Even though the new coaches haven't been on the job for long, they've noticed one thing about Tennessee football. Said offensive line coach Don Mohaney,"Just the passion is unbelievable." Added new offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian, "They're passionate about their football and we're excited about that."
Jay Graham is the only holdover from Derek Dooley's staff, and he's warming up to the new assistants. Said Graham,"No egos. They work hard. Blue collar coaches that understand recruiting. Watching tape,they understand what they are looking for. They've asked me a lot of questions. I've kind of answered them about the different things like how we did things. There's been a lot of questions asked, which is good." Reporter-"Have you seen much difference philosophically with what they like to do offensively?" Said Graham,"It's a lot of the same things. I think once we get into the ball part of it. Right now, it has just been recruiting."
The new coaching staff hasn't enjoyed a lot of quality time so far with the current UT players. Said Mahoney,"Sense of urgency from their standpoint of wanting to get things going as soon as possible." Added Bajakian,"Their personality, and frankly, that's probably as important as their athletic ability. Their personality is impressive. Guys want to be successful."
Perhaps the toughest job goes to new defensive coordinator John Jancek. Tennessee had the worst defense in school history last year. Said Jancek,"We've got some work to do. It's going to be a great challenge. Certainly an opportunity for myself and our defensive coaching staff. It's exciting. We're at a great place. Got great people around us and all the support we need. We're gonna roll up our sleeves and get to work."
