4. The Search for a New OC
This is one of two ongoing stories on this list, and it’s one of the more frustrating ones for Vol fans right now.
For the last month-plus, Tennessee hasn’t had an offensive coordinator on staff. That hasn’t stopped the Vols from hauling in some highly-rated recruits in the 2019 class, but there’s been a lot of confusion in the media and among Vol fans regarding the ongoing search.
Just a few days after Tennessee’s 2018 season ended in Nashville against Vanderbilt, UT offensive coordinator Tyson Helton accepted the head coaching position at Western Kentucky. That left Tennessee with a vacancy on staff, and it gave Jeremy Pruitt another chance to make the right hire at arguably the most important position on his staff.
But so far, Helton’s replacement hasn’t been found.
Names like Hugh Freeze, Chip Lindsey, Dan Enos, Kendal Briles, Mike Yurcich, and Steve Sarkisian have all been tied to UT’s opening at one time or another, but so far no hire has been made. There have been mentions that a hire is “95 percent done” while others purpote that Tennessee has swung and missed on candidates.
At this point, it feels like nobody really knows.
One thing is for certain: It’s likely Tennessee will leave 2018 without an OC on staff.
