STARKVILLE, MS – September 27, 2025 – Power T helmet and Orange Nike jersey during the game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, MS. Photo By Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

Former Tennessee football star player and multi-time assistant coach Marion Hobby is expected to be returning to the NFL. Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that the Indianapolis Colts are expected to hire Hobby as the franchise’s new defensive line coach.

Hobby spent this past 2025 season on the Vols’ staff as a defensive analyst. However, he was set to spend 2026 with Arkansas as the Razorbacks’ defensive line coach.

Hobby’s playing days at UT were in the late 1980s under Johnny Majors. He was a First-team All-SEC pick in 1989 before being picked 74th overall in the round of the 1990 NFL Draft. The Vikings would trade him to the Patriots, where he played three seasons.

The #Colts are expected to hire Arkansas’ Marion Hobby as defensive line coach, sources tell @CBSSports.

Hobby, who has 10 years of NFL experience, worked with Indy DC Lou Anarumo in Cincinnati from 2021-24. Helped Trey Hendrickson post a total of 35 sacks in 2023 and ‘24. pic.twitter.com/zVE1LdAsgb

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 12, 2026

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Hobby got into coaching in 1995 at UT Martin as the strength and conditioning coach. After one year there, he spent two with Louisiana-Lafayette as the defensive tackles/strength and conditioning coach.

That made way for his return to his alma mater, Tennessee, in 1998. He served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach under Phillip Fulmer on the team that won UT’s most recent football national title.

After that lone season on Rocky Top, Hobby served as Ole Miss’ defensive line coach from 1999-2004. He moved to Clemson as the defensive ends coach in 2005 before beginning his NFL coaching career. From 2006-07, Hobby was the Saints’ defensive ends coach.

In 2008, Hobby returned to college coaching. He was the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Duke from 2008-10. Then, he returned to Clemson as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach. After winning the 2016 national title with the Tigers, he went back to the NFL to serve as the defensive line coach with the Jaguars, Dolphins, then Bengals.

In 2025, he was a defensive analyst at UT under Josh Heupel and then-defensive coordinator Tim Banks. He took the role as the defensive line coach at Arkansas before the NFL and Colts came calling again.