Reportedly Gran's style did not mesh with Tennessee's other coaches. This is another example of FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher going after some of the best coaches in the country.
........This is mostly bad news for Tennessee. Gran, one of my personal favorites on the Chimera ever since reading this story about him and his family (and this free story), has contributed greatly to Tennessee's success in a single short year. He was largely responsible for the resurrection of the Volunteer rushing game, and his fingerprints were all over last year's recruiting class as well as the one developing for this year..........
..........Tennessee's ability to recruit Florida obviously takes a major hit. According to Rivals, Gran was the primary recruiter on four of last year's blue chips, and was a factor in landing Bryce Brown.
Coaching:
Here is some of Gran's work with RBs, courtesy of Tennessee's athletic site:
If he produces the same success in the offensive backfield that he has for the past decade, Vols fans are in for a treat. Seven NFL running backs tutored under Gran at some point in their careers, among them Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, Rudi Johnson and Deuce McAllister. Williams was an All-America at Auburn and earned 2005 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, while Brown and McAllister were NFL first-round picks and Johnson earned 2000 SEC Player of the Year.
Brown, Johnson and McAllister all have played in the Pro Bowl.
Other former Gran-coached professionals who have earned elite status include John Avery, who went from Ole Miss to the NFL to stardom in the Canadian Football League; and Brandon Jacobs, an Auburn Tiger who has compiled back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the New York Giants.
That does not include the work he has done with current Tennessee RB Montario Hardesty. Hardesty, under Gran's direction, has made tremendous strides since last year. Gran was also special teams coordinator at Tennessee and Auburn.
Recruiting:
Gran has a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the country. His expertise is South Florida, which is pretty exciting for Nole fans. Some of the prospects he was recruiting for Tennessee include Matt Elam, Jeff Luc, Chris Dunkley, and Merrill Noel. Marcus Lattmore supposedly has a great relationship with Gran, but I think that ship has sailed in regards to Lattimore and FSU. There is a chance he could be the recruiting coordinator at FSU.
Future Offensive Staff (in my opinion):
OC: James Coley
RB: Eddie Gran
WR: Lawrence Dawsey
TE: Dameyune Craig*
OL: Rick Trickett
*That is a guess. I think that Fisher will find somewhere to put Craig.
These are exciting times, people. We'll have more to come.