Former Vols assistant coach who dropped eye-opening quote when he left Jeremy Pruitt’s staff could be returning to the SEC
A former Tennessee Vols assistant coach could be on the verge of returning to the SEC.
A former Tennessee Vols assistant coach who made some waves when he left Rocky Top several years ago could be on the verge of returning to the SEC.
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, the Arkansas Razorbacks are targeting Florida State running backs coach David Johnson for the same role in Fayetteville.
Johnson served as Tennessee’s wide receivers and running backs coach in 2018 and 2019 under then Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
David Johnson raised some eyebrows with a damning quote when he left Tennessee
When Johnson left Tennessee following the 2019 season, he dropped a quote that foreshadowed some of the recruiting drama under Pruitt that would eventually lead to Josh Heupel getting hired by the Vols.
Shorty after leaving Knoxville, Johnson told a group of Florida State boosters that he didn’t “trust” what was going on at Tennessee.
Johnson tried to walk back the comments, which he likely didn’t expect to go viral, a couple of days later.
At the time, most fans felt like Johnson was just trying to fire up the folks at Florida State. But less than 12 months later, a massive recruiting scandal would result in Pruitt losing his job. So I think it’s safe to say that Johnson had a reason for making the comments about not trusting what was happening at UT at the time.
Update:
Arkansas is officially hiring Johnson as their new running backs coach.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Some fans owe beleaguered Tennessee Vols assistant coach an apology after the 2025 season
Some fans may owe a beleaguered Tennessee Vols assistant coach an apology after the 2025 season.
