Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel has found a new director of recruiting. Trey Johnson has been tabbed to take over the role.

Johnson takes over for Angelia Brummett, who left earlier this month. Heupel stayed internal with the hire.

Here are five things to know about Johnson.

In-state ties

Johnson is a Tennessee native and a graduate of Boyd Buchanan High in Chattanooga. He was also a team captain of the Boyd Buchanan football and basketball teams as well. Johnson earned received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Tennessee.

He received his undergraduate degree in business and sports management in 2015 and a master’s degree in recreation and sports management in 2016.

In-state recruiting has been an emphasis for Heupel during his time at Tennessee. The most recent example of that is keeping five-star quarterback George MacIntyre in Tennessee, boosting the 2025 recruiting class.

Scout’s background

Johnson has an extensive background in scouting talent. He served as the  director of scouting and recruiting strategy at Southern Calif. from 2019-20. He helped the Trojans sign a top-10 class that year He was also tasked with running the nationally-acclaimed social media platforms for the Trojans, a role that included team branding and strategy for the Trojans.

Before his time at USC, Johnson was the director of player personnel and pro scout liaison at Liberty in 2017. During his time with the Flames, they landed their highest-rated recruiting class to date. He helped facilitate visits and communications with prospects.

Beginning his career at Tennessee

Johnson was a member of Tennessee’s staff from 2013-16 under Butch Jones. He spent his final two years with the Vols as a graduate assistant in recruiting. During his first two years, he served as a recruiting analyst before transitioning into the graduate assistant role.

While the product on the field with Jones wasn’t the best, the recruiting classes consistently ranked in the top 15 with Johnson working on the staff. Johnson also spent a year working with marketing and social media.

Returning to Tennessee

Johnson was apart of Heupel’s inaugural staff. He was serving as the defensive scouting coordinator, and he had success in the role.

Johnson played a big part in the recruitment of Jordan Ross, Boo Carter, Joshua Josephs, Jeremiah Telander and James Pearce Jr. to name a few. The Vols have commonly been among the first schools to pick out defense talent and get into their recruitment.

Job description

The director of recruiting is tasked with overseeing all on-campus recruiting while coordinating official and unofficial visits. He will also be handling the logistics of Tennessee’s recruiting.

With his background in scouting, he will likely remain involved in that department in his new role as well.