The Long Shots
Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady
Brady is without a doubt a long-shot, but he’s more than worthy of a call. The hottest name in coaching circles at both the college level and professional level has interviewed for NFL head coaching jobs this cycle but didn’t land one. Could Tennessee entice him with a head coaching gig in the SEC? You just never know.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin
It’s hard not to link Kiffin to the Tennessee job given how he has rebounded from being left on the tarmac as USC’s head coach. Kiffin had a good run at FAU and is off to a great start at Ole Miss, so would UT be interested in bringing him back for a second tenure? It’s tough to see that taking place, but Kiffin would listen and be interested. But like Freeze, it’s hard to see Tennessee bringing in Kiffin with the way the situation with Pruitt went down.
Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze
Freeze would be a tremendous hire for the Vols purely from a coaching standpoint. What he was able to accomplish at Ole Miss and is currently doing at Liberty is extremely impressive. Freeze would be interested in the job and would win, but can Tennessee bring him in after the fallout with Pruitt? It would be a surprising development considering the University will likely face punishment from the NCAA. Plus, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey may not even allow Freeze to come to Knoxville.
Tennessee interim coach Kevin Steele
Tennessee’s interim coach in the wake of firing Jeremy Pruitt will be considered for the job. Steele, who served as Auburn’s defensive coordinator for five seasons before being hired last week as a defensive assistant, was a finalist for the Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in college football in 2017.
Steele has strong ties to Tennessee. He played for the Vols under Johnny Majors and then began his coaching career under him as well. Steele was a finalist for the Vols’ head-coaching job in 2018 when Pruitt was hired. It would have been Steele’s second head coaching job. He went 9-36 as Baylor’s head coach from 1999-2002.
Duke head coach David Cutcliffe
Cutcliffe will forever be tied to the Tennessee job when it opens up after his work with Peyton Manning and his job helping guide the Vols to a National Championship in 1998. The head football coach at Duke is 68-years old but could stabilize the program similar to the way Rick Barnes has with the Vols’ basketball program.
Under Cutcliffe, Duke has reached heights that the program had never been before. Cutcliffe led the Blue Devils to their first bowl game for the first time in 28-years in 2012 by beating arch-rival North Carolina. He then led Duke to a second straight bowl appearance, another win over the Tar Heels, an ACC Coastal Division championship and the first 10-win season in school history in 2013.
Cutcliffe is 118-117 as a head coach during his career that has featured stops in Durham and with Ole Miss from 1998-2004. He nearly became head coach after Lane Kiffin bolted for USC in 2009. Could he now become the Vols’ head coach during desperate times on Rocky Top?
Alabama offensive line coach coach Doug Marrone
Marrone has ties to Tennessee dating back to his time as an assistant coach under Phillip Fulmer. As a result, Marrone was connected to the coaching search in 2017 and he’s also been connected to the current one in recent weeks. Reports began circulating on Monday night that he was in play to be Alabama’s new offensive line coach.
Marrone found success at Syracuse, compiling two eight-win seasons over the course of four seasons with the Orange. The success of Marrone at Syracuse can be appreciated by simply looking at what the school accomplished before and after he departed for the NFL. Marrone also found success with the Bills, leading them to their first winning record during the 2014 season, their first in a decade. A few years later he led the Jaguars to the AFC Championship game before Tom Coughlin ruined his roster by running off several star players.
Former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell
Peyton Manning will be involved this coaching search and as a result, the former NFL coach could get a look as Manning has great respect for Caldwell. The two went to the Super Bowl together with the Colts in 2009 and worked together from 2009-12.
Caldwell has plenty of coaching experience under his belt. He was the head coach at Wake Forest for eight seasons where he went 28-63 before jumping to the NFL to be an assistant coach. He was then hired by the Colts where he went 26-22 over three seasons. Caldwell then guided the Lions to a 36-28 record over the course of four seasons. He is 62-50 overall as a head coach in the NFL.
