RTI grades Vols' new/promoted coaches

[kamoshika]

Highest to lowest, with annual salaries...
1. Warren ($450K)
2. Gullickson ($375K)
3. Hoke ($500K)
4. Beard ($280)
5. Scott (not finalized)
6. Wells ($300K)
7. Canales ($300K)

Since the 2016 season ended, Vols’ head football coach Butch Jones has had to almost completely restructure his entire coaching staff. Only three of his assistants that were on staff last season will return for the start of the 2017 season in the same position they coached last year. Tennessee has hired five new assistant coaches and promoted two coaches who were already at Tennessee last season. Only Tommy Thigpen (linebackers), Robert Gillespie (running backs), and Bob Shoop (defensive coordinator) are in the same positions they were last season. Otherwise, the Vols’ coaching staff is almost completely revamped heading into this upcoming season.

Here are our grades for each new addition to the Vols’ coaching staff this offseason.
Grading the Vols' Offseason Coaching Hires | Rocky Top Insider

Tennessee WR coach Kevin Beard to earn $280,000 per season

 

[RollerVol]

care less about RTI grades...means nothing...we'll see in recruiting and on the field play...that's the grades I'm more concerned about...

GO VOLS!

 

[YankeeVol]

The only hire I don't like is Canales.

Overall I think the staff is much improved

 

[rtb1983]

The only hire I don't like is Canales.

Overall I think the staff is much improved

Agreed. I think staff is improved also. I'm iffy on canales. His resume may not be the best but he has experience so that is something maybe I guess. Most excited for the Defensice side of the ball.

 

[LocoVol]

1. Gullickson ($375K)
2. Hoke
3. Warren
4. Beard
5. Scott
6. Wells
7. Canales

That is how I see em in my head, I think the S&C coach spends so much time with the kids when coach cant that they are very important. Hoke's experience will be beneficial to Butch on game day I believe. Is it better? Yes in top half, wait and see from 5 down!

 

[Bms4880]

1. Gullickson ($375K)
2. Hoke
3. Warren
4. Beard
5. Scott
6. Wells
7. Canales

That is how I see em in my head, I think the S&C coach spends so much time with the kids when coach cant that they are very important.

Also, his name is "Rock Gullickson." That has to be the coolest name for an S&C coach we've had since Bruno Pauletto.

 

[dcm3w]

Agreed. I think staff is improved also. I'm iffy on canales. His resume may not be the best but he has experience so that is something maybe I guess. Most excited for the Defensice side of the ball.

Unless Canales teaches bad mechanics, I would assume having a QB coach is better than not having one.

 

[volnpowell]

In my opinion the order should be (based off resume/what we know of them)

1. Rock
2. Hoke
3. Warren
4. Scott
5. Wells
6. Beard
7. Canales

Surprised Scott's contract still not finalized.

 

[jasonvol18]

In my opinion the order should be (based off resume/what we know of them)

1. Rock
2. Hoke
3. Warren
4. Scott
5. Wells
6. Beard
7. Canales

Surprised Scott's contract still not finalized.

Exact same order I would have put them in. The Canales hire is by far the biggest head scratcher. I absolutely love all of the defensive coaching changes. We truly have a top level defensive coaching staff. Now offensively it's a different story. I personally like the Scott promotion to OC and the Wells hire. I like the Beard hire from a recruiting standpoint and he couldn't get any less WR production than CZA got so it's an upgrade. But it wouldn't have taken much to upgrade the WR and OL Coaching positions. We definitely upgraded WR and OL recruiting. Hopefully Wells and Beard can actually teach proper techniques and get the best out of the players. But will reserve offensive staff change judgement until after the season. Too many unknowns unlike the defensive coaching changes. It's very obvious Butch has complete control over the offense and all decisions go through him. Just hope one day he learns to trust his coach's and not hire yes men to run his offense through. It's more than obvious the huge gap in upper echelon coaching from the Defensive side compared to the offensive side. Hoping the Scott promotion turns out the same way the Tee Martin promotion turned out for SC.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

I like all the hires other than Canales and Wells. If I had to grade them, I'd go:

Warren: A
Gullickson: A
Hoke: A
Scott: B
Beard: B
Canales: C
Wells: D

That said, Canales as QB Coach is probably better than the situation last year when we had no real dedicated QB Coach. Wells concerns me, though, because he doesn't appear to have much of a track record of success anywhere. He was demoted at USF from OC to O-line coach, and then got fired the next season as the OL coach. Hope he ends up being a better fit on this staff, but I can't find too many reasons to be optimistic about him.

 

[walkenvol]

Everything we've heard is that Wells is doing great on the recruiting trail - maybe that's his strength?

 

[05_never_again]

The only really good hires are at S&C and on the defensive side of the ball.

All outside of Butch's "area of expertise," which makes sense.

 

[butchna]

I like all the hires other than Canales and Wells. If I had to grade them, I'd go:

Warren: A
Gullickson: A
Hoke: A
Scott: B
Beard: B
Canales: C
Wells: D

That said, Canales as QB Coach is probably better than the situation last year when we had no real dedicated QB Coach. Wells concerns me, though, because he doesn't appear to have much of a track record of success anywhere. He was demoted at USF from OC to O-line coach, and then got fired the next season as the OL coach. Hope he ends up being a better fit on this staff, but I can't find too many reasons to be optimistic about him.

You're repeating a wrong point. Wells was on that USF staff for ONE season as OC/OL coach. Taggert fired him (not demoted) due to dissatisfaction with the offense...so I'd put that on his OC performance. He was replaced as OC/OL coach by Paul Wulff who similarly lasted only one season. Taggert had trouble getting his offense established apparently. . Wells had lengthy tenures as OL coach at lower division schools...that and not his one and done at USF warrants the question mark on translating to the next level.