As the coaching carousel continues to turn, it looks like Tennessee will be seeing a particular coordinator two seasons in a row in an unexpected fashion. On Monday, Texas A&M announced the hiring of Elijah Robinson as the Aggies’ co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.
Robinson previously served as the defensive coordinator for Syracuse, which Tennessee beat in the season-opener last year in Atlanta. The Vols won the game by a score of 45-26 in the coming-out party for transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar. The former App State quarterback threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns against the Orange, including a 73-yard bomb to Braylon Staley in the second quarter, less than a minute after Syracuse’s first touchdown of the game.
During that win over Syracuse, Tennessee put up some big numbers against Robinson’s defense. The Vols had an extremely balanced attack with 247 passing yards and 246 rushing yards. Star Thomas went for 92 on the ground, DeSean Bishop had 82 yards, and Peyton Lewis had 38 yards in the win.
More From RTI: SEC Foe Among Reported Schools to Watch for Tennessee Football Transfer RB Peyton Lewis
Tennessee also spread the love through the air, with Chris Brazzell catching five passes for 62 yards, Staley leading the team with 95 yards on four receptions, and Mike Matthews and Miles Kitselman going for two receptions each, for 29 and 10 yards, respectively.
We now know that Tennessee will be seeing a Robinson-led defense for a second straight season. Tennessee will travel to College Station on Nov. 14, the third-to-last game of the season, for a matchup against Texas A&M. The Aggies are coming off a trip to the playoffs this season, where they fell to Miami at home by a score of 10-3 last Saturday. Texas A&M announced Robinson’s hiring just two days after that first-round elimination.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee football news and coverage.
