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Albert Haynesworth says his ex-teammate Tee Martin would be the perfect fit to take over as head coach at Tennessee ... but says it'll never happen because he's black.

Martin isn't just a legend at UT -- he's also been a rising star as the offensive coordinator at USC ... with both Yahoo! Sports and Sports Illustrated naming him on lists of best candidates for a head coaching job.

Haynesworth tells TMZ Sports ... the QB who brought a national championship to Tennessee would be the right move -- but says he's highly doubtful it'll actually happen.

"I don't think it's necessarily racism, but I think it's more like placism. They don't think a black candidate can lead UT or maybe they just don't want a black candidate leading UT."

Haynesworth is calling for his alma mater to consider more black coaches in their search -- but says he'd still be happy with several white coaches including Jon Gruden and Chris Petersen.

Haynesworth says he's had discussions with his other teammates on his 1998 national championship team ... and says they all want a proven coach who can help bring them back into title contention.