Rodney Garner Staying at Tennessee

Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Rodney Garner will be staying with the team despite reports that he may be headed to Auburn.

Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner has been one of the program's biggest assets over the past few years. His units routinely disrupted football games, even with a few poor pass defenses. He sends guys to the NFL and recruits at an elite level. With that success comes attention - Garner is an attractive candidate for any university, and Auburn took swings at him this offseason.

Several reports and murmurs made it seem that Garner was interested in returning to his alma mater, but VolQuest's Austin Price confirmed that Garner will return to the University of Tennessee next season. It's big news for Tennessee's coaching staff, which has remained completely intact this offseason.

Head coach Josh Heupel has preached togetherness in his message since arriving, which extends to his assistants. Garner has been a core pillar of what the Vols do defensively and remains one of the top assistants in college football. Getting him back with the orange and white cements an exciting offseason along the defensive line and helps the unit build off a strong showing from the previous season.

Tennessee Volunteers DL coach Rodney Garner during the 2021 Music City Bowl. (Photo by Calvin Mattheis of the News Sentinel)

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