The most popular Tennessee quarterback not named Peyton Manning may be returning to Knoxville. Per CollegeFootballTalk (courtesy of the Knoxville News Sentinel), new Tennessee coach Butch Jones has offered ex-Vols QB and current USC WR coach Tee Martin the same position on Jones’s staff. Martin coached at Morehouse, New Mexico, and Kentucky before landing his current gig at USC.
In addition to being a Tennessee hero for leading the Vols to a national title in 1998, Martin is a rising star in the coaching ranks, as he has helped develop NFL talent at Kentucky (Randall Cobb) and USC (Marqise Lee). Martin has also built a reputation as a tremendous recruiter. Butch Jones certainly may not have been the popular choice amongst Tennessee alums to replace Derek Dooley, but he will score plenty of points in Knoxville if his sales pitch convinces Tee Martin to leave Lane Kiffin’s staff to come to Tennessee.