Tennessee football: 5 concerns with Vols revamped staff heading into 2019

5. Damage to VFL reputation

Tennessee football replaced one Vol for Life with another. Terry Fair, last year’s cornerbacks coach, was on the verge of being demoted by Jeremy Pruitt. As a result, he is gone. But an even more beloved Vol took his place.

Tee Martin finally came home from the USC Trojans and will be the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. As beloved as Fair is, it’s hard to compete with the quarterback from the school’s only national championship team in the modern era.

However, if you look beneath the surface, this is not the best move when it comes to what it means to be a VFL. Fair was coaching a bunch of freshman cornerbacks last year in a defense that was in transition to the 3-4.

All he did was set up the Vols for the future at the position with Alontae Taylor and Bryce Thompson. Meanwhile, Thompson was a freshman All-American. So Fair did a very good job considering the circumstances. On top of that, Fair cut his teeth as a coach being a grad assistant with the program in 2013 and 2014.

Martin turned down an opportunity to leave the USC Trojans and join Butch Jones’s staff in 2012. The Vols only have him now because he was fired. To be fair to Martin, joining Jones’s staff was a smart move long-term. But doesn’t that show Fair had more loyalty to the school? This switch could be concerning when it comes to the family atmosphere UT tries to sell to recruits.