Two former Tennessee assistants under Josh Heupel have already made the jump to head coach, and that naturally puts the spotlight on the current staff in Knoxville.
Auburn’s Alex Golesh and Kennesaw State’s Jerry Mack both worked for Heupel at Tennessee before landing their own programs, and both are set to come back through Neyland Stadium soon. The 14th-ranked Vols, 2-0, host Kennesaw State on Sept. 19 at 7:45 p.m.
ET on SEC Network, then Auburn visits on Oct. 3.
Heupel had plenty to say about Mack on Sept. 14.
“(Mack) is a great leader of men. He’s authentic.
He’s a really good recruiter. And he’s able to hire a really good staff,” Heupel said Sept.
- “You put all those pieces of the puzzle together - he’s smart, he’s organized - that’s how you have consistency in your program.”
Mack’s path is a good reminder that some assistants are always one strong season away from another shot. He was the head coach at North Carolina Central from 2014-17 before joining Heupel’s staff as running backs coach in 2021. He later got the Kennesaw State job and won the 2025 Conference USA title in his first season.
He also took three Heupel staff analysts with him to Kennesaw State: offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mitch Militello, special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Kyle Blocker and running backs coach Aston Walter. They could be names to remember down the road, too.
But not every top assistant is chasing a head coaching job. Some are content to stay in high-level roles at major programs, and Tennessee has a couple of those kinds of coaches right now.
Jim Knowles, 61, already spent time as a head coach at Cornell from 2004-09 before becoming one of the sport’s most sought-after defensive coordinators. At Tennessee, he makes $2.2 million per year.
Rodney Garner, 60, is another example. He’s one of college football’s best defensive line coaches and earns $1 million annually at UT. His reputation as a recruiter and developer of NFL-caliber talent was built at Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn.
Still, if you’re looking for the best bets on the current staff to eventually land a head coaching job, three names stand out.
Joey Halzle looks like the cleanest offensive fit. Two of Heupel’s offensive coordinators have already become SEC head coaches: Golesh at Tennessee and Jeff Lebby, now at Mississippi State, from his time at UCF. Halzle is next in that line if the Vols keep rolling on offense.
He’s 40, already has a proven track record coaching quarterbacks, and carries himself well in front of the media. He also earns $1.45 million a year, so he’s in a strong spot if he decides to stay put.
Anthony Poindexter is another serious candidate. Tennessee’s co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach was nearly Virginia’s head coach after the 2021 season, but he stayed at Penn State because, as he told ESPN, the timing wasn’t right to return to his alma mater.
Poindexter, 50, is in the College Football Hall of Fame and was one of the best safeties of the 1990s. If Virginia opens again in the next few years, that may be his best shot.
A strong Tennessee defense would only help his case elsewhere. He makes $805,000 annually.
Then there’s Kelsey Pope, who might be the fastest riser of the bunch. At 34, he fits the profile of a coach who keeps climbing. He started in lower divisions, came to Tennessee as an analyst, and was promoted by Heupel to wide receivers coach.
Pope’s work paid off in a big way when he helped Jalin Hyatt win the Biletnikoff Award in 2022. Heupel later added passing game coordinator to his title, and Pope’s salary is set to reach $850,000 in 2027.
He’s charismatic, well-liked by players and looks like someone who could eventually move from offensive coordinator into a head coaching job.
In Other News...
Tennessee's Loaded Offense Could Have One More Freshman Problem Soon
Tennessees offense already has the look of a unit built to stay dangerous for a while, but ESPN thinks the Vols may not be done adding playmakers to the picture. The latest name to watch is five-star running back recruit David Gabriel-Georges, who checks in at No. 13 overall in the SC Next ESPN 300 and arrives with the kind of power, balance and explosiveness that can make a freshman hard to keep off the field.
For Tennessee, the appeal goes beyond simply landing another elite recruit. Gabriel-Georges has the traits to contribute early and eventually grow into a featured role, which matters for an offense that could be looking ahead to a post-2026 backfield if DeSean Bishop moves on to the NFL. Even in a loaded room, the Vols have a chance to turn a highly rated newcomer into the next major piece of the attack. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee-Texas Just Added More Intrigue For Frustrated Vols Fans
Kenny Chesney helped put Tennessees Sept. 26 matchup with Texas back in the spotlight during an appearance on ESPNs First Take, where the Knoxville native was on hand to promote his new tour and ended up talking football instead. The Volunteers are set to host the Longhorns at Neyland Stadium in the annual Checker Neyland game, with ABC carrying the broadcast and a Noon ET kickoff currently on the books.
For fans already frustrated by the timing, the attention only added another layer to a game that already carries plenty of weight on the schedule. Stephen A. Smith raised the possibility the kickoff could still be changed, leaving Tennessee supporters with one more wrinkle to monitor as the date draws closer and the buildup to one of the seasons biggest home games keeps growing. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fans Have One Reason To Expect A Stress-Free Saturday
Knox News took a different route in previewing Tennessees upcoming game against Kennesaw State, running 100 simulations of the matchup on EA Sports College Football 27. The results pointed to what Vols fans probably hope to see on a fall Saturday: Tennessee controlling the game early and often, with the model projecting an average score around 51-17 and plenty of room for the offense to settle in.
The simulations leaned heavily toward a comfortable finish for Tennessee, which fits the broader sense that this is a game the Vols should handle without much drama. There were statistical trends worth watching in the breakdown, along with reporter notes on how the matchup could play out, but the larger takeaway was hard to miss: if the real game follows the video-game script, Tennessee should spend most of the afternoon in command. [Read more 🡒]