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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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Sep 1, 2018; Troy, AL, USA; View of the Troy Trojans helmet before the game against the Boise State Broncos at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2018; Troy, AL, USA; View of the Troy Trojans helmet before the game against the Boise State Broncos at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Previous role: Co-defensive coordinator, Kentucky Wildcats

Now we’re talking about coaches who leave SEC East rivals for other jobs. The Troy Trojans have hired the Kentucky Wildcats’ co-defensive coordinator in Jon Sumrall. After two years as linebackers coach under Mark Stoops, Sumrall was given the additional coordinator title this past year, and given how UK jumped to a 10-3 record, it was a good look.

Sumrall’s experience is all across the south, as before being at UK, he spent a year on Matt Luke’s staff with the Ole Miss Rebels. He spent three years before that as a Troy assistant and another three years as a Tulane Green Wave assistant.

Of course, Troy’s previous head coach was another former SEC assistant. Chip Lindsay was fired after going 5-7, 5-6 and 5-6 there. Brandon Hall coached the last game for Troy in 2021, which they lost. Lindsay was the Auburn Tigers’ offensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018 and is now the UCF Knights’ OC, once again under Gus Malzahn and this time at Josh Heupel’s former program.

Although he’s going to a Group of Five school, a coordinator leaving an annual opponent of Tennessee football has a much greater impact on them than one who leaves a random current or future SEC school. That’s why Sumrall is so high on this list, and he’s not the only one to make that type of impact.

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