Previous role: Head coach, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
Obviously, any coaching hire in the SEC East have the biggest impact on Tennessee football, and the Florida Gators are the only school that underwent such a change this year. Billy Napier heads there after a heck of a four-year run with the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns that ended with back to back Sun Belt Conference titles.
Just like LSU, Florida undergoing a coaching change by its very nature is relevant to UT. The Vols host the Gators this year, and they now have a chance to cash in, finally, with Florida playing under a first-year head coach. Last year’s team that went 5-6 under Dan Mullen and 1-1 under Greg Knox still has talent but has a lot of issues to work out.
Luckily for the Vols, they get to face Florida and LSU within the first five games of the season. That’s a great draw for them, as 5-0 is truly on the table, which could do wonders for Josh Heupel on the recruiting trail without the cloud of the NCAA investigation hanging over him.
Of course, Tennessee football has to worry about what will become of Florida and LSU in the future with the success Napier and Brian Kelly have there. That will probably affect them in a negative way, but they can get out ahead of it by taking advantage of the coaching changes next year to build real credibility.