Tennessee football: Five concerns for Vols 2020 offseason

3. Staff departures continue to raise questions.

Everybody is excited about Jay Garham returning. However, after losing three staff members last season, Tennessee football lost four staff members this season. To make matters worse, two of them took on roles that could not be considered promotions in any way, and that is certainly worthy of raising the alarm bells.

It all started with the move that led to hiring Graham. Running backs coach David Johnson left to take the same position with the Florida State Seminoles. That’s a program that is certainly behind UT right now and just hired a new coach in Mike Norvell. Then there is Tracy Rocker, who took the same role with the South Carolina Gamecocks, a program on the decline under Will Muschamp.

Both of those moves are concerning. Kevin Sherrer left to join the New York Giants, and Chris Rumph left to join the Houston Texans. Since they both made NFL moves, neither departure is concerning. And you could make the case that Johnson is at FSU because he’s more comfortable coaching in the spread. From a positive perspective, at least both coordinators remained.

However, losing four staff members is a lot. In addition to Graham, Pruitt promoted Joe Osovet and brought in Shelton Felton and Jimmy Brumbaugh to replace these guys. There is excitement, but that lack of continuity could be concerning. Only three people remain from Pruitt’s first staff, and only one, offensive line coach Will Friend, is in the same role.