As Tennessee fans familiarize themselves with Jim Knowles’ new defensive coaching staff at Tennessee, they’ll learn the names and backstories of guys like Anthony Poindexter, AJ Jackson, and Derek Jones. Poindexter and Jackson spent the 2025 season with Knowles at Penn State and will serve as the co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach and LEOs coach, respectively. Jones, meanwhile, has a long history with Knowles from their time as Duke and will serve as the Vols’ cornerbacks coach.
But there will also be two names that Vol fans remember from the past few years under Tim Banks’ defensive staff. While assembling the defensive coaching unit, Knowles and the Tennessee staff opted to keep defensive line coach Rodney Garner and linebackers coach William Inge at their current positions. Garner has been with Tennessee since Josh Heupel’s inaugural staff, while Inge has been with the Vols for the past two seasons.
During his introductory press conference on Thursday, Knowles detailed why he wanted to keep Garner, a “legend” in the game, on his staff.
“Rodney Garner is a legend, so I’m going to start right there,” Knowles said. “He’s really a legend when it comes to, when it comes to coaching D-line, an SEC legend. I think he’s extremely well known. And when you watch him, he coaches his players very hard, but he loves them right after that. That’s a unique combination. It’s how I like to be, challenge them, work them hard, but make sure they know that you care about them. He’s all about that.”
More From RTI: What Tennessee’s Defensive Staff Said About Chaz Coleman, Vols’ Prized Edge Rusher Transfer
Knowles also spoke highly of Inge when discussing Tennessee’s linebacker play and why he wanted to keep the veteran coach in his same position at UT.
“And Coach Inge, his room, that linebacker room, one of the things I learned during my evaluation period was that the linebacker room was the best room on defense, but it was maybe the best room on the team in terms of how close those guys are and how they work together and how he manages his players,” Knowles said. “That’s really a telltale sign when other people talk about your position and say, ‘Yeah, we have to be more like the linebackers.’ I think that shows what kind of coach he is.”
With the additions of Knowles, Poindexter, Jackson, and Jones, plus the retention of Garner and Inge, Tennessee’s new-look coaching staff has a great mix of fresh new voices and returning staples for the returning and incoming defensive players on the roster.
“With the coaching staff in general, a wealth of experience,” Jackson said about the Vols’ defensive staff. “I’m the youngest guy on the staff in the defensive room, but they’re all humble. They’ve all had great experiences. I mean, Coach Poindexter is a Hall of Famer. Knowles is a Broyles Finalist. I’m assuming Coach Garner is going to end up in the Hall of Fame, as well. But they’re still just willing to teach and they love the game. They love being around these kids for the right reasons, where there’s no egos. They just want to go out there and win.”
