Brady Hoke returning to coaching roots with Vols

Brady Hoke
Brady Hoke

KNOXVILLE - After more than a decade as a head coach and defensive coordinator, Brady Hoke is returning to his coaching roots at Tennessee.

With the Volunteers he'll be coaching the defensive line, and at this point of his career that's exactly where he wants to be.

No longer will Hoke feel the pressure he felt as the head coach at Michigan or face the task of coordinating an entire defense.

Now his only focus, much as it was for nearly two decades earlier in his career, is the players in his position group.

"I like my room. I'll put it that way," Hoke said Tuesday during his first meeting with the media since his hiring last month. "I like the room of guys that I have. That doesn't mean I don't like everyone else, but I like my room. You get a chance a little bit to focus back into your world and what you're doing, but it's exciting. I look forward to it."

Joining Tennessee's staff offers Hoke a fresh start he's ready to embrace.

Hoke is most known for his four-year stint as Michigan's head coach, which ended when he was fired in 2014 after the Wolverines went 5-7. His debut year in 2011 was an 11-win season that included a Sugar Bowl win. Michigan's win totals declined the following three seasons, and that cost Hoke his job.

After spending a year out of coaching, Hoke was Oregon's defensive coordinator last season. The Ducks allowed 41.4 points and ranked 126th nationally, ahead of only Arizona State and Texas Tech, in total defense. Amid deeper program-wide issues, Oregon went 4-8 and fired head coach Mark Helfrich just two years after playing for the national championship.

Tennessee welcomes the addition of another former head coach - there are five of them, including interim roles, in the program now - and hopes he thrives in a lesser role than he's been in since taking over at Ball State in 2003.

"I think it can help at times when different situations (arise) and things that you've dealt with or been through," Hoke said of his head coaching experience. "Hopefully I bring a little bit different perspective at times. I know Coach (Butch Jones) and I talked about that during the hiring process.

"I think it helps because of the different situations and the different things that you go through, but Butch is pretty grounded. What I know of him and what I see of him on a daily basis, this thing's going in the right direction."

Hoke once tried to hire Jones, then an assistant at Central Michigan, when he was at Ball State. He also has a longstanding relationship with Steve Stripling, the coach he's replacing who was liked and respected by Tennessee's players. Stripling is remaining with the program in a different role, and Hoke said he'd use him as a resource.

During his year away from coaching, Hoke visited Tennessee and watched a couple of spring practices in 2015, but he admitted he "never envisioned" returning to the school as a coach.

Now he's tasked with developing a unit counting on unproven or rehabilitating talent in 2017.

"Number one, they better be tough," Hoke said. "I think toughness is something that you have to have in this game, and that's mental and physical toughness. I think pride and ownership in who they are and who they represent, from their families and their name, from how they're going to represent each other, that's really important.

"Obviously how quick they can learn. I will have some different terms that Strip didn't have that I feel comfortable with, and they've got to learn those kinds of things. But really it's about the toughness and the effort that they give."

Hoke described himself as a detailed, passionate and emotional defensive line coach who is a "pretty good teacher."

He gets to tap into those attributes on a full-time basis with the Vols.

"Believe me, that's fun, being with those kids," Hoke said. "And that's why as a head coach I always coached something on the defensive line. At Ball State I coached the two interior guys. When I went to San Diego State and I hired Rocky (Long), Rocky wanted me to coach the defensive line.

"At Michigan I had Greg Mattison, and I would take either the two inside guys or the two outside guys no matter how we did the staff, but I love being around those guys. I can't wait. My wife gets mad at me - well, she doesn't get mad - but 2:25 was my favorite time of the day when I get to be with those kids."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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