Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt speaking on the hire of Jim Chaney as offensive coordinator leads our Volunteers news for Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019.
The news surrounding the Tennessee Vols continues to pour in a day after they finally named their offensive coordinator, and if the reactions were mixed initially, you’re not seeing it now. Jim Chaney’s return has sparked numerous positive vibes.
Our updates on Rocky Top have multiple reports related to the hire. This includes details of his hire and what was being said about him. But even without Chaney being named, there would be a lot of news to get to today. The football team also lost a coach, which will discuss.
Meanwhile, women’s basketball has a game for us to preview and a player who is getting national recognition. And we have a preseason poll of another sport to bring you. But to nobody’s surprise, the Chaney news is the lead.
Jeremy Pruitt speaks on Jim Chaney – Sports Talk, WNML
Tennessee Vols football head coach Jeremy Pruitt spoke on WNML’s Sports Talk about the Jim Chaney hire for offensive coordinator Wednesday. He talked about there being no need to rush the search, noting that spring practice didn’t start until March and that the early signing period made it more important to focus on recruiting. Here’s a bit of what else he said.
"“I think the most important thing in this hire is to make sure we got the right guy. You try to do your due diligence and figure out the right fit for the job, and there are certain guys out there that you don’t have to interview. Their kind of resume speaks for itself, what they do every Saturday.”"
Details of Jim Chaney contract revealed – Patrick Brown, GoVols247
It looks like Jim Chaney is getting a nice pay raise. The new Tennessee Vols offensive coordinator, whom Jeremy Pruitt hired away from the Georgia Bulldogs, had his contract details revealed Wednesday. Chaney is slated for a three-year deal worth $4.8 million, which would surpass the Michigan Wolverines’ Pep Hamilton to make him the highest paid offensive coordinator in the nation.
"Chaney is slated to make $1.5 million in 2019 with $100,000 raises built into the deal the following two years of his deal, which runs through the end of January 2022. He will make $1.6 million in 2020 and $1.7 million in 2021."
Akron hires UT quality control coach – Beacon Journal, Ohio.com
Tennessee Vols football quality control coach Shelton Felton has been hired by the Akron Zips as the new inside linebackers head coach. Felton is reuniting with new Akron head coach Tom Arth, where the two worked at the Chattanooga Mocs before Jeremy Pruitt hired him to Rocky Top. He is one of 10 assistants announced as part of Arth’s staff Wednesday.
"“We are proud to announce the hiring of the majority of our coaching staff,” Arth said in the release. “This is a great group who will not only be able to teach, lead, and recruit our student-athletes at the highest level, but will also be outstanding representatives of the University of Akron and excellent role models for each member of our program.”"
Rennia Davis on Wooden Midseason Top 25 watch list – WoodenAward.com
Tennessee Lady Vols sophomore is on the John R. Wooden Award midseason Top 25 Watch List. The Wooden Award goes to the best player in the nation, and Davis has made a splash this year averaging 15.5 points per game and nearly eight and a half rebounds.
"The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2019 John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s. The leading candidates will be further pared to 20 top players in early February. Fifteen top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA will be submitted to voters on the Final Ballot prior to the NCAA Tournament."
Tennessee Lady Vols to host Kentucky – UTSports
The No. 13 ranked Tennessee women’s basketball team is schedule to host the No. 16 ranked Kentucky Wildcats Thursday night. At 12-2 and 1-1 in the SEC, Tennessee is looking to recover from a Sunday home loss to the Missouri Tigers. Meanwhile, at 14-2 and 1-1 in the SEC, Kentucky is trying to rebound from a 15-point road loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs from this past Sunday.
"Tip-off is slated for 7:02 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena, with the game being carried by the SEC Network, the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM.This marks the 67th meeting between these programs in a series that ranks behind only UT-Vanderbilt (80 games) and now ties with UT-Georgia (67 games) for most times played."
Men’s tennis ranked No. 19 in preseason poll – ITA.com
The Tennessee Vols men’s tennis team is ranked No. 19 in the 2019 preseason poll. They finished No. 18 in 2018 after going 21-9 and 8-4 in the SEC, and they return five of six singles starters under first-year head coach Chris Woodruff. There are four SEC teams ahead of them: The Mississippi State Bulldogs, Florida Gators, Texas A&M Aggies and Georgia Bulldogs.