Vols Football: Should Tennessee Hire Former Michigan Head Coach Brady Hoke?
By Zach Ragan
The Tennessee Vols have already made several coaching moves this off-season, but it appears more are on the way.
With his job on the line in 2017, Vols head coach Butch Jones is making some much needed coaching staff changes this off-season.
Tennessee has already promoted tight ends coach Larry Scott to offensive coordinator, replaced defensive backs coach Willie Martinez with Charlton Warren, and hired Mike Canales to coach quarterbacks.
And more changes are likely on the way.
One expected change is for defensive line coach Steve Stripling to take an off-the-field role with the program.
If that happens, then folks are expecting the Volunteers to hire former Michigan coach Brady Hoke.
But is that the move the Vols need to make?
Jones landing Hoke as a position coach would certainly be the splash “big name” hire that Tennessee fans have been craving.
I’m not sure, however, that it’s the best hire for Jones to make.
Stay with me here.
Hoke spent last season as Oregon’s defensive coordinator, and things didn’t go so well.
Yes, it’s true that Hoke didn’t necessarily inherit the best situation at Oregon. He switched the Ducks’ defensive alignment to a 4-3 scheme, but finishing 126th in the nation while allowing 41 points in a game is something not even the much maligned Sal Sunseri managed to do (though he came close).
And I seriously doubt anyone would welcome back Sunseri as a defensive line coach after his disastrous year as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator.
But it’s not just Hoke’s troubled year as a defensive coordinator out west that concerns me.
It’s the fact that Hoke hasn’t worked as a position coach since 2002.
In fact, since 2002 the only years he hasn’t been a head coach were 2015 (out of coaching) and last year at Oregon.
Jones has already made defensive coordinator Bob Shoop work one year without the assistants of his choice. I’m not sure that hiring Hoke would be good for Shoop either.
Hoke working as a position coach under Shoop, someone who has limited head coaching experience (2003-05 at Columbia) could spell disaster for the Volunteers.
There’s no doubt that Hoke has his way of doing things, and it’s going to be pretty tough for him to not be in charge of the defense and take direction from Shoop.
On paper, hiring Hoke is a slam dunk. But you also need a staff that gels. Animosity could easily be an issue.
And that’s not to mention that Hoke as a defensive line coach is likely a one to two year situation — at the most.
Hoke won’t be a position coach for long. I have no doubt that he’s aiming for another head coaching job as soon as possible.
Personally, I think the smart move for Jones and the Vols would be to go hire Sean Spencer from Penn State.
Spencer worked under Shoop has his defensive line coach from 2011-2015.
Shoop’s defense, with Spencer as an assistant, was always among the best in the nation.
Check out how their defenses ranked in points against.
- 2011 Vanderbilt: 29
- 2012 Vanderbilt: 15
- 2013 Vanderbilt: 46
- 2014 Penn State: 7
- 2015 Penn State: 27
By comparison, the Volunteers ranked 68th in defense in 2016.
Why would you not go with a combination that’s proved over and over that it works?
Is landing a big name like Hoke more important than actual, proven results?
A lot of folks get caught up in the name that’s hired.
Tennessee hired a big name in Bob Shoop this past off-season, but they didn’t put him in a great situation, which meant the results weren’t great.
The smart thing to do would be to put Shoop in a situation that’s best for him, not one that just looks great on paper.
Next: Former Vols Assistant Joins Mike DeBord At Indiana
I’m not saying that hiring Brady Hoke would be a bad decision, but there’s definitely a better decision to be made.