Letting Mike Ekeler walk seemed to give off the vibe that the Tennessee Football coaching staff understand special teams for what it is: A WAY smaller portion of the game than people think and one that’s dwindling given the new rules and increased plays. However, UT’s new hires suggest otherwise.
The Vols addressed losing Ekeler as special teams coordinator by promoting one assistant coach and hiring another. First reported by Austin Price of VolQuest, Tennessee promoted Evan Crabtree from an off-field staff member to special teams coordinator.
However, the splash was the fact that Heupel lured John Bonamego out of retirement to become the Tennessee Football special teams assistant coach. Bonamego who was head coach of the Central Michigan Chippewas from 2015 to 2018, is one of the most highly respected kicking game coaches at any level.
From 1999 to 2014, Bonamego served as a special teams coordinator in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions. For what it’s worth, he also made three straight bowl appearances at CMU before a bad 1-11 year in 2018.
Still, at every stop in the pros, he turned special teams into a strength, which helped the Jags have the best record in the league when he got there in 1999, the Saints earn their first bye ever in the NFL Playoffs when he got there in 2006 and the Dolphins go from 1-15 to a playoff team when he got there in 2008. Yeah, he’s that successful.
Most recently, Bonamego was a senior analyst for the Iowa State Cyclones under Matt Campbell, so he has plenty of college experience. His hire, despite being the lesser role on the Tennessee Football coaching staff, is the splash that proves Heupel is shooting big.
Special teams star coach in waiting
Technically working above Bonamego, Crabtree is a former long snapper for the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks. He’s a rare special teams analyst who carried more than just a title in recent years. The role of long snapping is an underrated part of making kicking and punting successful. Justin Tucker’s NFL drop-off happened after Pro Bowl long snapper Morgan Cox left.
Heupel seems to clearly understand that, and the promotion of Crabtree will go a long way toward having a focus on making life easier on the kicker and punter, not just the kicker and punter being elite. The first part of that is half the battle when it comes to special teams.
On top of that, Crabtree can learn from Bonamego a level of creativity that should make the Vols a dominant force on special teams. With weapons like Boo Carter, the Tennessee Football kicking game could be dominant in all three phases next year.
It’s clear without a doubt that by now having two special teams coaches, including one with years of NFL experience, Heupel wants to make sure this small portion of the game helps make a huge difference. Hey, even with his offense, the game does always come down to just a few plays, so maybe he’s onto something.
