KNOXVILLE – Tennessee finally secured a new running backs coach, as former Tennessee player and Texas A&M assistant Jay Graham joined the staff early in the week to replace the outgoing David Johnson, who left to reunite with Mike Norvell at Florida State.
Happy to be HOME! Ready to get to work!! #GoVols #ReturnofRBU
— Jay Graham (@CoachjayhGraham) January 30, 2020
It’s a big get for Tennessee, not only for the familiarity Graham already has in the building as a former player and coach, but for recruiting as well.
Johnson was a key piece in Tennessee’s recruiting cycle, particularly for the work he did in Memphis. Head coach Jeremy Pruitt needed someone who could step in, and not only to continue developing a running back room that returns every starter from 2019, but to avoid missing a beat on the recruiting trail.
It starts and ends with 5-star Zach Evans, rated the No. 2 running back in the 2020 class on the 247Sports Composite.
Graham was Evans’ primary recruiter while at Texas A&M, and now joins forces with UT tight ends coach Brian Niedermeyer to try and secure the signature of the Houston, Texas native.
Evans was on Tennessee’s campus for an official visit over the weekend. He was officially offered by Tennessee on Dec. 21, 2017, two weeks following Pruitt’s hiring as head coach at UT.
Georgia was steadily in the running for Evans, but recently picked up a commitment from 4-star running back Dajiun Edwards, the second running back commitment in Kirby Smart’s 2020 class.
If this deters Evans from pledging to the Bulldogs, it could put Tennessee in a good spot, with Graham arriving from College Station on good timing. Texas A&M remains high on Evans’ list, but seeing his primary recruiter switch schools could pay dividends for the Vols.
Graham is sixth on Tennessee’s all-time rushing list, after a playing career that lasted from 1993 to 1996. After spending 2012 as the running backs coach under then-head coach Derek Dooley in Knoxville, Graham joined Jimbo Fisher’s staff at Florida State. Graham then followed Fisher to Texas A&M in 2018. This will be Graham’s second stint on the same staff with Pruitt, as the two worked together for one season with the Seminoles.
Graham’s hire is a big get for Tennessee regardless of where Evans chooses to play. An Evans signature, however, would make it one of the best hires Pruitt has made since arriving in Knoxville as head coach.