Tennessee football staff update: Josh Heupel adds Kodi Burns, Al Washington a DC target

As he continues to work on his staff, Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel reportedly added a notable former player from a fellow SEC school on Monday. In the process, he has come close to completing his offensive staff.

Former Auburn Tigers quarterback and wide receiver Kodi Burns will join Heupel’s staff, according to John Brice of Football Scoop. Burns has spent the past five years on Gus Malzahn’s staff at Auburn, serving as offensive coordinator from 2016 to 2018 and then passing game coordinator in 2019 and 2020. He was the wide receivers coach all five years.

Before going back to Auburn, Burns was the receivers coach for a year under Rick Stockstill’s staff with the MTSU Blue Raiders, and he worked on Pat Sullivan’s staff with the Samford Bulldogs in 2014. He was a graduate assistant with the Arkansas State Red Wolves and then at Auburn in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Fans on Rocky Top are familiar with having to face Burns as a player. Burns played for Auburn from 2007 to 2010. He was the team’s starting quarterback in 2008, Tommy Tuberville’s last year, which saw them go 5-7. In his final two years, Gene Chizik, with Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator, used him as a hybrid running back and wide receiver.

During that time, Tennessee football faced Auburn twice. In 2008, Phillip Fulmer’s final team lost to Tuberville’s final team 14-12. Burns went 4-of-6 that day for 36 yards and had eight carries for 16 yards, but he never turned it over. A year later, Auburn won in Knoxville, as Chizik bested Lane Kiffin, and Burns completed one pass for 17 yards while carrying it five times for 16 yards.

It’s likely that Burns replaces Tee Martin as wide receivers coach. Brice reports that he will join three UCF Knights staff members that Heupel is bringing with him, including tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator Alex Golesh, offensive line coach Glen Elarbee and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle. That only leaves the running backs coach position open on offense.

Defensive and recruiting staff

On defense, things are a lot less clear. Very few names have emerged for position coaches. However, Brice reported on Sunday that Heupel is targeting Ohio State Buckeyes linebackers coach Al Washington to become Tennessee football’s defensive coordinator, a position that seems impossible to fill.

A defensive tackle for the Boston College Eagles from 2002 to 2005, Washington has been with OSU since 2019. He was the Michigan Wolverines’ linebackers coach in 2018, the Cincinnati Bearcats’ defensive line coach in 2017 and worked at BC from 2012 to 2016 before that, coaching special teams, defensive line and running backs at different times.

Given the fact that Washington is from Columbus, Ohio, heavily coveted by Ryan Day and could be well-paid very soon given the room in OSU’s budget, Washington could be tough to lure away. Add in all the problems facing Tennessee football at the moment, which as we reported are very toxic for a defensive coordinator, and he may be in a better position in his lesser role right now.

Brice also reported that USC Trojans Director of Scouting and Recruiting Strategy Trey Johnson will join the Vols in the same role. Johnson is from Tennessee, graduated from UT and was on Butch Jones’ staff from 2013 to 2016, serving as a graduate assistant in recruiting his final two years. He joined USC in 2018 and was with the Liberty Flames under Turner Gill in 2017.

Other people in the recruiting department include Angelia Brummett, who follows Heupel from UCF, and Jake Breske, who comes from the Missouri Tigers and was there with Heupel in 2016 and 2017. Simply put, Tennessee football’s recruiting staff is getting rounded out as well as its offensive staff at the moment. Defense, however, is still a major question.