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Tennessee football: Ranking all 28 offseason coaching changes by impact on Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Herd Coach Josh Heupel at the 2021 Music City Bowl NCAA college football game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Kns Tennessee Purdue
Tennessee Herd Coach Josh Heupel at the 2021 Music City Bowl NCAA college football game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Kns Tennessee Purdue /
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Nov 6, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee gestures during the second half against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee gestures during the second half against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

SMU Mustangs. 18. 884. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Sonny Dykes. Rhett Lashlee. player

Previous role: Offensive coordinator, Miami Hurricanes

Another Power Five coach leaving for a job in SEC country will again impact Tennessee football. However, once again, the coach didn’t necessarily leave the Power Five program because of this offer, as the Miami Hurricanes fired their head coach in Manny Diaz, meaning Rhett Lashlee, their offensive coordinator, needed somewhere to go.

Landing a head coaching job with the SMU Mustangs is a pretty good gig on that front. Lashlee was SMU’s offensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019 before heading to Miami. He helped Sonny Dykes rebuild the program and rebuild his own coaching profile with that success.

Now, Dykes has left to take a job elsewhere, which we’ll get to in a little while. The result is Lashlee taking over at his old position. SMU has been trying to restore its glory days for years, now, and the focus on that has been offense, so Lashlee is a solid hire.

There’s another layer here that makes the move more relevant, which is that AAC involvement carries heavier weight than your average Group of Five offense. That means Lashlee leaving a Power Five program for one like SMU is going to have a greater effect, however slightly, on the Vols, even if it still doesn’t mean a lot.

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