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Tennessee football: Updated ranking of Vols 10 assistant coaches for 2020 season

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 19: Tee Martin of the Tennessee Volunteers introduced during a break in the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 19, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 71-68. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 19: Tee Martin of the Tennessee Volunteers introduced during a break in the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 19, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 71-68. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
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Running Backs. First Year. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Jay Graham. 1. player

After four years as a player, one as a graduate assistant under Phillip Fulmer and one as a running backs coach under Derek Dooley, Tennessee football welcomed Jay Graham for a fourth time this offseason. And his track record simply can’t be ignored.

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With 14 years of experience coaching running backs at the college level, 11 years of experience coaching them at the Power Five level and four years of experience coaching them in the SEC, Graham is a veteran. He’s got lots of success to prove it as well.

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There’s Marcus Lattimore with the South Carolina Gamecocks, who would have been an NFL star without a brutal injury in 2012. Then he coached Devonta Freeman with the Florida State Seminoles and followed that up by developing Dalvin Cook and Cam Akers. Upon joining the Texas A&M Aggies, he turned Trayveon Williams into a superstar.

On top of that, Graham is an ace recruiter, and that’s a big deal for the Vols now, as he could help them land five-star running back Zachary Evans out of Texas. While looking at the Vols, Evans was also looking at Texas A&M with Graham targeting him for the Aggies, so luring him to Knoxville is a big get. Beyond Evans, Graham has been a star recruiter for years.

Add in his proven track record of success, from helping South Carolina to its only SEC East title to winning a national title with Florida State, and there’s no way anybody can ignore how great a hire he is for Pruitt. He is clearly the top hire on this list.

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Perhaps its his connections to national championship winning coaches like Fulmer, Steve Spurrier or Jimbo Fisher, or his connection to offensive geniuses like those guys along with David Cutcliffe. But Graham brings so much back to Tennessee football. His experience working with Jeremy Pruitt and Jim Chaney while being Tee Martin’s teammate is an added bonus.

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