Tennessee football: Ranking all 28 offseason coaching changes by impact on Vols
Previous role: Defensive coordinator, Georgia Bulldogs
With Mario Cristobal leaving the Oregon Ducks, there was a major opening. Another Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator was hired as a result of that opening. Dan Lanning has been in this role with UGA since 2019, after Mel Tucker left to take over the Colorado Buffaloes. Tucker’s recent success with the Michigan State Spartans likely built up Lanning’s profile.
Obviously, that all hurts Tennessee football fans, as they were down to Tucker and Jeremy Pruitt in 2017, and Phillip Fulmer chose Pruitt. Anyway, Lanning was the guy who coached the historically great UGA defense this past year and helped them get over the hump to finally win that first national championship since 1980.
With him gone, the Dawgs could potentially take a step back. We don’t know for sure, but Lanning leaving has a huge impact on them. The reason his departure is higher than Jon Sumrall is the official roles they had. Lanning was the defensive coordinator by himself, and Sumrall was the co-defensive coordinator of Kentucky.
Still, in both cases, the head coaches are considered just as crucial to the defense, as Mark Stoops and Kirby Smart are defensive-minded guys. Either way, both left SEC East foes due to being hired elsewhere, meaning those hires had a huge impact on the Vols.