Tennessee coach poaching of a division rival is complete.
Tuesday night, reports surfaced that Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney was leaving to take the Bulldogs to take the same job with the Volunteers. A day later, UT confirmed Chaney’s hiring.
Welcome back to #RockyTop, Coach Chaney!#PoweredByTheT
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) January 9, 2019
“I’m thrilled to announce Jim Chaney as our offensive coordinator,” head coach Jeremy Pruitt said in a statement. “Jim couldn’t be a better fit for our program at the University of Tennessee. His track record of success guiding offenses speaks for itself from his time at Purdue with Drew Brees to his time in the NFL and his success in the SEC at Georgia, Arkansas, and, of course, previously with the Vols.
“What most impresses me about Jim is his knowledge of the game and also the way he has adapted his offenses to his players’ strengths. He’s had years where he has guided one of the nation’s top passing offenses and years where his offenses have been near the top in rushing. He could coach every position on offense and is a true teacher of the game.
“Jim has proven to be a great mentor for young men, and I’m excited to have him here at Tennessee.”
Chaney has spent the past three seasons in the same job at Georgia, while also serving as the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks coach. The hiring marks a homecoming of sorts as Chaney served as the Vols’ offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach from 2009-12.
It’s believed that the move would also come with a significant raise as Chaney, after making $950,000 in 2018, would see his guaranteed compensation bumped to somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.5 million.
Pruitt has been searching for a new coordinator since Tyson left the program on Nov. 27 to become the head coach at Western Kentucky.