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Tennessee football: 5 reasons to be excited about Vols hiring Jim Chaney

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Tennessee mascot Davy Crockett carries the flag across the end zone during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Tennessee mascot Davy Crockett carries the flag across the end zone during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee football is rehiring Jim Chaney to be its offensive coordinator. Here are five reasons to be excited about him returning to the Volunteers as OC.

Well, for once, the rumors were true. Tennessee football is turning towards the past for its new offensive coordinator. Jeremy Pruitt has lured Jim Chaney away from the Georgia Bulldogs to come back to Knoxville and replace Tyson Helton, who just left to take the head coaching job of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

Chaney served as Vols offensive coordinator for three years under Derek Dooley. He also was technically Lane Kiffin’s offensive coordinator, but Kiffin was the one calling the plays at the time. Anyway, despite UT’s record during that period, Chaney’s return is cause for optimism.

Sure, he’s not the splash hire that Kendal Briles or Hugh Freeze would have been. And he’s highly unexpected given that there were still names available like Matt Canada and Steve Sarkisian. But that doesn’t mean that Tennessee football didn’t do well here.

Chaney has a great reputation that preceded him before Kiffin brought him in the first time way back in 2009. His hire shows that Pruitt really can get big names away from other places, even if those other places are in better shape right now.

After all, Chaney was at a program that secured the greatest recruiting class in college football history just last year. And it’s a program in the Georgia Bulldogs that didn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. As a result, this may have been a coup for Pruitt.

I still maintain that Briles would have been the best hire, but Chaney makes sense for what Pruitt is trying to build. So there’s no reason to think that this hire won’t work out. After all, he was just in the national championship game a year ago.

Simply put, there are lots of good things about bringing Chaney back to Knoxville, even if it’s not a sexy hire. Let’s take a look at them. Here are five reasons for excitement over Tennessee football bringing back Jim Chaney as offensive coordinator.

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