Tennessee football’s special teams coordinator Evan Crabtree was named to a prestigious list ahead of his first year on the job. 247sports named Crabtree to its 30 Under 30 list that looks at the top coaches and staffers under the age of 30 years old. He is 29.
The designations have been given out since 2017, with the likes of Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State head coach), Scotty Walden (UTEP head coach) and Jeff Faris (Austin Peay head coach) making the initial cut. The goal is to identify future stars in the industry who have already begun to make a name for themselves.
Crabtree enters his fourth season on Tennessee’s staff and first as the special teams coordinator. He got the new gig after Mike Ekeler departed for the same role at Nebraska. Crabtree holds the coordinator title, but also has the addition of John Bonamego, the assistant special teams coach, to help him out.
In 2024, Crabtree was the special teams analyst with the Vols. From 2022-23, he served as a special teams graduate assistant.
More From RTI: How Joey Aguilar’s Tennessee NIL Deal Reportedly Compares To UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava
“I think everything in this building is merit-based,” Crabtree said during spring camp. “There are young guys, there are young guys that are grinding every day on this staff. You see it on the team with our players. Coach Heupel has created a culture where he allows guys to move up and guys can show what they can do. He puts a tremendous amount of trust in us and we have a tremendous amount of trust in him.”
Prior to his time at Tennessee, Crabtree was a graduate assistant at Miami (OH). That is also his alma mater, where he played college football himself. He was a long snapper for the RedHawks and a four-year starter. He appeared in 45 games from 2016-19.
He owns three degrees, including a master’s degree in agricultural leadership, education and communication from UT. He earned his undergraduate degree in sport leadership and management and a master’s degree in sport leadership from Miami (OH).
