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Tennessee heads into fall camp with Bob Shoop and Larry Scott coming off their first installment with the Volunteers football team following spring ball.
Shoop is a familiar face in the SEC after being part of a magical run at Vanderbilt under James Franklin, winning 24 games and finishing in the top 25 twice in three years from 2011-2013.
The change from John Jancek to Shoop was unexpected to many at defensive coordinator — the Vols allowed just 20 points per game last season and improved every year under Jancek — but Butch Jones brought in a new mind with an even better track record.
The only other move to Tennessee’s coaching staff came at the tight end position. Mark Elder accepted his first head coaching position at Eastern Kentucky. He is the first coach from Jones’ coaching tree to become a head coach.
“I’m the first assistant that’s worked under coach Jones that’s received an opportunity to run his own program,” Elder told Saturday Down South. “I feel very fortunate to work under him for nine years. I was with him from the beginning at Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Tennessee all three years at each. He’s a mentor and someone to bounce ideas off of since I’ve been at Eastern Kentucky.
“I wasn’t there (Tennessee) in the spring, but I certainly felt at the end of last year that we were playing really good football. There’s certainly a lot of weapons returning at Tennessee and if everything goes right, they’ll be in the mix at the end of the year. It comes down to staying healthy, handling adversity, coming up with a big play in a close game, so I certainly think Tennessee will be one of those teams that can potentially win it all this year.”
Former interim Miami head coach Larry Scott replaced Elder as tight ends coach, giving the Vols an even stronger presence on the recruiting trail.
The two changes are not in reflection of problems that needed to be fixed, only a desire for a new mind to coordinate the defense, and filling an unexpected opening.
What will be new in 2016?
Scott is just not a presence on the recruiting trail, but also able to get the most out of his tight ends. Whether it’s in the pass game or run and pass blocking, Scott has the ability to be an all-around teacher of the position.
Last year at Miami, David Njoku had 21 receptions for 362 yards and one touchdown as a freshman in 2015.
In 2014, Miami’s tight ends combined for 52 receptions and 833 yards receiving. Clive Walford led the Hurricanes in receptions with 44 and was selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders.
Shoop’s defenses have finished in the Top 25 nationally in total defense in each of the past five years.
And you can expect Tennessee to force more turnovers this fall, too. In his last season at Vanderbilt, the Commodores forced 30 turnovers in 2013, tied for 10th nationally.
Shoop’s 2012 Vanderbilt defense only gave up 18.8 points per game, the program’s fewest since 1997.
Shoop helped guide cornerback Casey Hayward to a second-round draft pick selection to Green Bay after recording seven interceptions in 2011 and earning All-America and All-SEC honors.
A season ago, Penn State ranked 14th in total defense (324.3 ypg) and was especially good against the pass. Shoop’s group allowed just 173.5 yards per game, eighth-best in the country. They allowed just 14 touchdown passes and intercepted 10 passes in 13 game. More impressively, Shoop’s defense held opponents to 20 or fewer points in five games.
Tennessee has lofty goals in 2016, and Shoop’s level of success will play a significant role in whether the Vols achieve them.
Dan Harralson covers Tennessee football for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danharralson.
