Will Friend went to Carolina.
The offensive lineman from Tennessee accepted the same position in South Carolina under new coach Shane Beamer, the USC announced on Sunday.
Tennessee has two places on the team after Friend’s departure. Third-year coach Jeremy Pruitt fired defense coach Jimmy Brumbaugh on October 18 after four games.
The Vols could have more vacancies coming. Contracts for lead associate / wide receivers, Tee Martin, and coach for inline linebackers, Brian Niedermeyer, expire on January 31. Friend’s contract was also set to expire on January 31.
Friend was one of three remaining technical assistants from Pruitt’s original team. He was the only technical assistant who still trained the same position group as that team. Niedermeyer went from tight end to running backs after the 2019 season. Chris Weinke went from running back to quarterback after the 2018 season.
Will Friend: Tennessee’s offensive football line-up eager to prove themselves
Tennessee offensive line coach Will Friend met with the media on Thursday.
Mike Wilson, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee
Friend signed a three-year contract worth $ 805,000 a year when he joined Pruitt’s team.
He was one of eight members of the Tennessee team to reject payment cuts proposed by the sports department to help combat financial losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to documents obtained by Knox News through a request for records. public.
Friend, Pruitt’s Alabama teammate, spent three seasons in Colorado State before being hired by UT. He worked with Mike Bobo at CSU. Bobo is currently South Carolina’s acting coach and could be hired by Beamer.
Friend was also on the team with Bobo in Georgia, where Friend was the offensive line coach and Bobo was the offensive coordinator. Friend has been in Georgia for four seasons.
He also trained at UAB and Gardner-Webb.
Personnel turnover has been a milestone in Pruitt’s tenure in Tennessee. Three technical assistants stepped down after Pruitt’s first season in Tennessee in 2018. Four more assistants and highly paid strength trainer Craig Fitzgerald left after the 2019 season.
South Carolina also announced that Beamer is hiring former UT defensive coach Tracy Rocker. Rocker left for South Carolina after the 2019 season, after two seasons with the Vols.
Mike Wilson covers athletics at the University of Tennessee. Send an email to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you like Mike’s coverage, consider a digital signature that will give you access to it all.