Former Volunteers offensive coordinator Alex Golesh will be back in Neyland Stadium on Saturday when Auburn visits for a big SEC matchup with Tennessee.

Golesh, who is in his first season as Auburn’s head coach, served as Josh Heupel’s offensive coordinator at Tennessee in 2021 and 2022 (Golesh was also with Heupel at UCF in 2020).

The former Vols offensive coordinator is one of the more popular Tennessee assistant coaches in recent memory. That’s largely because of Vols’ offense was absolutely electric during Golesh’s two seasons on Rocky Top.

Tennessee’s offense hasn’t been quite as dynamic in recent years (though there are various reasons for that), which has led some fans to wonder how much of an impact Golesh made during his time on Heupel’s staff.

Former Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker recently spoke to AL.com about his time under Heupel and Golesh, and one thing he mentioned stuck out.

Hooker mentioned that Heupel is more laid back and that Golesh will “explode on you” if necessary (Hooker also pointed out how much Golesh cares about his players, so he wasn’t saying any of this in a negative way).

“Heupel is very laid back,” said Hooker. “He’s gonna talk to you in this (soft) tone of voice, but Golesh is going to explode on you… It’s good cop, bad cop. That’s a great way to put it.”

Hooker’s comments make me wonder if Tennessee is missing that “bad cop” voice on the coaching staff.

I’ve always thought Golesh brought an edge to the Vols’ offense. There was a chippiness there in 2022 that I thought made the offense play better. And I think they may be missing a little bit of that right now.

That’s not to criticize Heupel, by the way. I think he’s done a terrific job and I think he’s about the right stuff as a coach. I also think Heupel is staying true to who he is and that’s why he’s been successful. But I also wonder if he could use a Golesh-like personality on his staff to help bring that edge.

Look, Tennessee’s offense, despite the tough showing against Texas, is playing hard. The effort and the fight are there — they kept competing against the Longhorns. I’d just like to see them play with a little more, for lack of a better term, piss and vinegar. A little attitude and swagger.

The best teams play with an edge. If this Tennessee team is going to be a real playoff contender, they have to make sure they have that edge going forward.