Tennessee fans have been calling for changes on defense all season, and Josh Heupel finally delivered after the loss to Vanderbilt. Ever since Jim Knowles was brought in, Tennessee has had some new faces on the defensive staff.
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Defensive line coach Rodney Garner and linebackers coach William Inge, who served as interim defensive coordinator after Tim Banks’ firing, are staying on staff. Knowles has brought in a few new guys (Michael Hunter Jr., Anthony Poindexter, and Andrew Jackson) from previous stops. Knowles mentioned in an interview on the Mike Keith show that he wanted to have a staff in place of guys who are on the same page as him and know what he wants to do.
Unfortunately, Knowles will be losing one of his guys, as cornerbacks coach Michael Hunter Jr. is expected to be hired by the Los Angeles Rams, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.
BREAKING: The Los Angeles Rams are expected to hire Tennessee cornerbacks coach Michael Hunter as a defensive backs coach, per Matt Zenitz
— Vol Scoops (@VolScoops) February 10, 2026
Hunter was recently hired to coach the cornerbacks at Tennessee under Jim Knowles
Vols will now look for a new Corners coach 🤔 🍊 pic.twitter.com/gfViNJWJsL
CBs coach Michael Hunter Jr. is likely leaving Tenenssee
Hunter was probably my favorite hire this offseason besides Knowles. He had been the assistant cornerbacks coach for Ohio State previously working under Knowles. In 2023, he was the defensive pass game coordinator for Tulsa, where they allowed 221passing yards per game.
The former Indiana and Oklahoma State cornerback had a four-year NFL career and was expected to do big things in Knoxville as a young, energetic recruiter with great football IQ. It's too bad to see him go, but maybe he will find his way back to Knoxville another time. You can't blame him for joining a Super Bowl contender like the Rams, and also to learn from Sean McVay, arguably the best coach at any level of football.
Josh Heupel and Jim Knowles now face the task of finding a new cornerbacks coach at the eleventh hour. With the news still fresh, there’s been no indication of who the staff is leaning toward. They will have to work quickly, though, as spring football is right around the corner, and installing the defense is already in progress.