Tennessee Coach Headed to Alabama
Tennessee named Josh Heupel as their new head coach earlier today, however that is not the only coaching news coming from Tennessee today. After a week of interest from both parties, Tennessee alumnus and running backs coach Jay Graham has decided to leave Knoxville to join Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama as their special teams coordinator, the last on-field position available with the Crimson Tide. This story was first reported by Tim Watts and Matt Zenits.
Graham is a North Carolina native that became one of the best running backs in the history of Tennessee football. While he had immense success throughout his Tennessee career, Graham was particularly known for being an Alabama-killer, having monstrous games against the Crimson Tide in Birmingham in 1995 and in Knoxville in 1996. Graham was noted for his straight up running style, ability to break tackles, and his blazing speed when he got into the open field. Graham was also an accomplished receiver out of the backfield, and a dangerous asset in the screen game employed by David Cutcliffe. It was this well-rounded experience as a player that helped to shape Graham into an excellent running back coach.
In his coaching career, Jay Graham has earned a reputation for being one of the best running back coaches in the country. He has been well-traveled, with stops at Tennessee as a GA, UTC as a running back coach, San Diego and UT Martin as a running back coach and special teams coordinator, Miami of Ohio coaching running backs, South Carolina coaching running backs and tight ends, another stint at Tennessee coaching running backs, Florida State coaching running backs and special teams, Texas A&M coaching running backs and special teams, and this past season again with the Vols coaching running backs and special teams. The move to Alabama will be the first time Graham has not coached running backs in his career.
As much as his special teams experience will be beneficial for Alabama, Graham is an excellent recruiter and an elite running back coach. The loss is a significant one for the Tennessee staff, as they lose a former player involved on staff, an excellent running back coach, and an experienced special teams coordinator. The loss of Graham to the Crimson Tide leaves Heupel with multiple positions to fill on his staff, and a great coach and recruiter lost to a bitter rival. Alabama will have to wait at least one season to fully benefit from Graham’s ability as a recruiter, as he still had a one-year show cause in effect from his time with Texas A&M.
