Jeremy Pruitt’s search for an offensive coordinator continues. Pruitt has had conversations with Mike Yurcich at Oklahoma State and Houston’s Kendal Briles, with Tennessee’s first-year head coach set to interview Briles on Friday.
Briles recently signed a new three-year deal with Houston worth $2.1 million total. Briles’ buyout would be $775k.
Briles has found plenty of success as an offensive coordinator. Briles had been a playcaller for the last 4 seasons (52 games). In 2015 he was a Broyles Award finalist after Baylor led the nation in scoring and total offense. In 52 games as an OC, Briles’ offenses have scored less than 30 points just eight times. His units have posted less than 20 points just three times — two ion those were his first two games at Florida Atlantic.
One of the interesting things for Briles’ offense has been the continuity with the offensive staff. Randy Clement has been the offensive line coach for 10 of Briles’ 11 years in coaching. The 2017 season was the only year Clement wasn’t Briles’ line coach/run game coordinator when he was calling plays.
For five years at Baylor, the running backs coach with Briles was now Central Florida quarterbacks coach Mike Lebby.
Dan Enos is also another guy that Pruitt has spoken with as well. Sources close to Alabama believe that the Tide would like to keep Enos — the question is will Saban give Enos play calling duties or co-coordinator duties?
Troy’s Neal Brown has been mentioned, but that seems unrealistic. In October of 2017, USA Today reported that Brown’s buyout at Troy was $3 million.
Tennessee isn’t against paying a buyout sources tell Volquest, but not well over seven-figures for an OC, especially one who wants to be a head coach.
So it is down to Yurcich and Briles? There could be someone else out there that hasn’t turned up, but out of the names mentioned Yurcich and Briles are at the top.
In terms of Huge Freeze and what happened or didn’t happen? The exact details will likely never be known. This much we know, Tennessee never offered Freeze a job. Despite all the noise and uproar on social media, Tennessee’s conviction on Freeze wasn’t as strong as many presumed. (Something we’re seeing at other schools as well right now).