During Tennessee’s search for a new head football coach, many Vol fans wanted Tennessee to turn to someone with “orange blood.” And they specifically wanted former national championship-winning quarterback Tee Martin to get an interview and potentially the job as well.
Tee Martin has been the offensive coordinator for USC since the start of the 2016 season, and many Vol fans wanted him to get the call to come “home” to Tennessee. But a lot of fans also wanted to see Martin in an offensive coordinator/head coach in waiting role depending on who the head coach was.
But according to Martin himself, that was never really an option.
Martin was asked if he ever spoke to Tennessee about their head coaching position after a USC practice, to which he said he did. And he would add more to his response as well.
“If I was going to go back to Tennessee, it was to be as the head coach, not as a coordinator,” Martin stated. “I made that message very clear. So when I was out of that discussion, then they moved on to do what they had to do.”
#USC OC Tee Martin was asked if Tennessee had contacted him about its once open OC Position pic.twitter.com/5cnvMLyqhy
— Scott Schrader (@Scott_Schrader) December 13, 2017
Instead of Martin, Tennessee AD Phillip Fulmer tabbed Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt to be the Vols’ next head football coach.
Tennessee has reportedly made a hire off of USC’s offensive staff, but it wasn’t Martin. Pruitt has added USC quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Tyson Helton to be the Vols’ offensive coordinator. Though no official announcement has been made from Tennessee, Helton has been seen on the recruiting trail contacting Vol targets.
