Could Tennessee assistant Jerry Mack be headed for NFL?
Tennessee assistant Jerry Mack could be leaving Rocky Top and be headed to the NFL. Sources tell Volquest that Mack has emerged as the leading candidate for the Jacksonville Jaguars running backs opening. The deal is not done according to sources but things are trending that direction.
Mack interviewed with the Cowboys last off-season and has also seen interest from the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots this off-season.
Mack, a Memphis native joined Josh Heupel’s initial staff at Tennessee when Heupel arrived in early 2021. Mack, who was a successful head coach at North Carolina Central for four seasons has also spent time coaching several different positions including his time as an offensive coordinator at Rice.
Mack made an immediate impact with his group in 2021 by shattering eight offensive records, and UT ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring offense (39.3 – seventh), total offense (474.9 – ninth), rushing offense (217.8 – 11th), offensive yards per play (6.5 – 17th) and third down offense (44.7 – 25th).
Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small both eclipsed 2000 yards during their run on Rocky Top under Mack.
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The 2022 season saw Mack’s backs make an even greater impact as Tennessee reached the 11-win plateau for the first time in two decades highlighted by victories over Alabama, Florida, LSU, Kentucky and Clemson. The Vols tied a school-record for rushing touchdowns with 40, a mark that also ranked third nationally. Small ranked second in the SEC with 13 rushing scores, which tied for sixth in school single-season annals and were the most by a Vol in 14 years. Meanwhile, Wright tallied 10 and true freshman Dylan Sampson, a four-star prospect who Mack signed out of Louisiana, logged six touchdowns in his debut season.
The trio combined for 29 rushing scores in the fall of 2022, and Tennessee was the only SEC program with multiple running backs who logged 10 or more rushing touchdowns for the year. UT averaged 199.5 yards per game on the ground, which ranked 26th in the nation.
Their success was tremendous again in 2023 as Wright would go over 1,000 yards in leading the SEC in yards per carry.
Mack owns 20 years of college coaching experience and five conference championships, and he was a three-time HBCU Coach of the Year.
