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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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Memphis defensive coordinator football coach Mike MacIntyre answers questions at a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020 at the Billy J. Murphy Athletic Complex.Memphis Signing Day
Memphis defensive coordinator football coach Mike MacIntyre answers questions at a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020 at the Billy J. Murphy Athletic Complex.Memphis Signing Day /

Previous role: Defensive coordinator, Memphis Tigers

Sure, there is no Power Five involvement in this move. However, there is an AAC team involved with this, and that AAC team just happens to play in the same state as Tennessee football. That connection naturally results in this hire having a greater impact on the Vols than anybody would reasonably expect it to have.

Starting with the middle of the 2010s, the Memphis Tigers became a legitimate Group of Five threat. Through three head coaches of that time, they have won consistently, and with UT struggling, that has resulted in them being able to somewhat compete in recruiting.

As a result, any staff changes involving them will affect the Vols. Mike MacIntyre was named defensive coordinator there in 2020 when Ryan Silverfield was hired as head coach. MacIntyre held the same role with the Ole Miss Rebels in 2019 before Matt Luke was fired, and before that, he was fired as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, where he spent six years.

Overall, MacIntyre has nine years’ experience as head coach, as he led the San Jose Spartans for three years before taking over Colorado. Anyway, not only did he leave an AAC school in the same state as Tennessee football, but he went to the FIU Panthers.

That’s a school in SEC country and in an area, Florida, where the Vols recruit heavily given Josh Heupel’s connections there. MacIntyre replaces Butch Davis, whose contract wasn’t extended after five seasons.

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