{"id":647003,"date":"2026-01-02T02:20:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T02:20:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/647003\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T02:20:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T02:20:18","slug":"tennessee-football-to-hire-ohio-state-assistant-michael-hunter-per-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/647003\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee football to hire Ohio State assistant Michael Hunter, per report"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tennessee football<\/a> is expected to hire Ohio State assistant coach Michael Hunter Jr.<\/a> on Jim Knowles<\/a>‘ defensive staff, CBS Sports<\/a> reported on Jan. 1.<\/p>\n

Hunter is expected to help coach defensive backs in some capacity after Tennessee coach Josh Heupel fired defensive secondary coach Willie Martinez<\/a>. Hunter joins Penn State assistant Andrew Jackson<\/a>, who is reportedly expected to coach in the front seven of the UT defense.<\/p>\n

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Tennessee has not announced Hunter’s hiring. It usually does that only after a contract or memorandum of understanding is signed.<\/p>\n

Hunter spent the past two seasons as an Ohio State assistant defensive backs coach. In 2023, he was Tulsa’s defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach. In 2021-22, he was Oklahoma State’s assistant defensive secondary coach.<\/p>\n

Hunter is familiar with Knowles’ defensive scheme. He worked under him at Oklahoma State and Ohio State, including the Buckeyes<\/a>‘ 2024 national team that featured the nation’s best defense.<\/p>\n

As a player, Hunter was a standout cornerback at Indiana and Oklahoma State. He was on six NFL rosters from 2016-19, including the New York Giants, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs.<\/p>\n

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Hunter would be among numerous additions to Knowles’ defensive staff. In December, Heupel hired Knowles to replace fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com<\/a>. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks<\/a>. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com\/subscribe<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.<\/a><\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Michael Hunter: Tennessee football to hire Ohio State assistant, per report<\/a><\/p>\n