A Week Later: The Vols’ Coaching Search Continues

Dino Babers

Quick Bio: Dino Babers is yet another coach on this list whom the Vols have played against. Babers was the head coach of Bowling Green in 2015 when Tennessee faced them to open the season in Nashville. Babers has had success everywhere he’s gone as a head coach.

Pros: Babers took Eastern Illinois to a 12-2 record in 2013, Bowling Green to a 10-3 record in 2015, and has made Syracuse respectable in his second season at the helm there. They defeated Clemson earlier in the season and played Miami and LSU tough.

Cons/Questions: Babers hasn’t stayed at a school for longer than two seasons so far in his career. Butch Jones hadn’t stayed at a school longer than three years, and Vol fans will likely be very wary of a coach who hasn’t proven he can have sustained success because of that.

Mike Houston

Quick Bio: If you don’t know who Mike Houston is, don’t feel bad; he’s not exactly a household name. Houston doesn’t coach in the FBS, so that could be why you haven’t heard of him. But that doesn’t mean he’s not a good coach. He’s been dominant at James Madison and proved his worth at The Citadel too.

Pros: In 23 games as James Madison’s head coach, Houston has lost just one game. He helped lead James Madison to the FCS National Title last season and is undefeated this year. He also was the head coach with The Citadel defeated South Carolina in 2015. And he wouldn’t be the first coach to make the leap from the FCS to the FBS at a big time school should Tennessee or someone else come calling. Jim Tressel went from Youngstown State to Ohio State in 2001, and he had a successful run with the Buckeyes.

Cons/Questions: The questions are obvious here. Houston has never coached in the FBS, not once. At least Tressel had been an assistant with Syracuse and Ohio State before he went to Youngstown State. Houston has no FBS experience at all. It’s unlikely Tennessee looks his direction.