Why Tennessee LBs coach William Inge chose Vols over Alabama under Kalen DeBoer

New Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge could’ve followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington to Alabama.

He could’ve worn a crimson shirt and praised Nick Saban at a podium in Tuscaloosa. And he could’ve talked about bringing his defensive philosophy to Alabama from the national title game, where Washington lost to Michigan in January.

Instead, Inge donned an orange track suit on Monday and finished his introductory press conference with: “Go Vols! Is that what I say – Go Vols?”

This was an unexpected detour for Inge, who had coached with DeBoer for the past five seasons at three different schools – Indiana, Fresno State and Washington.

And he was reportedly headed to Alabama with DeBoer until Tennessee entered the picture at the last moment and snagged him away.

“Literally, all this happened in probably 48 hours,” Inge said.

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Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge addresses the media during a press conference on March 4, 2024.

Inge, 50, gives Tennessee a veteran replacement for linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary, who left for Michigan.

Inge is coming off two phenomenal seasons at Washington, which posted a 25-2 record with a Pac-12 title an appearance in the College Football Playoff national title game. He signed a two-year contract with Tennessee, which pays him $720,000 annually plus bonuses and other perks.

Vols or Tide? Here’s what made Inge’s decision

So why did Inge choose Tennessee over Alabama? He said he saw little difference in the programs, and he wanted a new challenge.

“It was very tough because you have a very good comfort level with a staff, with people, with how you do things,” Inge said. “But then when you have another branded program that’s exactly the same – that may be just as…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-tennessee-lbs-coach-william-193809966.html

Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Publish date : 2024-03-04 19:38:09

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