Virginia football coach Al Groh says former Bowling Green head coach Gregg Brandon is the man who will be charged with redesigning the Cavaliers offense, and former Richmond and Tennessee assistant Latrell Scott will be along to help.
Brandon and Scott were announced Tuesday as two new hires by Groh, who fired his son Mike as offensive coordinator just over two weeks ago, along with two defensive assistants.
Scott, who worked at Richmond before moving to Tennessee this season as wide receivers coach, will coach wide receivers at Virginia.
“I am extremely excited to return to the state of Virginia and have the opportunity to work with coach Groh and the rest of the staff,” Scott said. “I am also looking forward to getting out on the recruiting trail to help finalize this class and to help Virginia continue to be a top program.”
Scott was among four coaches on offense who new UT coach Lane Kiffin had kept on the staff and given a shot at keeping their jobs, Kiffin said.
UT's new $45 million football…
Images from Larry Murphy's book on…
Smokey undergoes physical therapy at UT
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 46
elsinoresam writes:
Best of luck at Virginia, thanks for all you have done here Doug.
CoverOrange writes:
It's like musical chairs.
Drayton is odd man out and gets to stay?
VolinCalif writes:
Good it is aways good to have a job going into the new year. Merry Xmas
elsinoresam writes:
DOH!, I meant Latrell, Doug is off to coach the other Orange. Wish you both the best.
elsinoresam writes:
I hope Drayton gets to stay.
cgbtn writes:
Isn't it ironic that the offensive staff, which was a collective disaster, all seem to be landing on their feet. But, the defensive staff which was brilliant, under the circumstances, has fallen off the map.
FWBVol writes:
Just looking at the kind of staff Lane Kiffin is assembling, IMO tight ends coach Jason Michael has a good chance of being retained given his NFL background. I don't know if Kiffin will keep him or Drayton. It might be nice to keep both of them for various reasons.
That said, it wouldn't surprise me if we see a complete house cleaning of Phillip Fulmer's coaching staff. I do hope some of the administrative support staff such as Condredge Holloway keep their jobs.
ThaiVolFan writes:
All for the best, the old coaches and for our future staff. Glad to see they all have found places to coach, but I'm more glad that Lane is not afraid to bring in and impliment his own plan and vision. I think he has a definite feel for where he wants to take this program and it is right to the top.
GoVols! The future is bright
FWBVol writes:
I too thought the defensive coaches would be the first hired. Here are a few thoughts on that. All of the defensive coaches, Chief, Brooks, Slade and Caldwell are all 50 plus. On the other hand all of the offensive staff except for Clawson were in their 20s or 30s. I just wonder how much age has to do with it.
Another thing might be the persception that all were good coaches that formed a great defensive staff. Maybe, and I don't know this, when other people look at the defensive coaches individually, they just don't have that WOW factor.
bluetick writes:
It really is surprising. There is no question that the defense held their own considering the circumstances. Chief was the mastermind and even though there are some idiots who say he wasn't good at his job the statistics prove he was.
I think Kiffin is under the belief that only Californian coaches and family members are the only way to win at Tennessee. Prove me wrong Kiffin. :)
utchris writes:
It is believed that Kelly Sipper from Oakland will be the TE coach. He has previously been an OC at UCLA.
Drayton appears to be the only one who will stay unless he takes any opportunities elsewhere.
NoogaVol55 writes:
Good Luck Scott...Kif....keep the ball rolling...
I have a question for my fellow friends on here...any chance Al Wilson might want to coach now that his playing days are over. He was a phenominal player, loved everything about UT, great energy and passion, could relate to these kids, and under Monte, he could be great....I know this is just a dream of mine...but I think it could work...and thoughts??????
utchris writes:
I am thinking we just give him a 100 large to be the director of discipline and to give pre game and half time speeches.
andy112382#209793 writes:
I am not too heart broken over recruits lost because of a position coach, if a prospect really wants to play for the university of Tennessee, then an assistant coach leaving shouldn't make much of an impact, if any.
shoalcreekvol writes:
Hey look! The Titanic just hired a new assistant chef.
Poor guy goes from a coach on his way out at UT to a coach on his way to the gallows at VA. If that school gave a rip about football theyd've fired Al Groh years ago. Big Al pretty much assured his fate when he fired his son - now there's no one in front of him on the chopping block.
We all know that good recruiters don't stay unemployed long, so this time next year Scott should get snapped up by someone else pretty quickly. Those recruits that are creating strong bonds with Scott better not follow him there.
newtonrail writes:
Michael back to NFL, and Drayton probably staying. Clemson has offered Chief, but not all his staff. LSU will possibly let him take Brooks and Caldwell. Slade has even had some feelers, believe or not.
givehim6 writes:
Yes I would have thougt Chavis would have been picked up by Clemson or LSU, or someone would need a good defencive mind.
asleep#212036 writes:
Of course, lost in all this discussion is the fact that UT is coming out like a rose on the buyout front. Only Fulmer gets his money rain or shine. All the assistants, including the coordinators, get their UT salary less their current salary at their new home. For some, like Clawson and possibly Chavis, they will actually make more in their new jobs, meaning we are totally off the hook. If everyone but Slade gets hired, that will save us over $2 million in the buyout period. It looked a lot worse a month ago. Seems like Drayton wants to stay and Kiffin seems OK with that. Isn't he, after all, the former Florida guy with all the recruiting connections? Go Vols!!!
87UTVOL writes:
Kiffin has said from day one that he made no decisions or promises on retaining Scott or any other coach from CPF's staff. Scott and others were collecting a paycheck from UT. They should, if the new coach wants them to, be out recruting players to UT.
Jerk, cheat, liar? Too bad the facts don't match your claims. Sounds like someone with a grudge or someone who's not a UT fan. In fact, Kiffin has been just the opposite, both with coaches and players who he thought might not fit in what he wants to build at UT. Sounds more like "fair, honest and nice".
volnknox writes:
if fulmer was the coach, the great recruiter,a class act of a man that most of you on here think he is- How come no one has offered him? Not 1 school- Even if he has put out there that he wasn't interested in coaching yet, there still would be some schools TRYING to get him wouldn't you think?
Chavis, Fulmer and the rest of his regime are all without jobs, what does that tell you?
UTFAN1993 writes:
Per John Pennington, Coach Daddy Kif wants 1.5 mil to come to U.T.
mattlock writes:
wow. . .i know its late it the game, but this could win worst post of the year. . .
NO_DIGGITY writes:
Dang Vicki, you are ornery in the morning aren't you.
utnut#215669 writes:
would you rather have a two star coach, coaching a four star recruit? or a four star coach, coaching a three star recruit? fundamentals and player development are key. give the new staff a chance. THE SKY IS NOT FALLING!
scvol12 writes:
So, who is Lane bringing on the offense side of the ball. His sister, cousin, nephew, niece, grandfather, etc?
utnut#215669 writes:
In the nineties a lot of UT assistants went on to bigger better jobs. Kippyy Brown now at Detroit Lions, Lovie Smith head coach Chicago Bears. Walt Harris head coach at U of Pitt, Larry Lacewell to the Cowboys, Cutcliffe two head coaching jobs. Does anyone remember any others? I do not recall any others getting better offers since Cut left in 98, other than his repeat last year. Thats why we have not had any player development.
utnut#215669 writes:
Chris Mortensen,Chris Lowe, ESPN or someone would have leaked an offer. Maybe the KNS
writer#358485 writes:
I just hope all these coaches with professional football experience can adapt to the college game. They are not the same. There is more innovation, more creativity at the college level. Not every college team plays the same system, as do the pros--Florida being a good example. A pro-style offense can work fine in college. But a defensive coordinator with pro experience is going to run up against a lot of things he may not have seen before. Offenses always are evolving, adapting at the college level--not so in the pros.
Don't get me wrong, I supported Fulmer. I support Kiffin. I support the Vols and I'm excited about the possibilities for the future. But I've always preferred the college game because it definitely is different from the pro game, which I personally find boring. I hope all these pro coaches Kiffin is brining in don't expect their opponents in college to roll over becase they're pros. They won't, they'll throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at us on offense, including a lot of things the pros don't even try. It should be a very interesting next couple of years.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Good info, RR, but don the kevlar.
cjraney writes:
Probably will hurt in the mid-atlantic states, hopefully not overall. May be a blow to our chances with Morgan Moses. I really hoped Scott would be retained along with Drayton.
tennauthor#217798 writes:
How does this hurt us with Morgan Moses since he was Scott's recruit?
RoyaltyVol#280778 writes:
I don't think so! The receiver play was terrible this year, and we had great talent. Most of it was probably the QB's fault, but coach Clawson and coach Scott were terrible hires for the UT program
cjraney writes:
Dear WL-
Just want you to know you have my pity and I'll be thinking of you and other unfortunate souls this Christmas who have nothing positive in their lives. There are good, positive things in this world if you want to see them.
BTW, who is your real team?
SemperVol writes:
Because Latrell Scott is now gone. Alot of these kids get too comfortable with their recruiter that they will do whatever they tell them to.
He may very well follow him or opt for Ohio State.
Sad, but true with 17-18 year old kids.
CoverOrange writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
CoverOrange writes:
Lane had to let anyone with possible Fulmer allegiances go which meant the entire defensive staff automatically. Scott, Drayton, Michaels, having been there only a year, were given the opportunity to show how well they would work for Lane, plus get paid while putting out resumes. Adkins was the exception, having been there 5 years, he doesn't fit my hypothesis.
FWBVol writes:
Bud is definitely a UT grad. In fact, Bud was the first student assistant to become the first full-time aid to Haywood Harris when the SID staff expanded to two full-timers in the mid-1960s.
Bud has to be pushing 65 now and I can only wonder how many more years he has left. Having worked for him, I can say that Bud Ford is a Tennessee Treasure.
scvols writes:
Wow! We lost a good coach and a great recruiter. Is Kiffen really this clueless? We will be lucky to end up with a top 15 recruiting class and next year will be a 6-6 or 7-5 season, but it will be better then the year before.
cjraney writes:
Good luck to Coach Scott. But I honestly don't see Al Groh being there past next year.
CoverOrange writes:
December 24, 2008
11:23 a.m.
TurboFan writes:
in response to scvol12:
So, who is Lane bringing on the offense side of the ball. His sister, cousin, nephew, niece, grandfather, etc?
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Okay.
Somebody wishes death on someone and doesn't get removed. I make a lame joke about a certain football position and do. Very well. I see the lay of the land now.
jobrando#216494 writes:
Would you think they just do selective reading from time to time and everything is not read.
orangebloodgmc writes:
I just hope it doesn't cause us to lose Askew.
HonoluluVol writes:
In Kiffin's defense. People tend to go with what they know. That being said, he's reverting to those that he knows will fit the system and understands the system that he's implementing. Those that he's chosen, know how he works, expectations, in and out's of the offense, because those are the one's that he's taked football to. Those are the guys that are on the same wave length as himself. The guy knows what he's doing, get's Green out of Florida and was a surprise to all. Give him time and support and we'll be united under the Vol Nation in no time at all.
HonoluluVol writes:
He was in Oregon last week I believe.
firefulmer (Inactive) writes:
Please just let them go. Get rid of every assistant that coached with Fulmer. We need rid of all the poison! Maybe next year, we will have a wide receiver that can get open.
TommyJack writes:
I think Condredge reports to Mikey.
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.