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Tennessee football: Top 5 remaining potential OC candidates for Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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This would definitely be the worst hire for Tennessee football at offensive coordinator among potential candidates. But Will Friend has already been a sticking point for the Vols. Jeremy Pruitt’s determination to keep him is possibly why they couldn’t land Kendal Briles, who reportedly wanted to bring his own offensive line coach Randy Clements with him to wherever he was hired.

Well, Pruitt’s loyalty to Friend kept him on staff, and it could indirectly lead to him getting a promotion. To be fair, Friend was offensive coordinator for three years under Mike Bobo with the Colorado State Rams. All three years, he averaged over 420 yards a game.

In his final year, Friend’s offense averaged 493 yards a game and put up over 33 points. That’s not a bad track record, so it’s not like he would be a disastrous hire. The move would simply be underwhelming for Vols fans, who were expecting a splash hire after Tyson Helton left.

However, Pruitt is clear that his focus more than anything is on getting the talent in on offense and believing that anybody can manage it after that. Should he stick with that philosophy, Friend wouldn’t be a bad move. Look at how well he’s recruiting offensive linemen right now. So if he does get the hire, don’t count him out.

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