Joey Halzle's First Three Objectives As OC

Quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle accepted the Tennessee offensive coordinator position on Thursday. Halzle has several objectives before the Volunteers take the field in the fall.

Tennesse lost previous offensive coordinator Alex Golseh to USF several weeks ago. Coming off a historic season, head coach Josh Heupel needed to nail the next hire to ensure momentum continued on Rocky Top.

Heupel kept the opening in-house, promoting quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle to offensive coordinator. Halzle has been on the ascent within the program and now can commandeer an offense.

He has a few tasks he must accomplish over the coming months to ensure they are ready to back up a historic season. Tennessee is in good positioning, but what does Halzle need to do to start the job?

Maximize Spring Practice

Spring murmurs will tell us a lot about where the offense is headed. With so many significant contributors leaving the building, Halzle gets to go through installation periods and ensure tight offensive fundamentals.

While it will be a large undertaking, starting from square one with this group could be advantageous. Halzle won't have to balance the teachings of another offensive coordinator; he can implement concepts he believes in.

Progress won't happen instantaneously. There will be a learning curve and some poor days, but if Halzle can get the offense to compete daily, fans should leave spring practice feeling confident.

Develop Nico Iamaleava

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is perhaps the best signal caller in the 2023 class. He arrived in Knoxville with worlds of expectations and added to them with his performance in bowl practices.

Iamaleava has a chance to garner some snaps in 2023, at minimum. Some think he could push for the starting job. If he can't win it in camp, his name will linger if the offense stagnates at any point.

Halzle's job is to ensure linear growth over the coming years for Iamaleava. He is the No. 1 long-term priority for this program, and he must be treated as such in meeting rooms, on-field practices, and extra sessions.

Establish a Run Game

Tennessee walked over SEC defenses all fall and reached several historical marks. However, when they faced all-world defenses such as UGA, opposing staffs had the personnel to commit numbers in the passing game.

The run game was a flash in the pan; the Volunteers could get multiple 50+ yard carries in a contest or have a nonexistent ground attack for four quarters. Halzle must lay the foundation to weather the highs and lows.

Consistency is the most critical part of the run game, and a lot of that starts with your backs. Tennessee had several electric playmakers, but the running backs struggled to get their eyes from gap to gap and follow the frontside guard on common concepts.

You Might Also Like:

• Halftime Thoughts: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 7 Clemson
• Game Balls: New Faces Shine as Tennessee Downs Clemson In Orange Bowl
• Everything Josh Heupel Said After 2022 Orange Bowl Victory

Join the community:

Follow Evan Crowell on Twitter: @EvanVCrowell

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VolunteerCountry.