Josh Heupel is leaning on South Dakota roots by way of Missouri to further enhance his University of Tennessee football recruiting department.
Multiple sources tell FootballScoop that Heupel is in the process of adding Jake Breske, like Heupel a native of the “Mount Rushmore State,” to his fledging Volunteers staff.
Breske is being brought to Rocky Top in a director of recruiting-type of role.
Breske has been a member of the Tigers' staff the past five seasons, beginning as a recruiting assistant and then ascending to the role of director of recruiting operations before serving as first-year coach Eli Drinkwitz's director of recruiting for the 2020 season.
Heupel's arrival at Missouri as the school's offensive coordinator in 2016 mirrors the arrival then of Breske. The two trace their roots in South Dakota to Heupel's hometown of Aberdeen and Breske's of Webster to a mere 50 miles apart.
After Heupel's hiring atop the Central Florida program prior to the 2018 season, Breske has remained at Missouri in key recruiting roles for a pair of head coaches – Barry Odom, now Arkansas' defensive coordinator, preceding Drinkwitz in Columbia, Missouri.
His father, Leon, a two-time state championship-winning prep coach in South Dakota and member of that state's high school coaches' association hall of fame, Breske is a former University of South Dakota quarterback.
He owns experience as an on-field collegiate coach earlier in his career.
After serving as an assistant as his high school alma mater, Webster, Breske's earlier coaching roles include first as Valley City State University's quarterbacks coach in 2013 before adding co-offensive coordinator duties in 2014-15.
Heupel, on the verge of naming a defensive coordinator, per sources, is prioritizing his recruiting department at Tennessee in early moves. Among his first hires for the Vols are his former UCF player personnel director Brandon Lawson and former Knights director of on-campus recruiting Angelia Brummett.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest coaching news.