Tennessee Football Trainer explains origins of the catchy nickname

Tennessee took a big step this off -season when head coach Josh Heupel promoted long -time analyst Levorn Harbin in the free coaching position of the external LineBackers, which Mike left behind.

Harbin has been adopted in the Tennessee program since Heubel and its employees in the winter of 2021. After a few years as an analyst as a analyst, Harbin is looking for his shot on the leading group of Tennessee External LineBackers.

However, Tennesses players do not call him coach Harbin.

It is coach Chop.

“That came when I was a coach, GA (assistant) in Auburn,” said Harbin about his catchy nickname when he spoke to the media on Friday. “Senator Tommy Tuberville gave me this nickname, so it comes here. At that time everyone was tight. Everyone had a nickname. My name was Chop, short for pork chop. So because we go. “

More from RTI: Joey Halzle gives an honest assessment where Tennesses has to improve in 2025

Harbin has connections to the coaches of Tennessee, who exceeds his time in Knoxville when he served as a defensive analyst at Auburn when the current Tennessee DL trainer Rodney Garner held the same position with the Tigers. Both coaches came from Auburn to Knoxville at the same time to start the new era from Huppel on Rocky Top.

“Obviously you always like boys their opportunity and all of this,” said Garner on Friday about Harbin. “He is a guy who worked with me at Auburn. He came here, worked with me and worked his way up. It is easy to see how people are rewarded and get this opportunity. “”

In addition to his work with Tennessees, defensive players on the field was also a talented and strong recruitment agent for the Vols. Harbin's recruitability is just another additional bonus to bring it into a full-time assistant position in this low season.

“He does a great job with it,” said Garner about Harbin's recruitment art. “He is relentless. He opens up great jobs that build relationships. He works on it. He builds trust. It adds value. This is one thing that is lost in today's new age of different recruitment methods. He does a great job to build relationships and build trust and ultimately have the opportunity to close people. “

In Harbin's arrival in Knoxville in 2021, however, it was not just about training for the Vols or staying in a new program at Garner. It was about family.

“To be honest, it was my daughter,” said Harbin, why he was drawn by Tennessee. “I had the chance to go to Tennessee or go elsewhere. I also had a lot of friends who had accepted a job here about a month before me. But my daughter, for some reason, she always loved Tennessee. I didn't know that she just wanted to go to school here, so she was a student here. We love it here. The people were great for me and my family. Coach Heupel is great to work for it. Coach (Tim) Banks is great for which you can work. So it was great. “

Be looking forward to Rocky Top Insider to get more Tennessee Spring Camp News, notes and reporting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8algba3p4iw