If the reports are true, then we will have a very solid, up and coming new DC with Sherrer. And his specialty is recruiting. Ranked in the Top5 in the "SEC Coaches Recruiting Rankings". And he is only a position coach, but he has killed it recruiting and closing deals on better talent than the big majority of Defensive Coordinators in the SEC. That's big time. Plus they say that his coaching, and getting the most out of his players is always a specialty of his. And his relationship with Pruitt goes back years, so we'd finally have continuity with sum trust between the staff (letting the coordinators have their own freedom finally so they can show their talent).
And if the Tracy Rocker reports end up being true, then that's a solid, veteran, and well-known name. Would be smart to get veteran SEC experienced guys with roots already laid in the South, and surround them around Pruitt (a first time Head Coach) to take sum of the load off his shoulders, so he can do his job better. So Tracy Rocker would be a solid hire.
And Chris Rumph would be another well-known name, that is a solid veteran, with plenty of SEC experience, and roots laid in the South. And Florida's Defensive Linemen have been one of their greatest strengths every yr. So Rumph would be a very solid hire, and he'd be able to take a little share of the load like Rocker, to make it just another smidge easier on Pruitt.
And then I hear that we are possibly gonna actually get a little ORANGE-BLOOD on the staff, and are gonna consider letting Terry Fair run the Secondary. He's only an average recruiter, and he's only an average positional teacher.....BUT, he's got ORANGE-BLOOD, and is a VFL, and a familiar face and name that the Vols fans know. So it's a "give and take" on his worth, but we would still hope that he's learned more skills over this last stretch of his career, and would be a pleasant surprise if he excels and does better than expected. So it would be a.......decent hire, that's probly needed to keep VFLs happy with the staff.
So the SUGGESTION from me, that would make very obvious sense, and be a perfect move......would be to hire Sherrer, Rocker, and Fair, and then go get Phil to have a "sit down/hangout session" with his old (currently unemployed) buddy John Chavis. A VFL. A damn solid defensive mind. An SEC veteran. Has roots laid all over the South already. A well known name to fans/recruits. And I would let Phil use the cash, and do whatever it takes financially(pay him just under coordinator pay), and get Chavis signed on to be our LBs Coach with the rest of the new staff. Man! If Pruitt picks the right Offensive staff, we are gonna be just fine, and competing soon in the SEC again. Possibly a Defensive Staff of Sherrer, Rocker, Terry Fair, and John Chavis?! Not to mention that JEREMY PRUITT's SPECIALITY is Defense! I like our current DBs coach Warren, and I like Hoke at DL coach - Warren is a helluva teacher/and Hoke is a good recruiter. But we gotta give and take a little to get a good, solid staff overall that all fans can see as being good hires. All the coaches will have their own roles, and hopefully can do what they've been doing for years - and that's WIN! Looking good so far! Now go get us Chip Lindsay to start off the Offensive side of the staff, and keep Gillespie(but I'd still call Jay Graham first with a big pay-raise offer, and atleast make him say "no"), and then we can work on the rest! Ha. But this is starting to shape up nicely as long as all the reports are accurate. Hope Phil gets the idea, and hurries and puts that call in to Chavis and talk him into coming home and join on as LBs Coach. Here we come! Go Vols!
*Edit*
And ive also seen plenty of the - "Chris Weinke as likely new QB coach" reports. And I see that as a very solid hire on all fronts. He already has a little coaching experience under his belt, and his ties to the "IMG Academy School" would be huge for recruiting. He has friends/relationships there still, and he can probly pull atleast 1 stud outta there each recruiting class. And IMG normally has 6-8 highly rated recruits every cycle. And then to mention the obvious........That he ACTUALLY PLAYED THE QB POSITION himself, so I'm sure he has a good feel with what he's teaching them. I wanted Weinke over Kevin Beard to replace Azzanni, but the now "former administrators" wanted to take the money saving approach, and chose Beard. So I'm all for a Chris Weinke hire as QB Coach.