As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Bobby Petrino.
Bobby Petrino coaching experience (56 years old)
Petrino is 73-26 (as of November 13) as the head coach at Louisville in his second stint. He’s also been a head coach at Western Kentucky and Arkansas, where he was building the Hogs into an annual contender until a scandal derailed him. He was the coach of the Atlanta Falcons for a year, and he was an NFL assistant for several years. Petrino was also a college assistant at Carroll, Weber State, Idaho, Arizona State, Utah State, Louisville, and Auburn including numerous collegiate stints as offensive coordinator.
GRT taxonomy of college football coaching: The Proven Winner, Level Three – Major Conference Contender; Guru (offense and quarterbacks); Pro
Why the Tennessee Vols might want Bobby Petrino
This hasn’t been a particularly good year for Petrino, but he is one of the foremost offensive minds in all of college football. He’s a veteran who has proven he can coach and recruit in the SEC, develop quarterbacks — pro-style and dual-threat — and is a master at tailoring his offense to match the talent on his team. He has experienced success recruiting in Florida and has won in the SEC.
Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Bobby Petrino
The Vols could probably get Petrino, but how much would he cost and how loyal would he be? He’s a job-jumper who has been at a lot of places. Also, how much of that Louisville investigation stink does he have on him? Any? When it comes to baggage, few coaches bring as much as Petrino, who lied to the Falcons before taking the job at Arkansas, was involved in the secretive Auburn Tuberville-for-Petrino swap way back when and the infamous motorcycle wreck with a woman who wasn’t his wife that ultimately led to his ouster in Fayetteville.