Early in the 2026 season, Tennessee football is going to see a crew of familiar faces return to Rocky Top. The Vols will host Auburn on October 3 in their second SEC game of the season.
The Tigers are led by new head coach Alex Golesh, who served as Josh Heupel’s offensive coordinator at UT from 2021-22. He then took a head coaching job at USF, parlaying that opportunity to return to the SEC.
At SEC Media Days this week, Heupel was asked about having a coach from his coaching tree return to Knoxville to play him. He was complimentary of Golesh and said he was excited for the opportunity.
“Unique and exciting when you get an opportunity to face somebody,” Heupel said. “A lot of their staff were young coaches with us and/or guys that played for us at previous stops. A lot of familiarity. Alex has been in the SEC. He understands the recruiting landscape inside of it. Extremely proud of Alex, their staff, that transitioned from USF, but for the other guys we’ve had that have had the opportunity to become head coaches, whether that’s in this league or in other leagues.”
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Along with Golesh, there are a number of staffers who also come from Tennessee. Most notably, former Vols wide receivers coach Kodi Burns is the associate head coach/co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach, and former Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks is the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
There are players returning to Tennessee, as well. Wide receiver Chas Nimrod played for UT to start his career before following Golesh to USF, and tight end Jonathan Echols and defensive back Shamar Arnoux were committed to the Vols at one point in their recruitment.
Golesh isn’t the only former Heupel assistant returning to Knoxville this year, either. He’ll also be welcoming back Kennesaw State head coach Jerry Mack for an out-of-conference clash on September 19. Mack left Tennessee after the 2023 season for a job in the NFL before landing the Owls’ head job.
