Brady Hoke, who was fired after just one year as defensive coordinator at Oregon, is in talks to join the staff of the Tennessee Volunteers under coach Butch Jones.
It’s not clear what Hoke’s role might be if negotiations lead to his hiring, but it quite likely will involve Tennessee’s defense.
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There has also been speculation that veteran defensive line coach Steve Stripling could be looking at a move into administration.
Jones left the door open for more coaching changes at his Wednesday press conference by not choosing to answer when asked if his football staff for next season had been completed.
Going from "head coach at the University of Michigan" to "defensive coordinator at Oregon" to "some kind of defensive assistant at Tennessee" is probably not the career path that Brady Hoke had planned for himself when he got hired at his dream job in 2011. But increasingly poor performances in Ann Arbor followed by a disastrous 2016 in Eugene where the Ducks ranked 126th nationally in total defense, and Hoke found himself unemployed.
The University of Tennessee has not always been known for their sound hiring decisions (see Kiffin, Lane), but Knoxville might provide the kind of environment Hoke needs to thrive.
