Former Tennessee Vols graduate assistant is reportedly a 'leading candidate' for NFL defensive coordinator job
A former Tennessee Vols graduate assistant is reportedly a leading candidate for an open NFL defensive coordinator job. According to multiple reports, former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is a strong candidate to land the New Orleans Saints' defensive coordinator job. Staley was a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 2012. On Tuesday, the […]
A former Tennessee Vols graduate assistant is reportedly a leading candidate for an open NFL defensive coordinator job.
According to multiple reports, former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is a strong candidate to land the New Orleans Saints' defensive coordinator job.
Staley was a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 2012.
On Tuesday, the Saints hired Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as the franchise's new head coach.
Moore was the Chargers' offensive coordinator in 2023, which was Staley's last season as the head coach in Los Angeles (Staley went 24-24 during his time as the Chargers' head coach).
Most graduate assistants that come through Tennessee (or any college program) aren't notable for their impact.
Staley, however, made a big impact during his one season with the Volunteers.
That's because Staley, who was an assistant at Hutchinson Community College before joining Tennessee's staff in 2012, is the coach who tipped the Vols off to wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
Patterson played at Hutchinson when Staley was on the coaching staff. And it was Staley who told then Vols wide receivers coach Darin Hinshaw about Patterson.
From The Athletic: Patterson went to Hutchinson Junior College out of Rock Hill’s Northwestern High School, and that’s where he was when Tennessee wide receivers coach Darin Hinshaw first saw him on film while scouting another Hutchinson player. Hinshaw immediately called a friend on Hutchinson’s staff, Brandon Staley, who was Hutchinson’s defensive coordinator at the time and is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.“I said, ‘Who is this guy?’” said Hinshaw, now an offensive analyst at UCF. “He said, ‘Oh, that’s CP. He’s a freak.’ He said, ‘Man, I’m telling you, you want to see this guy in person.’”
Patterson had a memorable season at Tennessee in 2012 before getting selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Staley, meanwhile, left Tennessee after one season to become the new defensive coordinator at John Carroll. He made the jump to the NFL in 2017.
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