Tennessee football: Five positives from Vols moving Brian Niedermeyer to ILB coach

4. More recruiting credibility

Brian Niedermeyer was the national recruiter of the year in 2019. That’s how he hit the scene. His signature moves were luring Darnell Wright and Henry To’o To’o to the class. However, he didn’t get to coach either of them. Tight ends is not a position where there’s a heavy emphasis when it comes to recruiting, so Tennessee football needed its ace recruiter in a more visible position.

That makes inside linebacker perfect for this guy. Jeremy Pruitt’s defense is really held together by inside linebackers, evidenced by Daniel Bituli this past year and now the development and emergence of To’o To’o. Given the fact that Niedermeyer recruited To’o To’o, they can now reunite and work together. It’s the perfect combination to take the defense forward.

Other commitments Niedermeyer secured were Quavaris Crouch and Tyus Fields in 2019. Crouch could also play inside linebacker, and Fields does play on the defensive side of the ball, so Niedermeyer is clearly a great recruiter on defense and in the trenches. That’s why Pruitt needed him in a more significant coaching role, and putting him here does that.

Now, Niedermeyer can have a much bigger impact when it comes to recruiting a much more crucial position than tight end. He could secure tons of linebacker talent, and that’s exactly what Pruitt needs to keep his defense rolling in the future. Crouch and To’o To’o alone in one class was pretty amazing. With this move, he could potentially take that to a whole new level.