KNOXVILLE — Last week numerous messages became public detailing the fiasco of the Tennessee coaching search under former athletic director John Currie.

One message was sent from Washington State head coach Mike Leach to Currie on Nov. 30 saying that the two would have shared “the first of many beers together” when he interviewed for the UT head coaching job.

Currie then wrote in an email to Tennessee chancellor Dr. Beverly Davenport that “although I have not offered the job of discussed terms with (Leach), he told me that he would take the job if offered” and then added “he would make an excellent choice.”

Currie was then asked to return to Knoxville after meeting Leach in Los Angeles and that is when Dr. Davenport suspended Currie and brought in Phillip Fulmer to take over the coaching search.

Six short days later, Fulmer hired Jeremy Pruitt as head coach and Pruitt then assembled his coaching staff. On Jan. 13, Pruitt hired Memphis wide receivers coach David Johnson for the same capacity. Johnson also served as passing game coordinator for the Tigers.

In 2017, Johnson helped lead Memphis’ offense to No. 2 in the nation, scoring 45.5 points per game, No. 4 in total yards (532.1) and No. 7 in passing yards (334.0). Johnson coached wide receiver Anthony Miller from walk-on to the third consensus All-American in Memphis history. In 2017, Miller set single-season records with 96 receptions (5th nationally), 1,462 yards and 18 touchdowns (tied for first).

Johnson’s success stems to his first college coaching job at Millsaps College, serving as wide receivers and tight ends coach. Former Alabama head coach Mike DuBose was Millsaps’ head coach, and he hired John David Caffey as his offensive coordinator.

Caffey, who had spent two seasons as a graduate assistant under Hal Mumme at New Mexico State, instilled philosophies from Mumme’s air-raid offense at Millsaps. Caffey and Johnson are part of the same coaching tree with Mumme and Leach, as Leach was the right-hand man in Mumme’s air-raid offense, serving as Mumme’s offensive coordinator at Valdosta State (1992-1996) and at Kentucky (1997-1998).

“I was fortunate enough to work for Hal Mumme, the innovator of the air-raid offense, at New Mexico State,” Caffey said in the book Fulmer Hires Pruitt. “We were a fast-paced, no-huddle air-raid offense at Millsaps College and we had fantastic receiver play and that really was all due to Coach Johnson.”

Much like Pruitt and other coaches on UT’s staff, Johnson is charismatic, can coach and is effective on the recruiting trail. He is a natural fit for the Pruitt era at Tennessee.

“Johnson is the most charismatic and likable guy that I have ever coached with,” Caffey said. “He has that leadership ability, that when he is coaching them, the kids know that he loves them and that he cares about them and they know that he is coaching them as good as they are going to get at any level.

“His colloquialisms still stick with me to this day. Before the first game against our huge rival at Mississippi College, just all of a sudden before we were about to head out, Coach Johnson grabbed my arm and he prayed over me because he knew, and I knew, that we were both brothers in Christ and he knew we would both be comfortable in doing it – from that day forward I knew I was David Johnson’s Brother for life.

“As far as recruiting, when he sits down with you or your mother, dad – you may not even talk football just because he is just going to talk to you and it makes you feel like you have known him forever. You trust him because he is a sincere individual and I can see why anybody would want to play for David Johnson.”

Tennessee was close to having Leach install his air-raid offense this spring. They didn’t land him, but his offensive influence still will be felt. The Vols will have the wide receiver fundamentals that are apart of Leach’s offensive system with Johnson’s knowledge that he has taken from being under Caffey.