Butch Jones sought out an experienced football mind and a personality he trusts while searching for Tennessee’s next offensive coordinator. He found that in former Michigan offensive coordinator and Central Michigan head coach Mike DeBord, the man who gave Jones his first coordinator position 13 years ago.
DeBord will replace Mike Bajakian as the leader of the Volunteer offense after Bajakian left Knoxville to serve as the OC of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bajakian’s unexpected departure three weeks into January left the Vols searching for new leadership well after most other major coaching vacancies had been filled, but Jones never panicked.
Rather than jumping right away to make a flashy hire he took his time and thoroughly evaluated his options, leaving no stone unturned in his search for the right man for the job among a limited pool of candidates.
And although DeBord hasn’t coached in any capacity since 2012 and hasn’t coached at the college level since 2007, Jones still felt he was the man capable of engineering a dynamic offense around UT’s core of young, exciting playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.
In three years as the OC at Michigan from 1997-99 and four years as the head coach at Central Michigan from 200-2003 (where Jones served as his OC in 2002-03) his offenses never ranked in the top 25 in the nation in total offense or scoring offense. But DeBord was also never given the keys to an offense with this much dynamic athleticism.
He’ll have two superstar tailbacks in Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara that he’ll be able to use in a number of creative ways without concerning himself with overusing either back. He’ll also inherit a string of standout wide receivers, including incoming four-star prospect Preston Williams and returning stars Pig Howard, Von Pearson and Marquez North.
But where DeBord should really shine as an offensive mind will be in his leadership of UT’s quarterbacks and offensive line. He began his career as an offensive line coach at Michigan, and should be able to work wonders with an offensive line at Tennessee that allowed more sacks than any other team in the SEC.
Considering Tennessee brought in five offensive linemen in this year’s recruiting class, including a pair of four-star offensive tackles, the foundation has been laid for DeBord to build Tennessee’s line into one of the best in the conference in the coming years.
But all of that is moot — the star tailbacks, the explosive wideouts, the emerging offensive line — if DeBord fails in his other title with the Vols, that of quarterbacks coach.
In this area, DeBord inherits perhaps the brightest star on the Tennessee offense in returning dual-threat signal caller Joshua Dobbs. The Volunteers were a struggling 3-5 team limited on offense when Dobbs took over at quarterback, and the team closed the year with a 4-1 record including a bowl victory once Dobbs became the starter under center.
DeBord certainly has a history of developing NFL-caliber quarterbacks during his illustrious coaching career. He worked with the likes of Brian Griese, Drew Henson, Chad Henne and some guy named Tom Brady (maybe you’ve heard of him?) while serving at Michigan both before and after his stints at Central Michigan. This isn’t to say these players lacked talent before working with DeBord, but it is to say the man knows how to refine the skills of already talented quarterbacks to elevate their talent even further.
Dobbs is nothing like those other quarterbacks listed above in that he’s a dual-threat talent, not a prototypical, big-bodied pocket passer. However, Dobbs is not a runner by trade, and he often uses his legs to extend plays rather than on designed runs. He’s still a pass-first quarterback despite his athleticism, and working with DeBord should improve his skills from within the pocket.
Couple those added skills with his athleticism, the potential of better protection in front of him and plenty of talent at the skill positions and you’ve got an offense capable of wreaking havoc in a wide-open SEC East. DeBord is the man who makes this all possible, and while there may be some rust to knock off in the coming weeks and months, he should have an idea of what his offense can do well by the arrival of Week 1 of the 2015 season.
DeBord lacks name recognition and pizzaz, but he’s an accomplished coach with a number of past and present stars in his corner.
“The University of Tennessee has hired a great offensive coordinator in Mike DeBord,” Brady said in a Tennessee media release. Mike was my offensive coordinator in college and helped me develop as a quarterback. He has great knowledge in offensive football and quarterback development, and he will do an outstanding job at Tennessee.”
When one of the greatest pro quarterbacks has that to say of your coaching abilities, you know you’ve done something right. Dobbs may never amount to what Brady has become, but with DeBord at the helm this year’s Vols could be his best work yet.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
