It was a sad day when Tennessee lost cornerbacks coach Michael Hunter Jr. to the Los Angeles Rams because many fans were excited to get a young, energetic coach who also has a similar vision as Jim Knowles.
However, Josh Heupel and Knowles have reportedly hired Derek Jones to replace the role, and it could prove to be a very exciting addition. Jones brings 26 years of coaching experience at schools such as Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Duke, Virginia Tech, and others. He has worked in many different roles, like recruiting coordinator, associate head coach, and co-defensive coordinator, but his staple has always been coaching cornerbacks.
The biggest impact of Jones' hire might not come on the Saturdays this fall, but on the recruiting trail.
Derek Jones is an underrated recruiter
Let me explain, Jones has a very good track record recruiting while working for schools that aren't particularly recruiting powerhouses. He recruited two four-stars at Duke, a notoriously bad football school, Tony Davis and Dylan Singleton. Plus, at Virginia Tech, he has also got two four-stars under his belt in Quentin Reddish and Jahmari DeLoatch. Getting highly ranked prospects to two schools that don't have the biggest brand names when it comes to college football is no small feat.
What truly makes this hire stand out is that Jones understands the ever-changing landscape of college football. Jones has most recently been the defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach at Virginia Tech. Being a recruiting coordinator, Jones understands the importance of building and maintaining a recruiting board and just how wild the NIL era has been when it comes to getting high school and portal prospects.
For those who still don't like the hire, Jones has worked under Knowles before and understands the staples of his scheme. Knowles has preached about the importance of staff alignment and having coaches who understand the same vision as he does. Clearly, Jones and Knowles have chemistry together, and Knowles trusts him to get the job done.
If the best defensive coordinator in the nation has trust in a coach, or a player for that matter, then Tennessee fans should, too.