Tennessee football: 5 coaching replacements for Jeremy Pruitt

3. Scott Satterfield, Louisville

Hiring a coach off of a 4-7 season might not be the hire Tennessee fans are looking for, but everything else about Satterfield’s history as a coach suggests that he could get it done in the SEC. After helping Appalachian State transition from the FCS to FBS, Satterfield reeled off five-straight winning seasons, going 51-24 overall. After moving to a Louisville program that looked completely dead in the water after losing Lamar Jackson and suffering through a Bobby Petrino reign, Satterfield won eight games in his first season with the Cardinals.

It took a while, but Micale Cunningham has become a quality passer under the former App State quarterback’s watch. Satterfield’s ability to develop talent deserves praise as well, as Mekhi Becton had a very impressive start to his career in the NFL while receiver Tutu Atwell looks ready to unleash his speed on the NFL.

While Satterfield will have plenty of questions to answer if he got the Vols job, one certainty is the fact that the Volunteers passing game, which has struggled under the direction of some disappointing passers like Jarrett Guarantano, will improve the second he touches down. If he can prove his worth on the recruiting trail, a part of the job that Pruitt admittedly excelled at, there is no reason to assume that Satterfield wouldn’t turn this ship around.