Terry LambertMon, December 1, 2025 at 4:52 PM UTC·2 min readThe coaching carousel went into a full-blown spin cycle on Sunday with five SEC schools announcing new head coaches. One of those final answers was Tulane’s Jon Sumrall heading to Florida after the Gators missed out on Lane Kiffin.
The next step for all of these programs will be filling out a full staff, which obviously could impact Tennessee. Alex Golesh, now at Auburn, has plenty of obvious ties to this staff. Defensive line coach Rodney Garner is an Auburn alum and is currently on an expiring contract, for example.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnother name popped up on Monday morning though, one that would be a pretty big surprise. Pete Nakos named Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle as a name to know in Sumrall’s search.
Early names to know as Sumrall evaluates the offensive coordinator market are Pitt’s Kade Bell, Georgia Tech’s Buster Faulkner and Tennessee’s Joey Halzle. The Yellow Jackets rank No. 12 in team offense, and Faulkner has developed quarterback Haynes King. (Pete Nakos, On3 Sports)
Halzle took over in 2023 after Golesh left for the South Florida job. The Tennessee offense evolved following the exit of Hendon Hooker, become a more run-heavy approach. That changed this season with the addition of Joey Aguilar, going back to more of a 2022 approach. New wrinkles were evident though with the staff acknowledging that some changes were needed.
Halzle has worked closely with Heupel for years, dating back to their days at Oklahoma. The former quarterback joined his alma mater as a grad assistant to work with Heupel, then followed him to Utah State in 2015. He would make the same moves with Heupel to Missouri and UCF, eventually becoming his quarterbacks coach. Halzle handled the same job at Tennessee before being elevated to offensive coordinator in 2023.
Knowing all of that and how he’s never left Heupel — would he really leave his post in Knoxville? That would seem like strange move following a really successful year calling plays for Tennessee. The Volunteers finished the regular season ranking sixth in total offense, putting up 482 yards per game.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA move like this would really separate him and let him become his own coach, so perhaps that’s the appeal. We’ll keep an eye on this one.
AdvertisementAdvertisement