Jeremy Pruitt tabs former Vol assistant Derrick Ansley for job

On the heels of firing cornerbacks coach Terry Fair on Friday, Jeremy Pruitt already has already found his replacement.

Tennessee is set to tab Oakland Raiders defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley, sources confirmed to VolQuest.com. GoVols247 first reported the news.

Ansley, per a source, was the highest-paid defensive backs coach in the NFL and will likely command a co-defensive coordinator title and a three-year contract with the Vols. It will be the veteran assistant’s second-stint in Knoxville after serving as Tennessee’s cornerbacks coach in 2012 under Derek Dooley.

Ansley brings a wealth of SEC experience and knowledge of Pruitt’s defensive scheme. He also has a strong recruiting prowess, helping Alabama land top defensive backs Xavier McKiney and Saivion Smith.

Ansley spent two different stints at Alabama, first as a graduate assistant in 2010 and then as the defensive backs coach in 2016 and 2017. Ansley also spent three years at Kentucky from 2013 to 2015.

Ansley is an Alabama native who played at Troy (2001-04) and started his coaching career at a small coached in Montgomery.

With Friday's changes, Tennessee will have a number of new (yet old) faces on the staff in 2019, as Terry Fair, Charles Kelly and Tyson Helton are out, while Jim Chaney, Tee Martin and Ansley all return to Rocky Top.