Tag: Kenechi Udeze

Report: Titans assistant DL coach expected to land college gig

Titans assistant DL coach Kenechi Udeze is expected to land a coaching gig with the Houston Cougars.

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

It appears the Tennessee Titans are set to lose one of their assistant coaches ahead of training camp, Kenechi Udeze.

According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Udeze is expected to land a gig as a pass-rush specialist coach with the University of Houston.

Hired in 2021, Udeze spent the last two years working under defensive line coach (and now assistant head coach, also) Terrell Williams. Together, the pair oversaw what was one of the Titans’ biggest strengths during that span.

This isn’t Udeze’s first stint in the college coaching ranks, as he spent time with several college programs prior to joining the Titans, and most recently with Vanderbilt in 2020, serving as the linebackers coach.

Udeze was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2004 out of USC and spent four years in the league before retiring early due to a battle with Leukemia. He tallied 117 tackles and 11 sacks over 51 games (47 starts).

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

95 days until Vikings season opener: Every player to wear No. 95

With 95 days remaining until the start of the Vikings season, we take a look at all the players to wear No. 95 for the Vikings.

It’s the final countdown…

Well, sort of.

The Minnesota Vikings will kick off their 2023 regular season in 96 days at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 10.

From now until then, we will take a trip down memory lane and count each day by revisiting the players that have worn that specific jersey number.

Defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga currently wears the number, but it’s a number that has switched hands more than once. Six players have worn the number since 2013, including two players during the 2022 season (Tonga and Janarius Robinson). Kenechi Udeze wore the number for four seasons, which makes him the longest-tenured No. 95 in Vikings history.

With 95 days until kickoff, here’s a look at every player to wear No. 95 with the Vikings (via Pro Football Reference):

Former Vikings DE Kenechi Udeze hired as Titans assistant coach

Kenechi Udeze, who played all of his NFL seasons the Vikings, has been hired to be the assistant defensive line coach of the Titans.

The Tennessee Titans have announced that it’s hiring former Vikings defensive lineman Kenechi Udeze as an assistant coach.

Udeze, who played all of his four NFL seasons with the Vikings, was hired to be the Titans’ assistant defensive line coach. He will work under current defensive line coach Terrell Williams.

A former first-round pick, Udeze had two years with Minnesota where he tallied five sacks. His career was cut short after he was diagnosed with a form of leukemia.

The former defensive end has had coaching stints with USC, Vanderbilt and LSU. He worked as an analyst on the defensive staff during LSU’s title-winning 2019 campaign.

Udeze arrives to a Titans team that is coming off a playoff berth. That said, Tennessee had some glaring weaknesses in 2020, especially on defense. On PFF’s pass-rush rankings, the only group ranked worse than the Titans was the Vikings.

“There were times that it looked like we put all three phases together, played really well, and then there were stints where we didn’t do that,” Tenneseee head coach Mike Vrabel said in a statement. “We’re going to evaluate the roster and the coaching staff, the plays that we run, and the scheme that we have and everything across the board. We ultimately didn’t win a championship.”

Titans to hire Kenechi Udeze as assistant DL coach

Udeze served as Vanderbilt’s LBs coach in 2020.

The Tennessee Titans have made a new addition to their coaching staff for the 2021 season.

According to multiple reports, the Titans are set to hire Kenechi Udeze as their assistant defensive line coach. He’ll work under Tennessee’s current defensive line coach, Terrell Williams.

Udeze was a former first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2004 out of USC. The former defensive end played four seasons in the NFL before being forced to retire early due to side effects from leukemia treatment.

In 2020, Udeze worked as the linebackers coach at Vanderbilt, where he spent one season. Before working at Vandy, Udeze held multiple coaching positions for different college programs and had a stint as the assistant defensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks back in 2012.

This is the first addition the Titans have made to their coaching staff this offseason. Tennessee is in the market for both a defensive and offensive  coordinator, also.

[lawrence-related id=55403,55449,55423]

[vertical-gallery id=55409]