Panthers reportedly not retaining TE coach John Lilly, assistant ST coach Devin Fitzsimmons

Per Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, the Panthers will not be retaining TE coach John Lilly or assistant special teams coach Devin Fitzsimmons.

New Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales is continuing to start his offense from scratch.

According to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, the Panthers will not be retaining tight ends coach John Lilly. The 31-year coaching veteran was hired by the Frank Reich-led staff in February of 2023.

Lilly came to the Panthers with two prior seasons as a tight ends coach in the NFL. He headed the position group for the Los Angeles Rams in 2016 and for the Cleveland Browns in 2019.

The Beckley, W. Va. native has an extensive history of coaching tight ends at the collegiate level—with stops at Florida State University, the University of Georgia, the University of Tennessee and the University of North Carolina.

In addition to Lilly, Kaye also notes that the Panthers will not bring back assistant special teams coach Devin Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons was hired by Reich and company last February as well.

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Tracking all of the Panthers’ coaching departures in 2024

Here’s who the Panthers are moving on from as they rebuild their coaching staff for 2024

The Carolina Panthers are, once again, going out with the old and in with the new.

So now that we’re tallying up the new, let’s also keep track of the old.

Here are the team’s coaching departures heading into the 2024 campaign:

Panthers TE Tommy Tremble hints at coaching failures of Matt Rhule

In an interview with The Charlotte Observer, Panthers TE Tommy Tremble said he feels this is the first time that he and his teammates have actually been coached up.

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Who would’ve known that being a head coach in the NFL actually involves, well, coaching? Perhaps not the last guy who the Carolina Panthers had in that spot.

In a new interview with Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, tight end Tommy Tremble lauded the team’s current coaching staff for their work thus far. But, as you’ll see below, you won’t be able to read between the lines without picking up on the thinly-veiled shots at the previous group.

The excerpt from Kaye reads:

“This is the first time that we’ve really been coached up, receiving-wise, other than us trying to figure it out on our own,” Tremble said in a phone interview with The Observer on Tuesday. “This is really the first opportunity we’ve had to excel in the receiving game, and have points, and (receive) teaching points on how to attack this kind of leverage, attack this kind of defense. . . . Before it was more, you run it, you run what’s on paper and you try to make it work, and if it didn’t work, you’d try to figure it out yourself.

“So, having that kind of backing, that kind of support — from all over the coaching staff to the players, themselves — I think it’s been a world of difference in what our accelerating (of) the receiving game has been.”

Geez.

Before Frank Reich and his crew stepped into the building, it was ruled (with a brief detour under Steve Wilks) by Matt Rhule. Rhule, of course, was fired through five weeks of the 2022 campaign after going 11-27 over an embarrassing three-year run.

Tremble’s comments, while interesting, really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to those who have been paying attention. From owner David Tepper to franchise legends Cam Newton and Steve Smith Sr., Rhule hasn’t exactly received the greatest of reviews for his work in Carolina.

And neither, maybe as a byproduct, did Panthers tight ends in that time.

Between 2020 and 2022, the team’s tight ends churned out a combined 1,173 receiving yards and six touchdown grabs. By comparison, Kansas City’s Travis Kelce posted 1,338 yards and 12 scores in 2022 alone.

But now, with Reich and tight end coach John Lilly onboard, there’s a renewed sense of hope for Tremble and his position partners in 2023.

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Panthers TE coach John Lilly: It’s time for Tommy Tremble to take another step

Panthers TE coach John Lilly shared his optimism for the growth of soon-to-be 23-year-old Tommy Tremble.

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Tommy Tremble’s breakout season is still loading.

New Carolina Panthers tight end coach John Lilly spoke briefly to reporters on Wednesday afternoon. When asked about the development of Tremble, Lilly said he thinks 2023 should serve as a stepping stone for the talented young pass catcher.

“I think one big thing with Tommy is—he entered the league at 20 years old,” Lilly said to an inquiring David Newton. “So, he’s got two years in the league, and he’s still just 22 right now. I think he maybe has a birthday next month.

“But he’s still a young player. You look at most of the guys that were drafted and they are older than what he is. I think it’s kinda time for him to take another step. I think he made a great decision in the offseason—he stayed here, he trained all last offseason. Been very impressed by the way he’s approached the day-by-day and trying to pick it all up and take it to the field.”

Thus far, over those first two years in the league, he’s taken 39 receptions, 354 yards and four touchdowns to the field. A third-round pick in 2021, Tremble was expected to help rejuvenate Carolina’s tight end room—one that has not produced much since the days of Greg Olsen.

As, Lilly noted, there’s still plenty of time left for Tremble to grow into those expectations. He is currently younger or just as old as four of the top five tight ends drafted a month ago—Dalton Kincaid (23), Sam LaPorta (22), Luke Musgrave (22) and Luke Schoonmaker (24).

But that little tidbit will not last much longer—as Tremble will, in fact, be celebrating his 23rd birthday on June 2. Happy birthday, Tommy!

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Carolina Panthers hire former Georgia football assistant coach

Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is reuniting with a former Georgia tight ends coach

North Carolina Tar Heels tight ends coach John Lilly is headed to the NFL. Lilly will be the tight ends coach for the Carolina Panthers under offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and head coach Frank Reich.

There have been a number of college football coaches bolting for the NFL this offseason, including former Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

Why did Brown and Reich hire Lilly, a former Georgia tight ends coach? Lilly worked with Brown in Athens during the 2011 and 2015 football seasons.

Lilly coached at Georgia under head coach Mark Richt and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. He was the tight ends coach and offensive special teams coordinator from 2008-2015.

Former Georgia quarterback and current offensive coordinator Mike Bobo previously coached with John Lilly. (Online Athens)

In 2016, Lilly was the tight ends coach for the Los Angeles Rams. After taking 2017 off, Lilly joined Jeremy Pruitt’s staff in Knoxville as Tennessee’s executive assistant to head coach.

Lilly spent the 2019 football season as the tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns. However, he was not retained when the franchise fired Freddie Kitchens. He coached at UNC from 2020-2023.

During Lilly’s time with the Bulldogs, Georgia had several record-setting seasons: 72 touchdowns in 2012, 484.14 yards per game in 2013 and 41.3 points per game in 2014. All were the best marks in school history. Lilly served as the Bulldogs’ interim offensive coordinator during the 37-14 win over Louisville in the 2014 Belk Bowl and the 24-17 victory over Penn State in the 2016 Tax Slayer Bowl.

He coached tight ends Arthur Lynch, Orson Charles and Aron White during his time with Georgia. He guided Georgia’s punt unit, which featured Ray Guy Award winner Drew Butler.

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Panthers hire UNC’s John Lilly as tight ends coach

The Panthers are hiring UNC’s John Lilly as their new tight ends coach.

The Carolina Panthers now have someone to lead their tight ends—and they didn’t have to go too far to get him.

As announced on Thursday evening, and hinted on by Joe Person of The Athletic late Monday night, the team is hiring John Lilly as their new tight ends coach. He has worked at the University of North Carolina in the same position, as well as a run game coordinator this past season, since 2020.

Lilly brings over 30 years of sideline experience to Charlotte. His coaching career began in 1991, as an assistant coach for Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C.

After four years there, Lilly cracked into the college game with Florida State University. He spent 12 seasons with the Seminoles—going from a  videographer to a graduate assistant to a tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator.

He then went on to coach the tight ends at the University of Georgia for eight years, a stop that saw him as the special teams coordinator for his final two campaigns as well. That’s also where Lilly crossed paths with new Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who was the running backs for the Bulldogs in 2015.

Lilly, additionally, has two prior one-year stints as a tight ends coach in the NFL—the first for the Los Angeles Rams in 2016 and the second for the Cleveland Browns in 2019.

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Panthers may have interest in UNC TE coach John Lilly

According to The Athletic’s Joe Person, the Panthers may be looking to hire UNC’s John Lilly as their next tight ends coach.

As he did prior to Saturday’s hiring of wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, Joe Person of The Athletic may have a beat on the Carolina Panthers’ next move.

Late Monday night, Person tweeted that the team may have eyes on John Lilly as their new tight ends coach. He is currently the tight ends coach and run game coordinator for the University of North Carolina.

Lilly, who joined the Tar Heels back in 2020, has chalked up over three decades’ worth of coaching experience. That run began as an assistant coach for Northwest Guilford High School in 1991 and extended into both the collegiate and professional levels.

He moved on to Florida State University in 1995—where he served as a videographer, graduate assistant, recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach up until 2007. Lilly then jumped to the University of Georgia for eight seasons to lead their tight ends and special teams unit, crossing paths with new Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.

His NFL experience includes a pair of one-year stints as a tight ends coach—one for the Los Angeles Rams in 2016 and the other for the Cleveland Browns in 2019.

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Report: UNC expected to hire longtime Georgia football assistant coach

UNC is expected to hire a former Georgia football assistant coach.

Per a report from Bruce Feldman of the Athletic, the North Carolina Tar Heels are expected to hire former Georgia tight end coach John Lilly to the same position in Chapel Hill.

Lilly, who spent eight seasons in Athens as the Dawgs’ tight ends coach and offensive special teams’ coordinator, left UGA in 2015.

In 2016, Lilly was the tight ends coach for the Los Angeles Rams. After taking 2017 off, Lilly joined Jeremy Pruitt’s staff in Knoxville as Tennessee’s Executive Assistant to Head Coach.

Most recently, Lilly spent the 2019 football season as the tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns and was not retained when the franchise fired Freddie Kitchens.

Lilly will take over at UNC for Tim Brewster, who left to become the tight ends coach at Florida.

Assistant coaches live a bit of a nomadic life, and for Lilly to have eight years in the Classic City was a treat for DawgNation.

During his time with the Bulldogs, Lilly was part of several record-setting seasons: 72 touchdowns in 2012, 484.14 yards per game in 2013 and 41.3 points per game in 2014. All were the best marks in school history. He served as the Bulldogs’ interim offensive coordinator during the 37-14 win over Louisville in the 2014 Belk Bowl and the 24-17 victory over Penn State in the 2016 Tax Slayer Bowl. Both Louisville and Penn State had top 15 nationally-ranked defenses.

He coached star tight ends Arthur Lynch, an All-SEC First Team honoree and fifth-round NFL draft pick; Orson Charles, a fourth-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals; and Aron White, the Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the 2009 Independence Bowl. He guided Georgia’s punt unit, which included Ray Guy Award winner Drew Butler.

Lilly brings a wealth of knowledge to Carolina and may possibly be a secret weapon for Heels. He is highly respected and has a knack for exploiting a defensive team’s weakness.