What Ryan Walters’ coaching staff could look like if he’s hired as Tennessee’s next defensive coordinator
Washington Huskies defensive coordinator Ryan Walters is considered a candidate to replace Tim Banks as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator.
The Tennessee Vols are searching for a new defensive coordinator after parting ways with Tim Banks on Monday.
For now, there isn’t a lot of information out there about who Vols head coach Josh Heupel is hoping to hire to replace Banks (which is by design — Heupel tends to operate in secrecy).
One name, though, that’s gained some traction over the last 24 hours is Washington Huskies defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, who previously worked with Heupel at Missouri and Oklahoma.
There’s no indication at this point that Walters will be the hire, but it’s the name that makes the most sense for now.
“You can consider [Walters] the name that makes the most sense,” said VolQuest’s Austin Price Tuesday on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will. “Knowing Josh Heupel and his tendency to care about his culture, and what he’s going to look for in a defensive coordinator, his history with a coach, all of that, that one makes the most sense. Now, can they get to the point where they cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s and get across the finish line, if that’s the route [Heupel] is going? We’ll see.
“There’s been plenty of times that a coach has basically [had a deal] with a school and things change, and one little hiccup causes the whole thing to fall apart. We’ll see if Tennessee can get to that point if that’s where [Heupel] is going. But that’s the one that makes the most sense, as far as connecting the dots.”
What Ryan Walters’ coaching staff could look like at Tennessee
If Walters ends up being the hire, the first question that many fans will have is what his coaching staff will look like.
And in this case, I think that’s an interesting question. It looks like much of the defensive staff at Washington was in place before Walters arrived this past season. I’m sure there’s a chance that Walters could take some of those guys, but it doesn’t appear to be a situation where he has a bunch of longtime assistants that would automatically follow him to Tennessee.
Another element here is that Tennessee will likely want to avoid losing key defensive players to the transfer portal. Retaining some defensive assistants could help prevent roster attrition on the defensive side of the ball.
Anyway, here’s my best guess at what Walters’ staff could look like.
Ryan Walters – Defensive Coordinator: Walters’ expertise is with safeties, but he hasn’t been a position coach at his last two coordinator stops (Washington and Illinois), so the assumption is that he would hire a safeties coach (Walters had a safeties and cornerbacks coach at Washington).
Rodney Garner — Defensive Line Coach: Garner seems like an important assistant coach to keep. He’s one of the best defensive line coaches in the nation, and he’s obviously a solid recruiter. Garner brings SEC experience that no other defensive line coach in the nation can match. Washington’s defensive line coach this past season was Jason Kaufusi, and that’s the only season he’s coached alongside Walters.
William Inge — Inside Linebackers Coach: Inge has done well on the recruiting trail and Tennessee’s players seem to like him. Now, it’s true that Tennessee’s linebacker play could’ve been better last season, but some of that was due to scheme and youth. Inge and Walters, by the way, crossed paths at Colorado in 2005. Inge was the Buffaloes’ defensive line coach that season. Walters, meanwhile, was in his second season as a player at Colorado.
Brian Odom, who played with Heupel at Oklahoma in 2000, could also be an option here. Odom was the Huskies’ linebackers coach in 2025.
LeVorn “Coach Chop” Harbin — Outside Linebackers Coach: Harbin is a tremendous recruiter and extremely well thought of as a coach. If he isn’t retained by Tennessee’s new defensive coordinator, he won’t be out of a job for long. Harbin will be an asset to whoever is hired as Tennessee’s next defensive coordinator.
Taylor Mays — Safeties Coach: This could be the only coach that Walters brings with him. Mays is a former NFL safety who played college football at USC under Pete Carroll. He got into coaching as a defensive analyst at USC from 2022 to 2024. He was hired as Washington’s safeties coach ahead of the 2025 season. Walters seems to be a big believer in Mays as a coach.
Willie Martinez — Cornerbacks Coach: I think Martinez is a better coach than he gets credit for — few assistants know the SEC as well as he does. Martinez and Walters nearly crossed paths at Oklahoma in 2012, but Martinez left Norman to join the staff at Auburn. I think this spot could go several ways. But for now, I think the best guess is that Martinez will come back.
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