Tennessee to hire UGA offensive coordinator Jim Chaney

The long wait is over.

Tennessee is set to hire Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney to the same position, sources confirmed to VolQuest.com. The official announcement is expected to come on Wednesday.

GoVols247 first reported the news.

Chaney returns to Rocky Top, having previously coached at Tennessee under both Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley. He has presided over multiple Top 10 offenses at Georgia, with his 2018 unit averaging 37.9 points per game and 7.05 yards per play.

Jeremy Pruitt has been looking for an offensive coordinator replacement since Tyson Helton took the head coaching job at Western Kentucky on Nov. 27. Chaney will be Tennessee’s fourth offensive coordinator in as many years. Chaney’s is under contract at Georgia for two more years which means Chaney or the Vols will owe Georgia a buyout somewhere around $500k.

Pruitt interviewed multiple candidates, including Hugh Freeze, former Oklahoma State OC Mike Yurcish, Kendal Briles and others. Chaney checks multiple boxes for Pruitt, though, as he has extensive SEC experience and has developed quarterbacks from Drew Brees (Purdue) to Nathan Peterman (Pitt) and Jake Fromm (UGA).