Lane Kiffin not only former Tennessee coach or player in news | Adams
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Nobody in college football has generated more headlines than former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin this season.
“What would Kiffin do?” became as prominent a November question as “Who will make the playoffs?”
Kiffin finally decided to leave Ole Miss for LSU. And he didn’t mind leaving his playoff team behind in a move that likely will make him the most criticized person in the sport.
But he’s not the only former Tennessee coach or player who had an eventful 2025 season. Here are a few others:
Alex Golesh: The former Tennessee offensive coordinator under Josh Heupel was hired by Auburn after leading South Florida to a 9-3 record. In three seasons at USF, Golesh won 23 games.
His 2025 team has averaged 43 points per game to rank fourth nationally. That number could give Golesh instant credibility with Auburn, which struggled terribly on offense under former coach Hugh Freeze.
Butch Jones: He delivered one of the season’s most spectacular coaching rants after a 34-30 loss to Louisiana in which Arkansas State was on Louisiana’s 1-yard line when time ran out. As if that weren’t bad enough, the Red Wolves still had a timeout in their pocket.
ESPN cameras showed Jones walking angrily off the field, shouting at no one in particular. One fan responded to the video on social media: “Not feeling like a champion of life.”
Arkansas State is 6-6 this season.
Tyson Helton: Although he had the misfortune of serving as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator under Jeremy Pruitt in 2018, he’s having a successful career as a head coach.
Helton has won eight or more games six times in seven seasons at Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers have won eight games this season and lost to LSU by only three points at Tiger Stadium.
Justin Wilcox: The former Tennessee defensive coordinator was fired in his ninth season leading Cal.
A loss to Stanford dropped the Golden Bears to 6-5 this season and triggered Wilcox’s firing. He was 48-55 overall but won more than six games only twice.
Wilcox made the most of average talent in his two seasons (2010-11) as Derek Dooley’s defensive coordinator. If he wants to continue coaching, he shouldn’t have a problem landing a job as a defensive coordinator.
Trooper Taylor: The former Tennessee assistant (2004-07) is having a terrific season, which will extend into the playoffs. He’s the assistant head coach and running backs coach at Texas A&M under Mike Elko.
The Aggies are 11-1 and headed for the College Football Playoff.
Jerry Mack: The former Tennessee running backs coach (2021-23) is off to a terrific start as a college head coach.
After working as an assistant coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024, he was hired by Kennesaw State, which had suffered through three consecutive losing seasons. Mack has led the Owls to a 9-3 record.
Kennesaw State will play Jacksonville State on Dec. 5 for the Conference USA championship.
Nico Iamaleava: The former Tennessee quarterback’s transfer to UCLA went about as well as you would have expected for someone who left a playoff team for a losing team.
The Vols finished the regular season 8-4. The Bruins were 3-9.
Iamaleava completed 64.4% of his passes for 1,928 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. UCLA made greater use of his running skills than the Vols did, and Iamaleava responded by rushing for 505 yards on 112 carries.
Jakobe Thomas: His decision to transfer to Miami proved costly for the Vols, who could have used help at safety. Thomas excelled with the Hurricanes.
He has 49 tackles, three sacks, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Chas Nimrod: He was smart to transfer to USF. He couldn’t have broken into UT’s starting lineup if he had stayed.
He has 23 catches for 466 yards and a 20.3-yard average per catch at USF.
Squirrel White: His transfer to Florida State didn’t work out as well as Nimrod’s.
White caught 131 passes in three seasons at Tennessee but had only five catches for the Seminoles. His season could have been worse, though. White got caught up in the stampede when Virginia fans stormed the field after upsetting Florida State but wasn’t injured.
Tayven Jackson: The former Tennessee quarterback completed 63.5% of his passes for 2,151 yards at UCF. He transferred to Indiana from Tennessee, then transferred again to UCF.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lane Kiffin not only former Tennessee football coach or player in news
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