If you ask any Tennessee football fan what Josh Heupel and his staff need to do this offseason in the transfer portal, people always say to grab a safety. The Tennessee football secondary was very mixed in 2025. On one hand, they lost their top two cornerbacks to injury early in the year, and Colton Hood and Ty Redmond stepped in more than adequately. On the other hand, the safety position really struggled in 2025.
With that, it is being reported that Josh Heupel is going to make a change. On3's Volsquest has reported that Tennessee has decided to move on from secondary coach Willie Martinez.
NEWS: Tennessee veteran secondary coach Willie Martinez will not coach Vols next seasonhttps://t.co/Xi8mF7B29k
— Volquest Staff (@Volquest_On3) January 2, 2026
Tennessee moves on from Willie Martinez
Even though Tennessee just lost their secondary coach their may still be some good news on thwe way. Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports is reporting that the vacancy will already be filled, as the Vols are targeting Ohio State's Michael Hunter to coach the corners.
Tennessee is expected to hire Ohio State’s Michael Hunter as the cornerbacks coach, per @mzenitz.
— More Important Issues (@More_Issues) January 2, 2026
Willie Martinez is not expected to return in 2026. pic.twitter.com/UDw5fuRkdp
This is an under-the-radar hire for the Vols. Hunter has been working at Ohio State as a graduate assistant for the past couple of years, where the defensive back play has been phenomenal. He has also worked at Oklahoma State as the assistant defensive secondary coach and at Tulsa as the defensive pass game coordinator.
Hunter brings a fresh perspective to Tennessee, and as a young assistant, he should be able to connect well with recruits and help attract high-end talent to the program. Personally, I love it when schools add a young, energetic assistant to the staff. It more often than not pays off with great recruiting without a drop off in production.
Knowles knows what Hunter is about, as they worked together in Columbus. He clearly saw that this secondary needed a shakeup, and Hunter is ready to jump into an on-the-field role. It's not yet clear, but Knowles might coach the safeties, or he'll go out and get another coach to fill the void.
Tennessee has a busy offseason ahead, with the transfer portal opening tomorrow morning, so Hunter will have to get moving quickly. When the dust settles, this hire could pay off in a big way down the road.