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Tennessee will have a void to feel on its coaching staff this offseason, after all.
Mike Ekeler, who has served as the Vols’ special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach the last four seasons, is leaving the program for the same role at Nebraska.
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InsideNebraska confirmed reports of Ekeler’s departure Monday.
A Nebraska native, it will be a reunion for Ekeler, who coached at the school as its linebackers coach under former Cornhuskers head coach Bo Pelini from 2008-10.
Ekeler had assistant coaching stints at Indiana, Southern California, Georgia, North Texas, North Carolina and Kansas before joining Josh Heupel‘s inaugural staff at Tennessee in 2021.
Ekeler was one of three assistant coaches whose contracts were set to expire at the end of January. Defensive coordinator Tim Banks signed an extension with the Vols late last month after leading a top 10 unit on the way to Tennessee’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
Ekeler and defensive backs coach Willie Martinez were the remaining coaches who at least had a publicly announced contract extension.
The Vols’ were nearing spring practices without any coaching turnover for the first time in more than four seasons. Tennessee lost wide receivers coach Kodi Burns to the NFL after one season in 2021 and offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Alex Golesh took the head coaching job at USF following the Vols’ record-setting season in 2022.
Both running backs coach Jerry Mack and linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary left for the same roles in the NFL and Michigan, respectively at the end of the 2023 season.
In three of those cases, Heupel promoted from within, elevating analyst Kelsey Pope to coach wide receivers and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle to offensive coordinator, while moving Alec Abeln from an analyst role to tight ends coach.
Tennessee hired De’Rail Sims away from Louisville to coach running backs and William Inge from Washington to fill the linebackers coach role last offseason.
It remains unclear what direction Heupel will go in to replace Ekeler. The Vols averaged 15.7 yards per punt return in 2024—good for ninth among FBS teams–while allowing 6.7 yards per return.
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Tennessee special teams coach Mike Ekeler has announced that he will be leaving the Volunteers to join the coaching staff at Nebraska. Ekeler, who has been with Tennessee since 2018, has helped lead the special teams unit to great success during his time with the program.
In a statement, Ekeler expressed his gratitude for his time at Tennessee and his excitement for the opportunity to return to Nebraska, where he previously coached from 2008-2010. He thanked the players, coaches, and fans for their support and said he looks forward to the next chapter in his coaching career.
During his tenure at Tennessee, Ekeler’s special teams unit has been a key part of the team’s success, consistently ranking among the best in the SEC. His departure is sure to be felt by the Volunteers, but Nebraska fans are surely thrilled to welcome him back to the program.
We wish Coach Ekeler the best of luck in his new role at Nebraska and thank him for his contributions to the Tennessee football program.
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Tennessee football news, Mike Ekeler departure, Nebraska hiring coach, Special teams coach leaving, College football updates
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