Tennessee football is parting ways with longtime assistant Levorn “Chop” Harbin following a disappointing 2025 season, Volquest’s Austin Price reported Friday night. Harbin spent the first four years of Josh Heupel’s tenure as a defensive analyst then a senior defensive analyst before becoming the outside linebackers coach ahead of the 2025 season.
The Vols promoted Harbin to outside linebacker coach after Mike Ekeler left for a position at Nebraska. Harbin had earned a reputation as a strong recruiter, often filling in on the road as an off the field coach, which made him an obvious choice.
In his first year as Tennessee’s outside linebackers coach, the Vols signed three edge rushers including four-stars Hezekiah Harris and Zach Groves.
Heupel is hiring Andrew Jackson to replace Harbin as Tennessee’s outside linebackers coach. Jackson comes with new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Penn State where he was an assistant defensive line coach this past season.
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Before his lone year at Penn State, Jackson spent four years as the defensive line coach at West Virginia with previous stints at Old Dominion and James Madison. He has one year of experience in the SEC as a defensive quality control coach at Mississippi State.
The move from Harbin to Jackson is one of a number of changes to Tennessee’s defensive coaching staff this offseason. Heupel also fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks and secondary coach Willie Martinez.
Tennessee hired Jim Knowles as Banks’ replacement while former Ohio State assistant defensive backs coach Michael Hunter will now coach cornerbacks and former Penn State safeties coach Anthony Pondexter will coach safeties.
The only two defensive assistant coaches that Tennessee retained is defensive line coach Rodney Garner and inside linebackers coach William Inge. Inge was the Vols’ interim defensive coordinator in the Music City Bowl loss against Illinois.
