Tennessee Vols Coaching Search: A Look At Dan Mullen’s Staff

Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach is reportedly one of the Tennessee Vols’ top targets to replace Butch Jones.

If the Tennessee Vols end up hiring Dan Mullen away from Mississippi State, one of the biggest things folks will wonder about is his potential staff.

The assumption is that Mullen would mostly bring his own staff with him — especially his offensive staff.

Mullen is currently the play caller for Mississippi State, which makes his arrangement with his co-offensive coordinators a unique one. He would probably prefer to keep that staff continuity (which is why Mullin leaving Starkville would be contingent on the feelings of some of his staff).

Here’s what Mullen’s staff currently looks like, and a little more about those guys.

Billy Gonzales — Co-offenisve coordinator/wide receivers coach

Gonazales has been with Mullen (and by extension, Urban Meyer) for a long time. Gonzales was a wide receivers coach at Bowling Green and Utah under Meyer when Mullen was the offensive coordinator.

When Mullen went to Mississippi State, Gonzales remained at Florida for one season. He then went to LSU and Illinois, before rejoining Mullen in 2014. I’d be very surprised if he didn’t go with Mullen to his next stop.

John Hevesy — Co-offensive coordinator/offensive line

Hevesy has been with Mullen since their days at Bowling Green. When Mullen left Florida for the gig at Mississippi State, Hevesy went with him. From 2009-2013 he was the running game coordinator/offensive line coach. He was elevated to co-offensive coordinator before the 2014 season.

He is another coach that I would fully expect to move with Mullen.

Brett Elliot — Quarterbacks coach

Elliot played at Utah when Dan Mullen was there as the offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer. He joined Mississippi State’s staff in 2012 as a graduate assistant. Elliot left to become James Madion’s offensive coordinator in 2015. He was then the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Texas State in 2016. He returned to Mississippi State this past year to become the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks coach.

But we all know that Mullen is the true quarterbacks coach wherever he goes.

D.J. Looney — Tight ends

Looney played under Mullen in 2009 and 2010. He joined Mississippi State’s coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2011. He then made a stop at East Mississippi Community College before joining Central Arkansas’ staff as a tight ends coach. Looney was on Georgia’s staff in 2016 as an offensive graduate assistant.

I’m not sure if this is a guy that would come along with Mullen or not. He might opt to hire someone that has more experience if he makes a move.

Greg Knox — Running backs/special teams coordinator

Well first off, Greg Knox has the perfect name to be a coach in Knoxville. But I think Tennessee fans would prefer to see Robert Gillespie retained.

Anyway, Knox has been coaching in the SEC since 1995. He started his SEC coaching career as the wide receivers coach at Ole Miss. He was hired as Auburn’s wide receivers coach in 1999. Knox stayed at Auburn until Mullen hired him in 2009. From 2009 to 2013, Knox’s only title was running backs coach. In 2014, he added special teams coordinator to his title.

Todd Grantham — Defensive coordinator/linebackers

Grantham, a Virginia Tech grad, has nearly 30 years of coaching experience, which spans across the college game and the NFL.

The former Hokie was Georgia’s defensive coordinator from 2010 to 2013. He was hired by Bobby Petrino to be Louisville’s defensive coordinator in 2014. This is first year with Dan Mullen at Mississippi State.

Louisville’s defense finished in the top 15 in run defense in each of his three years with the program.

Ron English — Safeties

English is in his first year on Mullen’s staff. He was previously the defensive coordinator at San Jose State (2016). Before that, he was the head coach at Eastern Michigan from 2009-2013. He doesn’t have any SEC experience, but he was the defensive coordinator at Michigan from 2006-07.

Again, this isn’t a guy that would absolutely come with Mullen if he made a move, but I don’t think he’d be a bad choice to bring along (assuming Charlton Warren isn’t retained — which I would if I was Mullen).

Terrell Buckley  — Cornerbacks/recruiting coordinator

Anytime you can get a former NFL star on your staff, it’s going to help with recruiting.

Buckley was a terrific cornerback in the NFL, for various teams, from 1992-2005. A career of that length is rare in the NFL. He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Florida State in 2007. He then made a stop at Akron before becoming the cornerbacks coach at Louisville (where he coached with Todd Grantham and coached Shaq Wiggins). Buckley’s in his second year on Mullen’s staff.

Brian Baker — Defensive line

Baker has a ton of coaching experience. He coached in the NFL from 1996 to 2014, mostly as a defensive line coach. He joined Mullen’s staff in 2016.

Before Baker coached in the NFL, he was on Georgia Tech’s staff from 1987-1995.

Baker was a linebacker at Maryland in the early 1980’s.