Tennessee appears to have rounded out its offensive staff under new football coach Josh Heupel while turning to a familiar face for the defensive front and in a new direction for a defensive coordinator.
Yahoo Sports reported Thursday afternoon that Heupel is hiring Rice offensive coordinator Jerry Mack as his running backs coach. Tennessee has yet to announce any official staff hires, but the Chattanooga Times Free Press has been among multiple media outlets to report that former Auburn receivers coach Kodi Burns will have the same role at Tennessee and that Heupel is bringing three assistants off his former staff at UCF: offensive line coach Glen Elarbee, tight ends coach Alex Golesh and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle.
Whether Heupel has one offensive coordinator or designates co-coordinators is unknown at this point, but Heupel has already stated he will handle play-calling duties.
Mack spent the past three seasons as Rice’s offensive coordinator, adding the title of associate head coach in February 2019. Before his role with the Owls, he was head coach at North Carolina Central University, compiling a 31-15 record from 2014-17 and winning at least a share of three consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships.
In 2016, Mack was named HBCU Football Coach of the Year by the Black College Sports Page and the Pigskin Club in Washington, D.C.