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Tennessee football: Breaking down Vols’ new offensive coaching staff

By Dean Zulkofske

Jan 30, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head football coach Josh Heupel speaks during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kansas Jayhawks at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head football coach Josh Heupel speaks during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kansas Jayhawks at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

In many ways, the Tennessee football program did a complete 180 when it hired Josh Heupel as the 27th head coach in school history last month. The athletic department turned the page from a revered defensive strategist in Jeremy Pruitt and handed the keys over to a Heupel, a proven offensive juggernaut.

Now, just weeks after he was introduced at UT, the former UCF head coach has assembled his first offensive coaching staff at Tennessee. The first-year SEC head coach has made it clear that he plans on bringing exciting offensive football back to Knoxville. If that’s going to be the case, these will be the five men responsible for the team’s future offensive success.

Tennessee football’s offensive coaching staff:

839. . Offensive coordinator/Tight ends. Volunteers . Alex Golesh. 5. player

We begin our coaching introductions with perhaps an unfamiliar name to many Tennessee football fans. New offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Alex Golesh was hired by Heupel at UCF as a co-offensive coordinator prior to last season. His offensive knowledge had a lot to do with the Knights’ 42 points per game in 2020.

Prior to joining Heupel’s staff last year, Golesh served as Iowa State’s recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach from 2015-2019 – he also served in various recruiting and position coaching roles at the University of Toledo and the University of Illinois.

As was the case in Orlando, Heupel will primarily be in charge of calling the plays in Knoxville which is probably a good thing. As Tennessee football fans saw with Pruitt and Jim Chaney, dealing play-calling responsibilities out of the head coaches’ hands can sometimes lead to a lack of accountability.

Rocky Top is essentially killing two birds with one stone here, paying one coach to take on the OC and TE roles. Golesh’s $750,000 per year over three year contract also isn’t bad compared to the $1.6 million owed to Jim Chaney last season.

Golesh’s recruiting chart is also interesting to take a look at as his experience around the country gives him ties to recruits and high school programs that UT wouldn’t normally have. This isn’t exactly a “home run” hire, but Golesh has a ton of upside as a coach and an offensive savant.

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