The Tennessee Vols lost a key member of their coaching staff this offseason when offensive coordinator Alex Golesh left Rocky Top to become the new head coach at South Florida. 

From the moment Golesh arrived in Knoxville in 2021, it was very apparent that he was on the road to becoming a head coach. 

Golesh, who grew up in Brooklyn and Ohio after immigrating from Russia, is smart, innovative, organized, and confident — key traits that all of the top head coaches share. 

When Golesh left Tennessee ahead of the Vols' matchup against Clemson in the Orange Bowl last December, it was widely viewed as not a big deal by much of the UT fan base. 

The logic there is that Tennessee's offense is Josh Heupel's baby. That's certainly true, but Golesh still played a key role in making the offense work. Heupel is never going to be a coach that gives away secrets and intel so it's not clear exactly how the play calling duties were handled in Knoxville last season. Regardless, Golesh was a huge asset for Heupel and the Vols and his presence will be missed. 

That presence, in fact, is part of what Tennessee will miss the most about Golesh. 

Vols starting quarterback Joe Milton was asked about Golesh last week at SEC Media Days and the redshirt senior had plenty of great things to say about his former offensive coordinator. 

One thing that Milton mentioned about Golesh that stuck out was the ability to get players "juiced up" before games. 

"He's a great person, he has a great personality," said Milton when asked about Golesh. "He has experience with the football game. He knows how to coach. He knows how to get you better. He knows how to get you going as well. There's some coaches that can't get you going, but he can get you going, he can get you juiced up. He's smart. He understands what his offense wants. He understands the playmakers he has at hand and he's going to put you in the best [position] to make a play."

Part of the reason why Tennessee is one of the "it schools" right now is because of the energy inside the football program. Golesh was a big source of that energy. 

Now, that's not to say that Tennessee is going to come up short in 2023 because they don't have Golesh in the booth. The offense isn't changing (except to fit the players the Vols will use in 2023). And there's continuity with Golesh's replacement, Joey Halzle (who has been with Heupel since his playing days at Oklahoma). But the idea that Golesh's departure from Tennessee is a non-issue is just flat out incorrect. The Vols are going to miss Golesh. They're going to miss his intelligence, the energy he brings to the practice field, and his presence in general.

The Vols can certainly overcome Golesh's departure and reach every goal they have (including winning a national championship), but there will absolutely be a void left behind with Golesh now in Tampa. 

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