The ink was barely dry on his contract, but one of Josh Heupel’s newest assistants is already gone. Michael Hunter joined the Vols on January 2 as one of four new assistants Heupel brought in during the reshuffle. New DC Jim Knowles handpicked him because he was well-versed in the scheme and had already worked in it, but Hunter found an even bigger opportunity awaiting him.

As sources told On3, the Los Angeles Rams are hiring the Vols CB coach Michael Hunter. He was hired in January to coach corners for the 2026 season, and it’s barely a month, and he’s leaving before he ever coached a game. His departure is a blow because he was immediately active on the recruiting trail, playing a key role in landing transfers like Auburn CB Kayin Lee and Miami CB Jadais Richard.

Michael Hunter came over from Ohio State, where he spent the last two years as an assistant DBs coach, mostly working with CBs. Before that, he coached corners and coordinated the defensive pass game at Tulsa in 2023, and earlier worked as a defensive assistant at Oklahoma State, where he also played. 

The Knowles connection runs deep. Michael Hunter worked with him at Oklahoma State in 2021-22 and again at Ohio State, including the Buckeyes’ 2024 national title run when Jim Knowles was the DC. This would have been their third reunion in Knoxville. But the NFL is always the more professional choice. He now returns to the professional ranks, where he previously spent four seasons as a journeyman player for six different NFL franchises before transitioning to coaching.

Michael Hunter’s departure creates a hole in a defensive staff that was just finalized. While DC Jim Knowles and co-DC Anthony Poindexter still anchor the unit, they now must find a new coach to lead the cornerbacks just weeks before spring practice.

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That structure stays, but someone has to coach corners. And spring practice is a little more than a month away. So, Josh Heupel has to quickly restart a search he thought was finished. With Michael Hunter gone, attention turns back to Jim Knowles and his network. 

Has Josh Heupel found a CB coach replacement?

Josh Heupel might let his DC take over this one. Jim Knowles has been coaching at the college level for nearly 40 years. He’s seen just about every version of this situation, which means he won’t be short on phone numbers. But there’s one intriguing option in former Virginia Tech CBs coach Derek Jones, and familiarity also plays a role.

Jones played college football at Ole Miss and coached Virginia Tech’s CBs from 2022 through 2025. He was not retained by the new Hokies head coach, James Franklin, leaving him available at a convenient time for Tennessee. Derek Jones has a long history with Knowles that dates back from 2010 to 2017. The two coached together for eight seasons on David Cutcliffe’s staff at Duke, helping lead the Blue Devils to five bowl games during their tenure.

That doesn’t mean Tennessee has to go that direction. Jim Knowles could look elsewhere, even to the NFL. But Derek Jones checks boxes with familiarity, availability, SEC background as a player. With spring practice just around the corner, time is ticking for the Vols to get a new coach in that room before preparations for the new season begin in earnest.