In a single afternoon, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel filled both staff positions. After Jerry Mack, the former running backs coach, resigned to join the Jacksonville Jaguars, he hired De’Rail Sims of Cincinnati to take over in the same capacity. As VolQuest’s Austin Price originally revealed, he has now appointed William Hinge, the co-defensive coordinator for Washington, as Tennessee’s linebackers coach.
Hinge was the linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator for the Washington Huskies during the previous two seasons, during which time the team won both the Pac-12 and national championships. He played similar tasks at Fresno State in 2022 before spending two years at Washington. Before that, he spent seven years at the University of Indiana in a variety of defensive football roles.
Under Hinge’s direction, Washington’s defense ranked No. 25 in the nation in 2022, a significant improvement from the year before his arrival. Now that he has the opportunity to coach in the SEC, he should use the opportunity to mentor athletes at that level. Tennessee now has a complete staff and has filled both of its coaching positions.
