Quote from Alex Golesh shows there's only one choice to serve as Josh Heupel's new offensive coordinator at Tennessee
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel needs a new offensive coordinator after Alex Golesh left Knoxville to become the new head coach at USF. Golesh's departure for USF didn't come as a big surprise. He was expected to garner interest as a head coach option for numerous programs and the feeling was that he'd land […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel needs a new offensive coordinator after Alex Golesh left Knoxville to become the new head coach at USF.
Golesh's departure for USF didn't come as a big surprise. He was expected to garner interest as a head coach option for numerous programs and the feeling was that he'd land a head coaching job this offseason.
On Tuesday, Golesh was introduced at USF and he fielded questions from reporters after his introductory press conference.
Golesh was asked about his relationship with Josh Heupel and the dynamic between them when it comes to calling plays. And his answer showed that Heupel really only has one choice to serve as his new offensive coordinator at Tennessee.
"Josh was huge in one, teaching me, what he saw it like," said Golesh when asked about Heupel. "We saw it a lot of ways different. I had a different upbringing in my offensive mind. Heup played quarterback and saw it from a different lens."
"Our relationship was really good because there was no ego," added Golesh. "There was a complete trust in each other. And when he turned over the playcalling to me, I think for him it was a level of trust that he showed in me. I think I earned that trust."
"There's no time to talk in between plays. So generally I would get, if it was good, like a 'hell yeah' or if it was bad, a "what are you doing?'. But the relationship was awesome."
Golesh's comments about the trust between himself and Heupel should make this offensive coordinator hire easy for Heupel.
It has to be quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle.
This is Heupel's offense. It's ever-evolving, but it's his baby. At the same time, it's tough for a head coach to be the primary offensive coordinator and playcaller. Turning that over to Golesh this season allowed Heupel to focus on all of the other duties that are required of a head coach (the CEO aspect of the job). The offense still ran through Heupel, but he trusted Golesh enough to let him handle a lot of the heavy lifting.
I think that relationship is a big reason why the Vols were so successful this season. And there's no way Heupel can replicate that by going outside of the program to make the hire.
That's why Halzle is the perfect option. Halzle has been with Heupel since the mid to late 2000s at Oklahoma (when Halzle was a player and Heupel was an assistant). Halzle followed Heupel to Utah State, Missouri, and UCF before the two landed in Knoxville together.
Not only has Halzle been with Heupel a long time, but he also sat beside Golesh in the booth this past season. So he had a front-row seat to the playcalling process and what all goes into that. In theory, he should be able to slide into Golesh's seat seamlessly.
Halzle would obviously remain the quarterbacks coach if he's named the new offensive coordinator, which means Heupel would need to hire a tight ends coach to replace Golesh.
I don't see any way that a different option would be better for Tennessee. Promoting Halzle makes the most sense for the continuity of the program.
Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
