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Tennessee football: 5 reasons for concern over Vols hiring OC Jim Chaney

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images) /
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Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images /

Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt hired Jim Chaney to replace Tyson Helton. Here are five concerns over the new Volunteers offensive coordinator.

Given the state of the search, Tennessee football fans have reason to be ecstatic about hiring Jim Chaney as their new offensive coordinator. The Vols launched a coup and pulled him away from the Georgia Bulldogs, something that everybody should celebrate.

However, Rocky Top should pump the brakes just for a minute. Don’t forget that nobody cried when Dave Hart didn’t try to keep Jim Chaney on staff when he fired Derek Dooley back in 2012. Everybody was fine to see him go.

Chaney, for all of his success based on his numbers, comes with numerous faults. Tennessee football fans may have forgotten that, but they could remember it pretty quickly once he takes over the program again.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate him returning to Knoxville. And it’s a pretty safe bet that he’ll end up being better than Tyson Helton. The guy’s resume is stellar enough to prove he is a very good offensive coach.

The negatives, though, are there. And they can be substantial. In this post, we’re going to look at those negatives and why they could be a bit concerning for the Vols as Jeremy Pruitt moves into his second season.

These issues could relate to the fit of the talent with what Jim Chaney wants to run on Rocky Top, his own results, and circumstantial evidence that make people rightly question him. We’re going to delve into all of that here.

Even if he fits with what Pruitt wants to run, I don’t consider him the grand slam that Hugh Freeze or Kendal Briles would have been. For a team that like the Vols that doesn’t have the talent to compete in the conference yet, that could be a huge issue.

So let’s break down what could be problematic about this new offensive coordinator move. Just so everybody knows, the hire is a good hire overall. We’re just breaking down some of its faults. These are the five biggest concerns of Tennessee football bringing back Jim Chaney.

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