Josh Heupel's coaching staff has lost a key piece.
Tennessee running backs coach Jerry Mack is heading for the NFL after three seasons in Knoxville, joining the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff Monday.
The news was first reported by 247Sports.
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Mack was among Heupel's first staff hires when he arrived Tennessee in 2021 and spearheaded one of the top running backs rooms in college football last season.
The Vols finished second in the SEC and ninth nationally in rushing, averaging more than 204 yards per game and totaled 2,663 yards and 13 touchdowns between running backs Jaylen Wright, Jabari Small, Dylan Sampson, Khalifa Keith and Cam Seldon.
Wright averaged 7.4 yards and four touchdowns and was the program's first 1,000 yard rusher since Jalen Hurd in 2015. He rushed for 113 yards or more in six of 12 games and scored on runs of 82, 75 and 52 yards.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Tennessee run game posted most productive stretch in program history
Mack had a lengthy and impressive coaching resume, even before coming to Tennessee. He won three MEAC championships in four seasons as a head coach at North Carolina Central and served as the offensive coordinator and associated head coach at Rice in the four years before he joined Heupel's staff.
A Memphis native, Mack played one season at Jackson State and finished his college playing career at Arkansas State.
Mack was previously linked to the Middle Tennessee State head coaching vacancy in December but former Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason ultimately landed the job.
There hasn't been much coaching attrition under Heupel over the last three and a half seasons, but he has a track record of promoting from within.
Former wide receivers coach Kodi Burns left for the NFL after one season at Tennessee and was replaced by Kelsey Pope, who was promoted from an offensive analyst role after the 2021 season.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Ranking Tennessee's offensive position groups for 2024
Joey Halzle, who served on Heupel's staff at Central Florida, was Tennessee's quarterbacks coach in 2022 before being elevated to offensive coordinator after Alex Golesh accepted the USF head coaching job last year.
Regardless of what direction Heupel chooses to go in to replace Mack, Tennessee is currently in good shape at the running backs position heading into spring practices.
Though Wright and Small are bound for the NFL Draft, Sampson headlines the room after an impressive sophomore campaign while Seldon is expected to take on a bigger role.
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