Derrick Ansley is Vols newest million dollar man

Tennessee’s new defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley is a $1 million dollar coach, and for the first time in school history, the University of Tennessee is paying both its offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator seven figures.

In an MOU released by the University, Ansley has a three-year contract that will pay him $1 million annually. In January, Jeremy Pruitt hired Jim Chaney to be his offensive coordinator in a three year deal that starts in Year 1 at $1.5 million.

Ansley, who worked at Tennessee previously under Derek Dooley and was a GA at Alabama for Jeremy Pruitt, comes back to Rocky Top from the NFL where he was the league’s highest-paid DB coach in Oakland.Pruitt said on Friday that Ansley was ready to be a defensive coordinator and that Ansley will call plays.

Ansley’s contract also has provisions in it if he elects to leave Tennessee for another job. If Ansley leaves for a lateral position in college football he would owe 60 percent of what is left on his contract.

If Ansley leaves for an FBS head coaching position, an NFL head job or an NFL defensive coordinator job, then he would owe Tennessee nothing.

If Tennessee were to fire him without cause then the University would owe him what is owed on the remaining portion of his three-year deal.