Key Vols leader has strong feelings about one Tennessee assistant coach
The Tennessee Vols haven't had an elite offensive line coach since 2012 when Sam Pittman was in town (who, by the way, was not retained by Butch Jones in 2013). Until now. After nearly a decade of inconsistency when it comes to offensive line coaches, the Vols finally have another elite offensive line coach in […]
The Tennessee Vols haven't had an elite offensive line coach since 2012 when Sam Pittman was in town (who, by the way, was not retained by Butch Jones in 2013).
Until now.
After nearly a decade of inconsistency when it comes to offensive line coaches, the Vols finally have another elite offensive line coach in Glen Elarbee.
Elarbee followed Josh Heupel to Tennessee after working with him at UCF and Missouri.
The continuity between the two coaches is obviously important — especially in Heupel's unique up-tempo offense.
But Elarbee isn't valuable to Tennessee just because he's on the same page with Heupel. He's a great teacher, too. And he cares deeply about his players, which creates important trust.
Vols starting center Cooper Mays, a key team leader for Tennessee in 2023, was asked about Elarbee on Tuesday after a UT spring practice.
And Mays didn't hold back when talking about what Elarbee means to him.
"I love Coach Elarbee," said Mays on Tuesday. "I think me and him have an unbreakable bond. And there are former players that still feel about him that way today that you see show up year after year. You see a lot of our guys, Jerome (Carvin), Darnell (Wright), my older brother Cade (Mays). There are a lot of guys paying it forward on the practice field and moreover showing up to see him. I think that speaks volumes to who he is, how he treats us, and what he expects out of us. I think we all love him."
If Tennessee is lucky, Elarbee will be the Vols' offensive line coach for a long time to come. It's tough for programs not just to create cultures these days (due in large part to the transfer portal), but it's also tough to create cultures within position groups (because of assistants coming and going so often). Tennessee's continuity under Heupel will help create those positional cultures which will help turn each of those position groups into a strength.
Fortunately for the Vols, the offensive line has already turned into a strength on Rocky Top — thanks to Elarbee.
