Marcus Hilliard Reportedly Set to Return to Rocky Top to Join Danny White's Staff

Marcus Hilliard is one of the rising stars in the world of college athletic administrators. Hilliard, the son of former Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, has already built an impressive resume, including a stop in Orlando with Tennessee's new Athletics Director, Danny White. Now, the Tennessee graduate will jump from Austin Peay back to Knoxville to re-join White on Rocky Top. Yahoo Sports Pete Thamel first reported the news. 

According to his bio: "Hilliard joined UCF in June 2016 as the Director of Constituent Relations and was promoted to Assistant Athletics Director for Administration in the summer of 2017. He served as the Vice President and Director of Athletics' Chief of Staff while also assuming development and corporate sponsorship responsibilities for the Knights' athletics department. During his time at UCF, Hilliard played an integral role in helping to achieve consecutive record-breaking years in fundraising along with enjoying success from the Knights 2017 Undefeated National Championship football season. Prior to his two seasons at UCF, Hilliard spent seven years at Duke in a tenure that coincided with Director of Athletics' Gerald Harrison's time at the Durham, North Carolina university. During his stint with Blue Devils, Hilliard rose through the ranks, ultimately serving as Director of the Iron Dukes Varsity Club before departing for UCF in 2016."

Hilliard recently discussed his experience working with White with VR2 on SI. "It's great because he cares about you both personally and professionally. He wants you to pour everything you got into the opportunity, and he returns it back. It's a grind; please believe it! But it's super fun and rewarding because you get to work for someone who genuinely cares about you and your success as well. He challenges you just as he challenges himself to be better each and every day and his energy becomes infectious," Hilliard said on working for White. 

Danny White is tasked with changing the culture in Knoxville, something Hilliard will now assist him with. 

"The culture at UCF was awesome. We all wanted to do our part to be victorious. It was an environment that fed off of support. We were all one big family. That's where the athletes supporting athletes came into play," Hilliard said. "It was never uncommon seeing a group of athletes from different sports at a women's soccer game, or the men's basketball team at a softball game, just to give a couple of examples. The synergy was built largely by the culture that was created."

Hilliard is another key hire to Tennessee's support staff, as he brings high energy, connections, and a strong knowledge of Tennessee's traditions. 

For the full interview with Hilliard, you can click here.