Tennessee was the victim of a recent trend sweeping college football, but the Vols quickly made a smart move to combat it
The Tennessee Vols had to deal with some sudden change this past week.
The Tennessee Vols were the victims of a trend that’s impacted several college football programs over the last couple of weeks.
NFL teams with new head coaches have been finalizing their coaching staffs in recent weeks. As a result, we’ve seen several NFL teams pluck assistants from the college ranks (the Atlanta Falcons swiped a wide receivers coach from Wisconsin on Sunday, for example).
The Volunteers were one of the college football programs affected last week when the Los Angeles Rams hired cornerbacks coach Michael Hunter away from Tennessee.
Hunter was hired by the Vols earlier this offseason to serve on new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ staff (Hunter worked with Knowles before at Oklahoma State and Ohio State).
Tennessee hires a familiar face to replace Michael Hunter
With spring practice set to begin in a few weeks, the Vols couldn’t afford to waste much time searching for Hunter’s replacement.
That’s why it’s not a surprise that Tennessee turned to a familiar face.
VolQuest’s Austin Price reported on Sunday afternoon that Tennessee is hiring former Virginia Tech cornerbacks coach Derek Jones to replace Hunter.
Jones is a name I mentioned immediately after Hunter left for Los Angeles.
Jones, a South Carolina native, is a former Ole Miss defensive back who spent the last four seasons at Virginia Tech. He wasn’t retained by new Hokies head coach James Franklin.
From 2010 to 2017, Jones and Knowles were both on David Cutcliffe’s defensive coaching staff at Duke.
Coaching staff continuity is going to be important for the Vols in 2026 — specifically on the defensive side of the ball.
Jones hasn’t worked with Knowles since 2017, but the two coaches worked together for eight seasons. They know each other well, which will help Jones hit the ground running on Rocky Top.
Losing Hunter just weeks before spring practice starts wasn’t ideal, but the Vols were fortunate that a respected coach with a strong tie to Knowles was available.
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