 with Louisville, FAU, Illinois, and UAB before becoming a head coach.
Cons/Questions: Brohm got Purdue off to a hot start, but they’ve fallen by the wayside since and are in danger of losing bowl eligibility. His buyout at Purdue is also expected to be fairly large since he’s still in his first season with the Boilermakers.
Justin Wilcox
Quick Bio: This name should sound familiar to Vol fans. Justin Wilcox was Tennessee’s defensive coordinator from 2010-11 before leaving to take the same position at Washington. He spent two seasons there, became USC’s defensive coordinator for two seasons, took the same job at Wisconsin, then became California’s head coach prior to the start of the 2017 season.
Pros: Wilcox has a strong defensive background and has been a successful defensive coordinator. He’s had his ups and downs at Cal in his first season, but he’s found success as a head coach too.
Cons/Questions: Wilcox may be more of a west coast guy, and his lack of head coaching experience is sure to turn Vol fans off despite his obvious Tennessee connection.
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?