Jaguars reportedly eying Vols’ Jerry Mack to be RB coach

The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the verge of finalizing an agreement to hire Tennessee Volunteers assistant coach Jerry Mack to their coaching staff, according to 247Sports. Mack would reportedly fill the Jaguars’ running backs coach vacancy.

Mack, 43, has spent his entire coaching career in the collegiate ranks with stops at Memphis and Rice, among other schools, as well as a head coaching stint at North Carolina Central. In 2021, he landed at Tennessee as running backs coach.

With the Volunteers, Mack coached a rushing attack that finished the 2023 season 10th in the country in yards per game with 204.9. Junior Jaylen Wright led the way for the program with 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in only 12 games and backups Dylan Sampson and Jabari Small combined for more than 1,000 yards in relief of Wright.

The Jaguars have a rising star at the running back position in Travis Etienne Jr., but they’ve struggled to find another player to spell him. Despite investing in the draft by selecting Snoop Conner and Tank Bigsby, and also signing D’Ernest Johnson in free agency, the team’s rushing game has predominantly gone through Etienne.

Jacksonville finished the 2023 season with the third fewest yards per carry (3.6), ahead of only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints. Bernie Parmalee was fired as running backs coach shortly after the year ended.