KNOXVILLE—In an absolutely shocking development, a Rivals report this morning broke the news that Vol running backs coach Jay Graham has accepted a position as an offensive assistant at Florida State. Butch Jones confirmed the news via Twitter, “Jay Graham has informed us of his decision to accept a position at another institution. The process of adding a new coach to our staff is underway, and we will hire the best person possible as we continue to build our program.”

Graham is headed to Florida State.
Photo by Reed Carringer

Graham was the second lowest paid coach on Jones’ staff, and though it’s not immediately clear, he’ll likely receive a large pay raise and be given more responsibilities at Florida State. Randy Sanders, Graham’s position coach when he played for the Vols, is also on the Seminole staff.

With spring practice just 12 short days away, Jones will have to move quickly to find a replacement. Graham’s departure leaves the Vols without a minority on the offensive staff, and conventional wisdom dictates the position will be filled by another minority. Vol fans on Twitter and message boards have been lobbying for the hiring of former Vol and Auburn assistant Trooper Taylor. Other than his obvious connections to UT, he doesn’t seem like a great fit for this staff. Taylor has been the target of an NCAA investigation for violations committed at Auburn, and it’s unlikely (not impossible) Tennessee would take a chance on an assistant who could easily jeopardize UT’s standing with the NCAA. Remember, the Vols are on probation which makes hiring Taylor an especially risky proposition.

One candidate to keep an eye on is Roy Manning. He coached running backs for Jones at Cincinnati last year, and currently holds the same position at Northern Illinois. Manning played linebacker at Michigan and in the NFL. He started his coaching career as a defensive assistant on Jones’ staff at Cincinnati before taking an offensive graduate assistant position as Michigan. He returned to the Bearcats last season to coach running backs, and Cincinnati led the Big East in rushing.

We’ll start looking at other candidates as soon as names begin to surface.