FAU head coach Lane Kiffin is breaking his own news on Twitter. The often controversial but always entertaining head coach is "reporting" that former Tennesee running back Montario Hardesty is joining the Owls' coaching staff.
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New Owl landing tonight. Tennessee Vol Great, Montario Hardesty! Welcome to the family!#GoOwls #Vol4life
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) August 3, 2017
Exactly what Hardesty will be coaching for Florida Atlantic is still up in the air, or at the very least it hasn't been reported yet, but it's safe to assume that he'll probably be involved with the running backs in one way or another.
Kiffin, who's infamous for the way he left his head coaching gig at Tennessee for USC — as well as for the way he was ousted with the Oakland Raiders, but that's a different story — coached Hardesty at Tennessee in 2009, his redshirt senior season.
Perhaps not coincidentally, 2009 was Hardesty's best college season. He rushed 282 times that season for the Vols, notching 1,345 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also caught 25 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown. Over the course of his Tennessee career, he ended up rushing for 2,391 yards and 38 total touchdowns.
He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft but spent only two seasons in the league largely due to injury. Hardesty finished his NFL career with 153 total rushing attempts for 537 total yards and a single touchdown.
Hardesty may seem like somewhat of a random coaching addition, but it's well worth noting that he doesn't lack any experience. He was an intern at Chowan University as part of the NFL Players Association internship program in 2014. He then went to Norfolk State University, where he served three seasons as an assistant coach.
Before joining FAU, Hardesty last served as NSU's running backs coach and special teams coordinator.
