Tee Martin reportedly unlikely to leave USC Football for Tennessee

Offensive coordinator Tee Martin will not be leaving USC Football for Tennessee, according to a report, as the Volunteers close in on a head coach hire.

Tee Martin could still leave USC Football for another opportunity this offseason, but it has now become clear the Trojan offensive coordinator won’t be trading in the cardinal and gold for Volunteer orange.

Martin led Tennessee to a national championship has a quarterback in 1998, sparking speculation that he could be in line for the open Tennessee head coaching job, or a lateral move as an offensive coordinator.

However, with news that Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt is set to take the top job in Tennessee, Mark Schlabach of ESPN reported on Wednesday evening that Martin “is not expected to return to his alma mater as offensive coordinator.”

Martin does appear to have head coaching aspirations and has received a glowing endorsement from USC head coach Clay Helton on that score, making the prospect of him taking the offensive coordinator job at Tennessee, or anywhere else, appear unlikely from the start.

However, that doesn’t mean Martin is locked in to stay with the Trojans for 2018. The question is if he has any interest in pursuing a stepping-stone job like Louisiana Lafayette, Kent State or South Alabama or sticking around a marquee program like USC until a more attractive opportunity presents itself.

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It’s worth noting that Pruitt himself had been linked to potential head coach openings in previous years, but he successfully waited for the right moment and appears to have landed a top-tier job.

Martin is considered one of the coaching profession’s rising stars. His USC offense ranks No. 15 in S&P+ this year, averaging 489.5 yards of total offense per game, good for second in the Pac-12.

However, many Trojan fans have had reason to gripe against Martin’s at-times questionable playcalling, particularly with USC ranking dead last in the conference in redzone conversions.

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Whether you choose to focus on the positive or negative, Martin still has much to prove, whether it’s at USC or elsewhere.