Two former Tennessee Vols assistant coaches named as potential Power conference head coaching candidates
A pair of former Tennessee Vols assistant coaches were recently named by On3 as potential Power Conference head coaching candidates this upcoming offseason. On3 pointed out Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton and USF head coach Alex Golesh as two Group of Five head coaches who could receive Power Conference head coaching interest after the […]
A pair of former Tennessee Vols assistant coaches were recently named by On3 as potential Power Conference head coaching candidates this upcoming offseason.
On3 pointed out Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton and USF head coach Alex Golesh as two Group of Five head coaches who could receive Power Conference head coaching interest after the 2025 season.
Helton, who is entering his seventh season as the head coach at Western Kentucky, served as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2018.
Golesh, who is entering his third season as the head coach at USF, spent two seasons (2021 and 2022) at Tennessee as the offensive coordinator/tight ends coach.
From On3 on Golesh: It’s easy to look at two 7-6 seasons at USF and wonder why former Tennessee OC Golesh would be in the conversation for bigger jobs. But if you understand the degree of difficulty when it comes to winning at USF, it makes more sense. In the four seasons before Golesh arrived, the Bulls went 8-37 under Charlie Strong and Jeff Scott. This isn’t an easy job, and Golesh changed the expectations of the program immediately. He’ll be challenged this year with early games against Boise State, Florida and Miami. If he can pull an upset in one or more of those and then be competitive in the American, expect his agent to get calls come November.
From On3 on Helton: Helton has won eight games in five of his six seasons in Bowling Green. He’s also turned the place into an incubator for bright offensive minds. He had Zach Kittley, who brought QB Bailey Zappe from Houston Baptist (now Houston Christian) and set records. Kittley left to be the OC at Texas Tech and now is the head coach at FAU. After Kittley left, Helton promoted Ben Arbuckle (then 26 years old) to OC. Arbuckle left for Washington State and is now in his first season as Oklahoma’s OC. If the Hilltoppers keep winning like this, some school is going to swipe Helton instead of just swiping one of his assistants.
Helton’s been at Western Kentucky for a while, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he looks for a better job (if that’s what he wants) after the 2025 season.
Golesh, meanwhile, seems to really like being at USF. It’s certainly possible that he could receive an opportunity that he can’t turn down, but I don’t think he’s eager to leave Tampa for another job.
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