Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
USA today: “Kiffin served as the Vols’ head coach in 2009. He compiled a record of 7-6 (4-4 SEC) with a win over Georgia.”
247 Sports take: Kiffin still has a lot of love for Tennessee and says so on social media, but he just signed a multi-year extension to remain with the rebels earlier this month. And given the current state of the program, would a leap from Oxford to Knoxville be a sideways move for the 45-year-old offensive guru?
Billy Napier, Louisiana
247 Sports take: The favorite at +300 bets to get the job according to Sportsline, the successful Louisiana coach has spent four seasons under Nick Saban in Alabama and is waiting for an ideal opportunity – one that fits his “project”, for so to speak. So far, Auburn and South Carolina have offered neither, but perhaps the situation in Tennessee meets their criteria.
Hugh Freeze, Liberty
247 Sports take: It would undoubtedly be a risk for the Vols to hire Freeze, who was fired at Ole Miss amid violations due to Pruitt’s expulsion for cause. College football insider Bruce Feldman said this week that Freeze to Tennessee is unlikely.
“Having met Hugh Freeze, I know he dreamed of that job, to be Tennessee’s head coach,” Feldman said on ESPN Radio on Wednesday. “He did a very good job at Liberty. He is an excellent coach and game caller. If Hugh Freeze got the job in Tennessee, he would earn there faster, probably than anyone else I can imagine. The problem is that he was fired from Ole Miss for a scandal, not just for violations of personal conduct … but for NCAA issues that were not just big for Ole Miss, but for the SEC.
“I would be very surprised, no matter what perspective Tennessee would have to deal with … people would say, ‘wait a minute, are you talking about integrity and then hire Hugh Freeze?’ I don’t know how Greg Sankey, the SEC commissioner, would approve this hiring. Especially with the NCAA aligned. If all of this NCAA stuff related to Jeremy Pruitt and his team wasn’t going into action … I could see some brokers in Tennessee saying ‘look, this guy can win here and he wants the job. He could be the guy. ‘But I don’t see Greg Sankey letting that happen. “
Gus Malzahn, former Auburn HC
247 Sports take: Malzahn was underestimated on the plains? He won Nick Saban several times, won 77 games over eight seasons and won a conference championship during the 2013 campaign. He is best known for being the brain behind Auburn’s attack during the 2010 national championship season and the Volts were able to use innovative concepts offensively.
Chris Petersen, ex-Washington HC
247 Sports take: When there is a guy who is available with 147 career wins as a darkhorse candidate and has led a program for the College Football Playoff in the past who does not recruit at Alabama, Clemson, Ohio state levels, maybe Tennessee could accept a closer look and evaluate your interest. Would Petersen leave retirement to become a SEC technician? He was a winner in Washington and Boise State and that is not easy.
Jeff Hafley, Boston College
247 Sports take: Hafley is recruiting on a “historic record” now at Boston College, so imagine the level at which he could get players with considerably more resources in Knoxville. He made the most of his first season with the Eagles and inspired confidence in his players. He preaches vision and that is exactly what Tennessee needs now.
Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
247 Sports take: Chadwell is more than a flavor stick of the month after a spectacular 11-win season with the Chanticleers. It would bring excitement to Tennessee with an offensive innovative philosophy. Chadwell, however, signed a seven-year extension in December that puts him in Coastal Carolina until the 2027 season.
Tom Herman, ex-Texas HC
247 Sports take: Herman was successful in Texas, but not to the level expected in one of the bluebloods in the country. Herman’s wife recently scolded a report that he was interested in the South Carolina job after the Gamecocks parted ways with Will Muschamp this season, so perhaps a SEC stint is not what he is looking for at the moment.
Jake Spavital, Texas State
247 Sports take: With room to grow as one of the nation’s most brilliant offensive minds, Tennessee would have to follow the long-term path with Spavital. At 35, Spavital is only 5-19 as a head coach at Texas State, after calling West Virginia, California and Texas A&M plays before that. It would certainly be a high-risk, but affordable rental.
Marcus Satterfield, South Carolina OC
USA today: “Satterfield served as head coach for Tennessee Tech from 2016-17, compiling a 6-16 record. He is from Greenback, Tennessee and was a wide receiver and bettor in East Tennessee State (1995-98).”