Tennessee Vols Football: Potential Replacements For Butch Jones 3.0

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BOCA RATON, FL – DECEMBER 20: Head coach Mike Norvell of the Memphis Tigers slaps hands with players during the fourth quarter of the game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at FAU Stadium on December 20, 2016 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /

Mike Norvell

Head coach at Memphis

Mike Norvell definitely wouldn’t be my first choice for the Volunteers, but he’s a much better choice than what’s currently patrolling the sidelines for Tennessee.

Of course, we’re setting a dangerous precedent for Vol football if the benchmark for the next coach is just “be better than Butch”.

Anyway, about Norvell. He’s fairly similar to his predecessor at Memphis, Justin Fuente.

Norvell runs a similar offense to Fuente — a typical “spread” offense that plays to the strength of the quarterback. I know that sounds similar to what Jones preached when he came to Tennessee, but it’s something that’s fairly common in college football. Norvell proved at Arizona State (where he was the offensive coordinator) and now at Memphis that he can develop talent and run an efficient offense.

The concern with Norvell is that I’m not sure he’d be able to put together a SEC caliber staff. There could be some growing pains with him. The Vols need to win now. Fans might not be patient enough for Norvell, which I completely understand at this point.

But Norvell should still be on Tennessee’s short list.

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