Tennessee Vols Football: Potential Replacements For Butch Jones 3.0

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CLEMSON, SC – SEPTEMBER 17: A general view of Memorial Stadium while the Clemson Tigers run down the hill prior to the game against the SC State Bulldogs at Memorial Stadium on September 17, 2016 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Tyler Smith / Getty Images) /

Brent Venables

Defensive coordinator at Clemson

Brett Venables is a very interesting, and confusing, head coaching prospect.

He’s been a defensive coordinator since 1999 for several high profile programs — Oklahoma, Kansas State and Clemson.

But he’s yet to become a head coach.

As one of the highest paid assistant coaches in the country, perhaps Venables is just waiting for the right opportunity.

Tennessee, as a high profile job, could be the right opportunity for Venables. But it’s hard to know if he’d be a good fit.

Obviously he’s a great defensive coordinator, and he’s had tremendous success.

Check out this incredible stat, via The State:

"In 21 years as a full-time assistant in stints at Kansas State, Oklahoma and Clemson, his teams have 21 winning seasons, have been to 21 bowl games and won 10 or more games 16 times."

There’s no doubt that Venables has the experience to be a head coach, it’s just unclear what kind of head coach he’d be.

Some of the best college football coaching hires in the last 20 years have been coordinators, so it might not be a bad idea for Tennessee to seriously consider Brent Venables.

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