Vols’ Zach Azzanni Squashes Central Michigan Rumors
By Zach Ragan
A subplot of the Vols’ offensive coordinator search has been the possibility that Tennessee wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni leaves to take the head coaching job at Central Michigan.
Azzanni would seemingly be a natural fit at Central Michigan, a school that doesn’t like to venture very far outside it’s coaching tree, due to the fact that he was the wide receivers coach there from 2007-09.
The general consensus has been that if Azzanni isn’t promoted to offensive coordinator at Tennessee, then he’ll take the Central Michigan job.
However, those rumors were put to a rest on Wednesday, as Azzanni told WMNL in Knoxville that he hasn’t even spoke with Central Michigan about their vacant head coaching position.
"Azzanni: I have not spoken with Central Michigan. We just had a top-five recruiting class in America. The foundation for that began two years ago. Everyone in this state can sense where we’re going, it’s what I want to be a part of. You all know what we have coming back here and you know what we’re about to do here. It’s really as simple as that. I want to be a part of this."
It’s still very likely that Azzanni receives some sort of promotion at Tennessee, but it’s unlikely he will be outright promoted to offensive coordinator.
A title such as passing game coordinator remains a possibility for Azzanni.
But whatever the case may be, it’s great news that Azzanni is staying on Rocky Top. He’s a tenacious recruiter that fits seamlessly into what Tennessee is trying to accomplish.