History shows Tennessee football can have success with great coaches who came from anywhere. That is one area that doesn’t have a common denominator when it comes to alma maters, and they truly do look in all places for greatness.
The Vols’ greatest head coach ever, Robert Neyland, played at Army and eventually became a Brigadier General. Other elite coaches played for UT, including Phillip Fulmer, Johnny Majors, Bowden Wyatt and John Barnhill. Then there are coaches who played for other major programs, including Zora G. Clevenger, John Bender and M.B. Banks.
However, some of the best Tennessee football coaches came directly from rival schools.