Two Tennessee football assistants under Josh Heupel became head coaches, Auburn’s Alex Golesh and Kennesaw State’s Jerry Mack.
Who will be next to join them? There are some worthy candidates on Heupel’s current UT coaching staff.
It’s a timely question because Mack, who is at Kennesaw State, and Golesh, hired by Auburn after leading USF, will return to Neyland Stadium soon.
The 14th-ranked Vols (2-0) play Kennesaw State (1-1) on Sept. 19 (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network). Auburn comes to Neyland Stadium on Oct. 3.
“(Mack) is a great leader of men. He’s authentic. He’s a really good recruiter. And he’s able to hire a really good staff,” Heupel said Sept. 14. “You put all those pieces of the puzzle together – he’s smart, he’s organized – that’s how you
have consistency in your program.”
Why some elite Tennessee football coaches remain assistants
Mack was North Carolina Central’s coach from 2014-17, before joining Heupel’s staff as running backs coach in 2021. He got another head coaching opportunity at Kennesaw State, where he won the 2025 Conference USA title in his first season.
Mack also brought three Heupel staff analyst with him from UT to Kennesaw State: Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mitch Militello, special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Kyle Blocker and running backs coach Aston Walter. Perhaps they'll be head coaching candidates one day.
Some assistants want to be head coaches. Others are comfortable as highly-paid, in-demand assistant coaches at power programs. Preferences and opportunities both play a part in whether an assistant seeks a head coaching gig. Two good examples are on Heupel’s current staff.
Jim Knowles, 61, was head coach at his alma mater Cornell from 2004-09. But he became a coveted defensive coordinator, earning $2.2 million per year at UT.
Rodney Garner, 60, is among the best defensive line coaches in college football, earning $1 million annually at UT. He became an elite recruiter and developer of NFL-caliber talent at Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn.
And other UT assistants have quietly declined interest in head coaching opportunities for numerous reasons.
That being said, here are three UT assistants with perhaps the best chance of becoming head coaches, if they want to seek that path.
Joey Halzle follows same path of Josh Heupel head coaches
Two Heupel offensive coordinators are SEC head coaches. Golesh was his UT offensive coordinator in 2021-22. And Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby was Heupel’s offensive coordinator at UCF in 2019.
Offensive coordinator Joey Halzle could be next, especially if UT continues to produce one of college football’s highest scoring offenses.
Like Heupel, Halzle is a proven quarterbacks coach. And like Golesh, Halzle plays well in a press conference setting. He is 40 years old, so his opportunity could come soon if he wants to be a head coach. Notably, Halzle already earns $1.45 million annually, so staying at UT is also a good option.
Anthony Poindexter was almost a head coach already
Anthony Poindexter, UT’s co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach, was considered the frontrunner to be Virginia’s head coach following the 2021 season. But he instead stayed at Penn State, telling ESPN that the timing wasn’t right to return to his alma mater.
Poindexter, 50, is a College Football Hall of Fame member as one of the best safeties of the 1990s.
Poindexter’s best odds at becoming a head coach are likely at Virginia if it opens again in the next few years. But if Tennessee’s defense develops into a strong unit, that would help his candidacy elsewhere. He earns $805,000 annually as a UT assistant.
Kelsey Pope is a rising star as assistant coach
Kelsey Pope, 34, is a prototypical climber in the coaching ranks, and there’s no telling how high he could go.
Pope coached at schools in lower divisions and then landed at Tennessee as an analyst. Heupel promoted him to wide receivers coach, where he guided Jalin Hyatt to the Biletnikoff Award in 2022.
Then Heupel added passing game coordinator to Pope’s responsibilities. His pay has skyrocketed along with his success, set to reach $850,000 in 2027.
Pope could be on track to become an offensive coordinator and eventually a head coach. It doesn’t hurt that he’s charismatic and beloved by players. He would do well in a job interview for a head coaching position.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Who's next Tennessee assistant to become head coach after Jerry Mack, Alex Golesh?
