Mahoney out; Wells in on the offensive line

Tennessee head coach Butch Jones has parted ways with offensive line coach Don Mahoney and is promoting offensive quality control coach Walt Wells.

The development doesn’t come as a complete shock as Mahoney was one of the few remaining assistants on Butch Jones’ staff that does not have a contract for next season.

Mahoney was part of the original crew that Jones brought with him to Knoxville in 2013. He’s been a key cog in the turnaround Jones has engineered in four seasons.

The offensive line dealt with multiple injuries this fall but the group also never reached expectations that were generated by a 2016 campaign that saw the Vols rush for the most yards as a team since the 1952 season. It was an offensive front that boasted a ton of experience with four starters back from the previous season.

Wells worked with Mahoney and former offensive coordinator Mike DeBord in the fall with the offensive line. Wells spent a great deal of individual time the second half of the season with left tackle Drew Richmond who improved his consistency a great deal.

Wells has over 20 years coaching experience as we was the offensive line coach at Western Kentucky from 2003-2012. In his last four years with the Hilltoppers, Wells was the offensive coordinator and running game coordinator.

Wells is a native of middle Tennessee and has alot of ties to the mid-state where he will be a factor in recruiting. Wells will be paid $300,000 annually and has a two year contract.