2014 Tennessee Coaching Staff:
Head Coach
Butch's history as a head coach is simple: He's a winner. As he alluded to in his press conference, his teams have won championships 4 out of the last 6 seasons. That's impressive at any level. He's a Brian Kelly and Rich Rodriguez disciple as well. The many questions fans had when coach Jones took the job in 2013 have been put to rest, except for one: can he win? He's reunited the fan base, shown love to alumni and former coaches, and shown he can go toe to toe with anyone in the country in terms of recruiting. If Jones can pull out a big win and become bowl eligible in 2014, Tennessee will be back to their old ways very soon. Jones has really embraced the traditions and culture of Tennessee football and has been quoted, "My only focus is bringing Tennessee back to where it's supposed to be: winning. If it kills me, then it kills me."
Offensive Coordinator & QB Coach
Mike Bajakian previously served the same title under Butch Jones at Cincy for the last three seasons. His offenses are known for their fast paced, up-style tempo. This offense is built around the quarterback whether that means a more spread read/option for a dual threat, or a more pro style pocket passing offense for a prototypical pocket passer such as Tyler Bray. Bajakian also has NFL experience with the Chicago Bears as their WR coach during their run at the super bowl a few years ago. Even though coach Jake looks more like a mad scientist rather than a football coach, his knowledge of the game is unquestioned. If coach Jake can find his guy at the QB spot and the offense can move as fast as the coaching staff would like, 2014 could be a surprising year for a unit that has a lot of question marks heading into spring camp.
Defensive Coordinator
John Jancek may be a name that is familiar to Vols fans. Jancek comes to Knoxville to be the defensive coordinator after serving the same position under coach Jones at Cincinnati. He was also the recruiting coordinator while at Cincinnati. Coach Jancek will reinstitute the 4-3 defense back into Tennessee football. His background comes mainly as a LB coach both at Cincy and previously at Georgia as well, so he does have significant SEC experience. Vols fans should be excited because there is no way to go but up on the defensive side of the football after the Sunseri experiment failed miserably in 2012. In 2013 Jancek's defense improved, but was still vulnerable in several areas, mainly lack of speed and exposed in space. With a new crop of talent and a full year for the players to learn the system, the 2014 group should improve once again in their pursuit to become a feared defense in the SEC.
Wide Receivers
After the news of Tee Martin choosing to stay at USC died down, Jones went and hired former Wisconsin and Florida WR coach, Zach Azzanni to come join his staff in Knoxville as WR coach and recruiting coordinator as well. Azzanni is the final piece of Jones' staff and comes to the Vols with recruiting ties to south Florida, a hot bed of top tier talent. Azzanni has coached with Bret Beliema at Wisconsin as well as with Urban Meyer previously. He's a great addition to the staff and has hit the ground running since arriving in Knoxville. Azzani has proven to be a great asset as the recruiting coordinator, spearheading the Vols' most recent success with a top 5 2014 class.
Running Backs
Robert Gillespie fills the void left by VFL Jay Graham who left coach Jones' staff after signing day to join Jimbo Fisher down at Florida State. Gillespie comes to Tennessee after being the RB coach at West Virginia and Florida over the past few years. Gillespie played RB for Florida during his collegiate career and is very familiar with how the SEC operates. He brings a knowledge of the offensive scheme coach Jones and Jake are implementing this year as well as a high energy guy who can recruit. Although the Vol faithful have mourned the loss of Graham, coach G is a solid addition to this staff. Gillespie has earned the respect of his players with his tough coaching style and ability to build close relationships with his guys.
Defensive Backs
Willie Martinez arrives in Knoxville after spending the last season as the DB coach at Auburn. He had stops at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops and was the defensive coordinator and position coach at Georgia before his time in Norman. Martinez obviously has experience coaching at the highest level, which will come in handy for our players and recruits alike. Martinez likes bigger defensive backs who are athletic and can makes plays with the ball in their hands. He even likes guys who have shown promise on the offensive side of the ball in high school because they are playmakers.
Linebackers Coach
Tommy Thigpen is another assistant hired from Auburn's staff a year ago. Thigpen is known around the country as one of the top recruiters in the nation. He also coached at UNC under Butch Davis and recruited most of the top tier talent they were able to recruit to Chapel Hill during his tenure there. Thigpen will hopefully continue to bring in top talent at the LB position as that is an area of need for our defense going forward. Tommy Thigpen has proven to be arguably the best hire coach Jones made. His name continuously pops up when recruits mention Tennessee and that's because Thigpen loves to recruit. The 2014 Rivals.com top recruiter of the year has just inked an extension to stay on Rocky Top for at least three more years, which should make Volnation very happy.
Defensive Line
Steve Stripling comes to Knoxville after serving as the associate head coach and defensive line coach with Jones at Cincy. He has been coaching for over 30 years and has had stops at: Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, and North Carolina during his coaching career all as a defensive line coach. His list of successful defensive lineman and the accolades they have achieved under coach Stripling speak for themselves. Stripling led the Bearcats to a 2-0 record as the interim head coach after Jones left for Knoxville. Coach Stripling has a young, inexperienced group to polish before the 2014 season kicks off in the fall. While there are a lot of concerns experience-wise, the raw talent is there for Stripling to begin to mold.
Offensive Line
Don Mahoney has been with coach Jones for 5 years as his offensive line coach. Despite the effort from several players and the plea from many fans to allow former OL coach, Sam Pittman, to stay on staff, Mahoney is the man that will lead our "Hogs" up front in the trenches. It will be interesting to see what Mahoney can do in 2014 after losing his entire starting unit from a year ago. The cupboard is not bare, but replacing that much NFL talent will be difficult and show what kind of coach Mahoney really is.