He will probably be fired by Jacksonville this year and he's said Tennessee is his ultimate dream job. He has a relationship with Fulmer.
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Marrone was a not so good staffer on one of Phillip's teams, whose positioon underperformed, causing the team to underperform offensively.
Marrone is son-in-law to Boots Donelly, former MTSU quarterback/HC/AD. He is the guy who replaced Jimmy Ray Stevens (who had previously coached for Spurrier,) who had replaced Mike Barry---Barry's being the guy who Pro HOF member Anthony Munoz had as a USC position coach...and who was present and producing in the 1998 team's championship team.
Barry and Fulmer may have clashed---reports from people I trust said so---and Barry took up residence elsewhere, for Stephens/Stevens to show up. Barry's responsibilities seemed to have been diced up, from reports, while he was at UT.
Marrone coached one year under Phillip Fulmer, the one which thought UT would win the SEC championship again; but the OL seemed to underperform. Certainly Marrone's record as a HC is not good.
Marrone went to Syracuse, I think, then kicked around, then HC in Buffalo, until he appeared in JAX.
IMO his position players and teams were not in Fulmer (or Barry's) league.
Marrone would be a downgrade from Butch Jones---or at the same level.
UT's inability to produce a competent HC from the myriad of great UT players is a mystery to me. But who would want to come to UT, knowing what the powers that be do to coaches who have done great things.