Tennessee Vols hoping they don't lose a key on-field assistant coach in February
The Tennessee Vols are hoping they don't lose a key on-field assistant coach this month. Late last week, news broke that Auburn defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett is leaving the Tigers to become the Jacksonville Jaguars' new defensive line coach. It wasn't long after that news broke that speculation began about whether or not Auburn […]
The Tennessee Vols are hoping they don't lose a key on-field assistant coach this month.
Late last week, news broke that Auburn defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett is leaving the Tigers to become the Jacksonville Jaguars' new defensive line coach.
It wasn't long after that news broke that speculation began about whether or not Auburn could target Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner to replace Garrett.
Garner is a Auburn graduate who coached for the Tigers from 1990 to 1995 and from 2013 to 2020.
There are no obvious connections between Garner and Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze or Tigers defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. However, Garner was teammates in college at Auburn with Tigers co-defensive coordinator Charles Kelly.
It seems likely that Auburn will have some interest in Garner — he's one of the best defensive line coaches in football, after all.
But I don't think it's a guarantee that Garner would leave.
For starters, Garner called Tennessee "special" in late 2022 and explained how he wanted to be a part of returning the Vols to greatness.
"This place is a place that’s special to me and my family," said Garner in 2022 during an appearance at the Knoxville QB club.
“It was really important to me, the first time I talked to Coach Heupel about the opportunity to come back here, and I told him I just wanted to play whatever small role that I can play in trying to get UT back to the elite status where it belongs," added Garner. "I believe it’s an iconic brand and it’s one of the most unique game-day experiences of anywhere in the country."
There's also the fact that one of Garner's daughters currently works in the recruiting office at Tennessee.
Garner may be an Auburn graduate, but that hasn't stopped him from leaving the Plains before. Right now, he knows what the culture is at Tennessee. And there's a lot of continuity with the current staff. He doesn't know exactly what he'd be stepping into at Auburn under Hugh Freeze, a coach that is no stranger to controversy.
If Garner, however, elects to leave Tennessee for Auburn, senior defensive analyst Levorn Harbin, AKA "Coach Chop", would be the top in-house option to take over as the Vols' defensive line coach. Harbin is wildly popular on the recruiting trail.
