Tag Archives: Willie Martinez

Tennessee assistant coaching salaries remain unchanged for now

Linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen watches practice at Neyland Stadium earlier this month (photo by Evan Woodbery).

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — We updated our Tennessee football staff salary database last month and found no changes to the contracts originally signed by Vols’ assistant when they were by Butch Jones.

However, amid reports and speculation that one or more assistants were in line for a post-National Signing Day raise, we promised to keep checking.

UT responded to our public-records request this week and said there have been no changes to the contracts we were given last month. That means the salaries listed below still stand.

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All assistants signed two-year deals upon being hired. The second year of the deals run from March 1, 2014 to Feb. 28, 2015.

Most of the raise speculation  has centered on linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen, the Rivals.com recruiter of the year who helped land several major prospects for the Vols.

But any significant raise to Thigpen might require raises for other coaches to avoid upsetting the hierarchy. After the coordinators, assistant head coach Steve Stripling is the highest paid assistant. Willie Martinez became the second-highest paid non-coordinator when he was given the title “assistant head coach for defense.”

As we said last month, salary adjustments are still possible — maybe even likely. But as of this week, they haven’t taken effect. But we’ll keep checking.

Tennessee spring football Saturday roundup (photos, video, .gifs)

Butch Jones at practice on Saturday (photos by Evan Woodbery)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee coach Butch Jones started his tenure last spring with several practices forced indoors by chilly weather.

So perhaps the two brilliant days on Friday and Saturday are a good omen for his second season.

Jones didn’t talk to reporters on Saturday, as he handled Junior Day duties. But we did have interesting interviews with Corey Vereen, Marquez North, Cameron Sutton and others.

You can read all our coverage on GoVolsXtra, although some content is for subscribers only.

You’ll want to check out at least the beginning of today’s practice video for some solid one-on-one footage.

Here’s some of what I wrote about Sutton, who has been victimized by the Von Pearson show so far in spring camp:

Tennessee sophomore cornerback Cameron Sutton made some nice stops during drills on Saturday morning, but he’s having hard time forgetting one play on which he was burned badly Friday night.

In that play, junior college newcomer Von Pearson caught a pass near the sidelines, juked left and then turned upfield, all but buckling the knees of Sutton, normally one of the Vols’ fastest and most reliable defensive backs.

Why can’t Sutton forget it?

Because it’s playing on a loop over and over again in the Tennessee football football facility as part of the daily practice highlights.

“He’s shifty,” Sutton said of Pearson.

When Jones said the 14 early-enrolled newcomers would elevate the level of competition in spring camp, this is what he had in mind.

Not only will players like Pearson and highly rated freshman receiver Josh Malone create new competition at receiver, they’ll also be providing tougher daily tests for the secondary.

I also wrote about Vereen, who lived up to Butch Jones’ billing as a serious and studious worker. Here’s a snippet from his interview, and a little bit of Marlin Lane.

Offensive graduate assistant Nick Sheridan on Saturday (photo by Evan Woodbery)

The Vols didn’t have much coaching staff turnover during the offseason, but they did welcome a new offensive graduate assistant in Nick Sheridan, who will work a lot with the quarterbacks.

Sheridan is a former Michigan quarterback who last worked at South Florida.

Check out more photos and .gifs after the jump. Or click here for a link to the full gallery.

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Ranking the recruiters: Tommy Thigpen has been consistently near the top

Tommy Thigpen coaches Malik Foreman in practice last August (photo by Evan Woodbery)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen, who was named Rivals.com recruiter of the year earlier this month, is one of several assistants who scored well in 247Sports’ recruiter rankings.

247Sports added the new ranking to its arsenal about a year ago, and has since used its database to rank assistant coaches from past years as well. (The numbers are not as complete as 2014, but are still useful to review).

The rankings show that Thigpen’s prowess as a recruiter is nothing new.

The change in coaching staffs at Tennessee makes it difficult to get an exact picture in 2013.

But in 2011 and 2012, Thigpen was No. 5 and No. 18 nationally, respectively, credited with signing a dozen recruits who helped build Auburn’s SEC championship team in 2013.

If recruiting rankings were once controversial, 247Sports opened up a whole new realm by ranking the recruiters. Initially, I thought coaches would freak out. Coaches are already a competitive breed, and I thought we’d see internal fights about who gets credit for signing each recruit. Maybe that stuff occurs behind the scenes, but I think most coaching staffs have long since made their peace with the recruiting industry. And 247Sports (full disclaimer: the company is a News Sentinel partner with GoVols247) has done a nice job pushing the franchise into new territory.

So let’s take a look at the 2014 rankings. Thigpen, No. 10 overall, was listed as the primary or secondary recruiter on an incredible 17 prospects in this cycle. (Second place was Cincinnati’s Robert Prunty with 14).

Other Vols assistants ranked this year:

Despite a midseason knee injury, running backs coach Robert Gillespie was a prolific recruiter. (photo by Evan Woodbery)

No. 28: Running backs coach Robert Gillespie

No. 38: Tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Mark Elder

No. 60: Defensive line coach and assistant head coach Steve Stripling

No. 107: Defensive backs coach Willie Martinez

No. 150: Receivers coach Zach Azzanni

Nationally, 247Sports said the top recruiter was Georgia’s Bryan McClendon. Former Vol quarterback and current USC assistant Tee Martin was No. 2.

But small sample sizes or a singe elite player can skew the one-year rankings. In 2013, there was a largely new crop of names in the top 10. (McClendon was No. 122; Martin was No. 92). Florida State’s Jeremy Pruitt, now defensive coordinator at Georgia, was No. 1.

The fluctuation shows that plenty of factors lead to a good recruiting ranking. It could depend on the number of players a team plans to sign at a certain position or whether it was a particularly strong year for a certain geographical area.

But Thigpen’s strength seems to transcend those fluctuations. And it’s worth noting that he was a closer of sorts for the Vols’ staff. Butch Jones put him on recruits that weren’t necessarily at his position or his geographic area.

Thigpen came to Tennessee after Auburn dismissed its staff in the wake of a dismal 2012 season. His link to Butch Jones’ Midwestern crew was Martinez, who was also on that Auburn staff in 2012.

Auburn’s coaching staff was stocked with top recruiters — including Trooper Taylor, running backs coach Curtis Luper, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes and others. Coaches always pretend not to care about recruiting rankings, but it was either Taylor or Luper who once said (and I’m paraphrasing here), “If they’re keeping score, I want to win.”

That was refreshing honesty. And there’s no doubt that Thigpen has won a lot.

A look at 2014 salaries for UT football coaches, support staff

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KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — We’re running our annual review of salaries in the Tennessee football program in tomorrow’s News Sentinel. Subscribers can check out the full story on GoVolsXtra later tonight.

There weren’t many changes between 2013 and now,  as you can see for yourself in the two charts.

Among on-field coaches, there was no change at all. All nine coaches are working under the same contract — and same salary — they had 365 days ago.

That jibes with Dave Hart‘s comments during a round of interviews in December. Hart didn’t seem inclined to give raises for assistants who were in the middle of two-year contracts.

Of course, things can change if another team comes calling. But if UT’s assistants were shopping for new jobs this offseason, we didn’t hear anything about it.

Only one assistant has been given a raise during Butch Jones’ tenure, and that was more than a year ago. Defensive backs coach Willie Martinez signed a new deal on Feb. 10, 2013 that increased his base and supplemental pay from $280,000 to $350,000. About that same time, Martinez added the title of assistant head coach for defense.

All the coaches are under contract through Feb. 28, 2015 — essentially, the 2014 season. One-year contracts were once the standard for assistants, but multi-year deals are becoming more routine.

Because the last pay cycle in the current contract runs from March 1, 2014 to Feb. 28, 2015, we’ll check again in March to see if there have been any alterations to the deals in place now.

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GVX Reporter’s notebook: Vols practice ‘in the fast lane’ Wednesday night (with video and photos)


KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee added the Eagles to its practice playlist on Wednesday night.

The Eagles are performing Thompson Boling Arena, so “Life in the Fast Lane” was blaring during the pre-practice period. Defensive backs coach Willie Martinez seemed to enjoy it, although most of the players were probably oblivious.

Fortunately, we quickly returned to A$AP Ferg before too long.

Trivia question of the day, shared by Butch Jones on the mic: “Who has more sacks: A.J. Johnson or Cam Sutton?”

(Answer: Sutton).

We saw more of the same special teams drills that we did on Tuesday, with an emphasis on tackling and wrapping up returners.

The Vols also unveiled black jerseys for the scout team, which will be playing Vanderbilt.

We talk to assistant coaches Wednesday night. No Butch Jones, and he also gets a break from Vol Calls because of the off-week.

Some scenes from a receivers’ drill.

Vols wrap up Wednesday practice in chilly weather (photo gallery)

Running backs coach Robert Gillespie talks to running back Deanthonie Summerhill on Wednesday. (Photo by Evan Woodbery)

 

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee practiced for a couple of hours late Wednesday afternoon in Knoxville.

There’s a freeze warning tonight, and it’s already starting to get chilly.

No word on if that’s why a portion of practice was indoors, but as a native Michigander, Butch Jones seems unlikely to worry about a mild chill.

We didn’t get to see much today, but here’s a photo gallery. More notes and quotes coming after we talk to assistant coaches this evening.

Running backs coach Robert Gillespie looks on as running back Marlin Lane (15) goes through drills.

Defensive backs Willie Martinez coaches during a drill on Wednesday (Photo by Evan Woodbery)

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Tennessee practice highlights from Tuesday (video)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — This is a bye week, not an off-week, Tennessee coach Butch Jones reminded players (and media) on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s practice video includes plenty of receiver action, some offensive line blocks, some quarterbacks, some Young Jeezy and more.

Watch the video above in your highest available HD settings for best quality.

Tennessee football: Preparing for Austin Peay (videos)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee’s season opener against Austin Peay is only 48 hours away and the first week of in-season practice is coming to a close.

The video above, shot Wednesday, has a look at defensive backs coach Willie Martinez in action.

Good news! We’ve won our legal battle against Rich Homie Quan and his team of attorneys and our video from Tuesday (which had been flagged for copyright violations) is now back online. You can view it below.

As always, watch the videos in your highest available HD settings for best results.

Tennessee football practice: Video highlights from Day 3

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — After three consecutive days of practice in the hot sun, the Vols are starting to get sore and tired and players could be excused for being a bit cranky.

But coach Butch Jones continued to be pleased with the team’s effort on Sunday.

“I challenged our leadership; I put them in stressful situations. For the most part I thought they responded,” he said.

The Vols resume practice for a fourth day in a row at about 4:40 p.m. on Monday. For now, check out the video above from Day 3.

Tennessee football practice quick hits: Shells on and intensity heats up

Alex Ellis, Tennessee

Tennessee tight end Alex Ellis looks in a pass from the JUGS gun during a practice drill on Aug. 4, 2013 at Haslam Field in Knoxville. (Photo by Evan Woodbery)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee players wore shells (shoulder pads and helmets) for their third practice on Sunday, so while full-pad hitting is still a couple of days away, there was room for a little more contact.

We’ll talk to players and coach Butch Jones when practice ends this evening. For now, here are some quick observations from the media viewing period.

* The first of several one-on-one competitions at midfield featured running back Alden Hill against linebacker Kenny Bynum. Because these scrums are surrounded by a wall of players, we didn’t see who won.

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