Tennessee Volunteers

Vols looking to add QB coach to the staff

Published Dec. 12, 2015 2:56 p.m. ET

foxsports

With the majority of college teams now having their head coaches in place, the coaching carousel turns to the assistants working for those head coaches. Of course Tennessee recently lost special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Mark Elder to Eastern Kentucky.

So how are the Vols planning to handle their staff transition?

Hiring a full-time quarterback coach would be smart for the Vols, as junior quarterback Joshua Dobbs should play a pivotal role in determining how far Tennessee can go in 2016. While Dobbs certainly isn't a liability for the Vols, his completion percentage is hovering below 60 percent for the 2015 season and has been inconsistent at best with his deep ball accuracy.

With departure of TE/ST coach, #Vols will reconfigure their staff and now looking to add a QB coach, source tells @FoxSports. #Tennessee
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 12, 2015

In addition to supporting Dobbs, a quarterback coach could prove to be invaluable in the development of freshmen quarterbacks Quinten Dormady and Sheriron Jones, as well as incoming prospect Jarrett Guarantano - rated as one of the top high school signal callers in the nation.

Expect graduate assistant Nick Sheridan to get some consideration for the position. While not yet a household name, Sheridan played at Michigan under Tennessee's current offensive coordinator Mike DeBord. Having spent over a decade in the system could give Sheridan a leg up on any outsider coach. Sheridan has also served three seasons as a quarterback coach at USF and Western Kentucky.