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Tennessee football: Top five candidates to replace Vols RB coach David Johnson

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images) /
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4. Des Kitchings

Former co-offensive coordinator/running backs coach

N.C. State Wolfpack

After an underwhelming 4-8 season, N.C. State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren has been in the process of scapegoating everybody, and part of that was letting go of Des Kitchings, who was promoted to co-offensive coordinator just this past year. Well, this is another almost bad hire John Currie made for Tennessee football, which serves as further proof of why he needed to go.

Anyway, Kitchings had a very successful track record before what happened this past year. He’s been at N.C. State since 2012, and he coached running backs the whole time. However, he also wore other hats, including tight ends coach, assistant head coach, running game coordinator, special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator.

Add in the guy’s experience as a co-offensive coordinator, and he’s done it all with a pretty successful tenure. Before going to N.C. State, Kitchings was the running backs coach for the Air Force Falcons for a year in 2011, and he spend three years with Bobby Johnson’s staff on the Vanderbilt Commodores from 2008 to 2010. By the way, the year he got there, they made a bowl.

So Kitchings has a history of success in different offenses and can call plays, coach running backs, recruit and coach special teams. That’s a great collection of talent. Add in his success at N.C. State, overseeing an average of over 200 rushing yards a game in 2014 and 2015 and then having three straight 1,000-yard rushers from 2016 to 2018, and he would be a great hire.

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