Tennessee football: What about Trooper Taylor for Vols OC?

Tennessee football’s offensive coordinator search has stalled. What if Jeremy Pruitt brought in a former Volunteers staff member for the role?

The mistake that did Phillip Fulmer in as Tennessee football head coach was hiring Dave Clawson to replace David Cutcliffe as his offensive coordinator in 2008. It was the opposite of what he promoted from within, choosing Randy Sanders, after Cutcliffe left in 1999.

Clawson is not a bad coach, but his offense takes years to develop. The Vols had restless fans at the time who didn’t want to wait. And the hire resulted in a horrific 2008 season that got Fulmer and his staff fired. Had he hired Taylor, an understudy to Cutcliffe, he would’ve kept the stability of the resurgent offense from the previous two years. And 2008 would’ve been different.

Now, though, over a decade later, Fulmer has a chance to rectify his mistake. The Vols are on the hunt for an offensive coordinator under the man he hired to be the new head coach, Jeremy Pruitt. For reasons unknown, the search appears to have stalled.

Hugh Freeze appeared to be the top choice, but there are clearly lots of hoops to jump through to bring him in. That has brought everything to a standstill, and with Chip Lindsey headed to the Kansas Jayhawks, it’s hard to know where the Vols will turn if Freeze doesn’t work out.

Taylor would be unconventional, but it would likely work. Despite never being a coordinator, every position Taylor has coached has been a huge success. He restored Tennessee football’s rushing attack in 2004 when he came on and produced two 1,000-yard rushers for the first time in school history.

Two years later, he moved to receivers coach, and under him Robert Meachem became the all-time single-season leader in receiving for the Vols. That should be enough for Vols fans to give him a shot if they want to promote somebody.

Even after leaving the Vols, Taylor thrived. He helped the Oklahoma State Cowboys explode offensively as their co-offensive coordinator in 2008, and that was the first team Mike Gundy ever had finish in the Top 25.

Then Taylor went to the Auburn Tigers and helped them win a national championship under Gene Chizik. Since 2014, he has been an assistant with the Arkansas State Red Wolves, and they’ve had five straight winning seasons and two conference championships.

Simply put, everywhere Taylor goes, the unit he coaches finds a ton of success, and his teams find a ton of success. He’s been in the game far too long to have not gotten an offensive coordinator job yet. Fulmer should have made the move in 2007.

Cutcliffe proteges usually have great success coaching offense eventually. Just look at Matt Luke with the Ole Miss Rebels. Say what you want, but the guy clearly knows offense. Given that Taylor has worked under Cutcliffe, Gunday and Gus Malzahn, he has to know a good bit himself. Maybe it’s time that Tennessee football finally give him the chance he was hoping for a decade ago.