I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but at some point in the future, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel will need a new offensive coordinator.

If the Vols continue to have success, someone will eventually offer offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle a head coaching gig.

And while I don’t know what Halzle’s goal is for his career, it’s hard to imagine that he would pass up the opportunity to lead his own program.

The good news for Tennessee is that if/when Halzle leaves for another job, the Vols have a perfect option to replace him. And he’ll be on the opposite sideline (or in the booth) when Kennesaw State visits Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.

Former Vols analyst Mitch Militello could be the next man up for Tennessee

A couple of years ago, after Halzle was promoted to offensive coordinator following Alex Golesh’s departure for USF, I wrote that then-Tennessee offensive analyst Mitch Militello could be a name to watch down the road if/when Halzle left for another job.

Three years later, I’m even more convinced that Militello, who is currently the offensive coordinator at Kennesaw State, is a name to watch.

Militello, as Josh Heupel pointed out this week on The Mike Keith Show, spent nine seasons with Heupel (2016 to 2024) at Missouri, UCF, and Tennessee.

When former Vols running backs coach Jerry Mack landed the head coaching job at Kennesaw State ahead of the 2025 season, he quickly hired Militello to be his offensive coordinator.

In year one with Militello calling plays, Kennesaw State’s offense went from averaging 18.6 points per game to 34.5 points per game.

Militello is viewed as an assistant coach on the rise. The Athletic, in fact, recently pointed him out as a name to watch.

Heupel is always going to take ownership of the offense at Tennessee. Most of the guys on his offensive staff (Halzle, offensive line coach Glen Elarbee, and tight ends coach Alec Abeln) have been with him for nearly a decade. Militello, who also coaches quarterbacks, came up with those guys at Missouri and UCF, so there’s already familiarity there. It would make sense for Militello to be the Vols’ next offensive coordinator — especially now that he has experience calling plays at Kennesaw State.

Again, I don’t know when Heupel will need a new offensive coordinator — that depends entirely on Halzle’s future plans — but I think Militello will be the guy when the time comes.