IconOne thing the University of Tennessee has had under the tenure of Phillip Fulmer is stability.

You don’t see many coaching changes among Volunteer coordinators, and usually those who leave are moving up the ladder of the coaching ranks. 

Keeping with that tradition, Duke hired David Cutcliffe as their new head football coach on December 14th. A great hire for Duke, Cutcliffe brings a vast knowledge of football to Durham—and plenty of coaching experience, both of which Peyton Manning can attest to.

With Cutcliffe’s departure, wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor was expected to be in the race for the offensive coordinator’s job at Tennessee.  However, Fulmer wants experience at the position, something Taylor does not have, and with an offer on the table from Oklahoma State to be their next co-offensive coordinator, Taylor left for Stillwater.

Running backs coach Kurt Roper and tight ends coach Matt Luke are likely to accompany Cutcliffe to Duke, so Fulmer is expected to completely re-tool his offensive staff.  But where does the search begin?

There are a lot of names out there with ties to Tennessee, and Fulmer has already stated publicly that he is going to take his time and look down every possible avenue.  Let’s take a look at the short list:


Doug Marrone

Doug Marrone is the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the New Orleans Saints. He was the tight ends and tackles coach for Tennessee in 2001, and would have to be at the top of the list for Fulmer.

Marrone’s Saints put up record numbers in 2006, and given his past relationship with Fulmer, you would have to assume that Coach Marrone will be getting a call.

Kippy Brown

Kippy Brown is the wide receivers coach for the Detroit Lions, and is the fan favorite to become the next offensive play-caller in Knoxville. Brown served as the receivers coach at UT from '83 to '89,  where he led such superstars as Carl Pickens and Alvin Harper, and put Tennessee on the map as Wide Receiver U. Brown also held the same position in '93 and '94. 

Brown has a knack for getting the most out of his receivers, and considering the young talent Tennessee has, it would seem like a perfect fit. His NFL experience doesn’t hurt either.

Rob Spence

Spence holds the offensive coordinator title at Clemson, and is the first candidate Fulmer has met with thus far. Spence’s reputation speaks for itself, as Clemson was just one of four schools to put up over 2,500 yards rushing and passing in 2006.

Spence is also a quarterback guru, and would seem like the perfect replacement for Coach Cutcliffe.  Spence would have to be seen as the leading candidate right now, simply because of the fact that he’s the only one who’s been in Knoxville to interview.

Mike Locksley

Coach Locksley is currently the offensive coordinator at the University of Illinois. Aside from having probably the best-looking wife of the bunch, he is also the best recruiter of the bunch.

Locksley was named one of the Top 10 recruiters in the country by Rivals.com in 2006. His playing calling isn’t too shabby either, leading Illinois to a victory over Ohio State in Columbus and into the Rose Bowl this year.

Those are the obvious candidates, and the ones getting the most buzz in Knoxville. However, there are a few dark horses getting their names thrown around. You would have to believe Fulmer will take a look at these candidates as well—albeit probably further down the list.

Gus Malzahan

Malzahan resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma, coaching the Tulsa Hurricanes' offense. In 2006, he led a potent Arkansas attack to the SEC Championship Game. In 2005, he led Springdale (AR) High School to a 5A State Title and a Top 10 ranking nationally.

Malzahan is considered an offensive guru. Tulsa scored 39.5 points a game this year and over 500 yards of total offense a game. If you want to see his offense in action, check out the GMAC Bowl, which airs January 6th on ESPN.

Chris Hatcher

Coach Hatcher just finished his first season as head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles.  His offenses have been potent everywhere he has been, and in 2004 he captured the National Title at Valdosta State. Oh, by the way—his Georgia Southern squad also beat Appalachian State this year.


So there’s an unofficial list of candidates. Two things are sure with this list. One, it will definitely change if Fulmer plans to be as thorough as he claims, and two, Tennessee will not be implementing a spread option offense.

Tennessee has been fairly successful in keeping their quarterbacks healthy, and as we’ve seen across the country with Oregon and Florida, a quarterback’s health is vital to a team’s success and losing one can ruin a season.

Expect Fulmer to name a new offensive coordinator in mid-January. I’ll go ahead and predict that Kippy Brown will be sitting in the box on Saturdays for Tennessee.