Tennessee basketball officially announced the hire of Earl Grant as its newest assistant coach on Thursday afternoon.
Grant replaces Justin Gainey as an assistant coach on Rick Barnes staff after Gainey left for a head coaching position at NC State following the 2025-26 season. Grant comes to Tennessee after spending the previous five years as the head coach at Boston College.
“Earl Grant is a perfect fit for Tennessee basketball and I’m so glad he is coming aboard,” Barnes said in a statement. “I called him recently just to talk and, as we continued our conversation, I realized he was just the person we needed on our staff. I’ve known Earl for a long time and always had a great deal of respect for him. I love his coaching philosophies and we are bringing him here to help make us even better. Earl is a man of impeccable character and I am certain he will make a positive impact on the players in our program.”
The 49-year old spent the last five years as the head coach at Boston College with the Eagles firing him following an 11-20 campaign this past season. Grant failed to make the NCAA Tournament in his five years at Boston College while posing a 72-92 record over that stretch.
Boston College is widely considered one of the worst jobs in power five basketball due to the lack of resources and the school’s commitment to hockey.
Prior to his time at Boston College, Grant spent seven years as the head coach at College of Charleston. Grant led the Cougars to the 2018 NCAA Tournament, earning a 13-seed and nearly upsetting four-seed Auburn in the opening round of the tournament.
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In Grant’s seven years leading the College of Charleston program, the Cougars posted a 127-89 record. Despite inheriting a program that won just 14 games the year before he arrived, College of Charleston won 24-plus games in three of his seven seasons as head coach.
“I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to serve, learn and grow at Tennessee,” Grant said. “I look forward to helping the program continue to strive for excellence, both on and off the court. I feel blessed that coach Barnes has chosen me for this position. My family and I cannot wait to move to Rocky Top and be part of the Knoxville community.”
A Charleston, South Carolina native, Grant has been an assistant coach at The Citadel, Winthrop, Wichita State and Clemson.
While Gainey had extensive ties to the state of North Carolina, Grant has extensive ties to the state of South Carolina.
Rick Barnes’ staff currently includes assistant coaches Steve McClain, Amorrow Morgan, Gregg Polinsky, Bryan Lentz and Grant.
Grant and Barnes will both meet with the local media later this afternoon so stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for complete coverage of both as well as the latest on Tennessee’s offseason movement.
