All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football: Five potential concerns about Vols promoting Joe Osovet

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: The Tennessee Volunteers run onto the field before the start of their game against the South Carolina Gamecocks on October 29, 2005 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: The Tennessee Volunteers run onto the field before the start of their game against the South Carolina Gamecocks on October 29, 2005 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images
Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images /

3. Never coached tight ends before

There is literally no experience that Joe Osovet has coaching tight ends. Now, to be fair, that position has always appeared to be a ceremonial role for an on-field guy Jeremy Pruitt wanted to handle other duties. After all, Brian Niedermeyer held that role so he could have a title while recruiting at an elite level for Rocky Top, which he did, especially with the 2019 class.

But the fact of the matter is Tennessee football needs a guy who can actually coach the position he has coaching, and Osovet has never directly dealt with tight ends. Of course, as a 17-year offensive coordinator and five-year head coach, he has plenty of experience indirectly overseeing tight ends. But he never directly dealt with the position, which is a concern.

Osovet’s experience is at more skill positions. He played defensive back in college and then coached wide receivers at one point. As a result, you have to question if he’s the proper fit for coaching tight ends. Yes, tight ends are receivers, but their blocking abilities matter as much, and people tend to forget about that. It matters in a big way.

Does Osovet have the experience to develop tight ends in that manner? Such a big question makes this a concern for right now when it comes to the Vols. Despite his proven experience on offense, Osovet brings a lot of questions to specifically coaching tight ends, and that’s going to be a question until the position thrives.

Home/Vols Football