The defensive coordinator carousel continues to spin, with Tennessee the latest to change its leader on that side of the ball.
Confirming speculation that has been growing in recent days, head coach Butch Jones announced that he and coordinator John Jancek “have mutually agreed to part ways.” The move comes five days after UT’s defense held Northwestern to six points in a 39-point Outback Bowl win.
Jancek had spent the past three seasons as Jones’ coordinator in Knoxville. Prior to that, he was with Jones for three years in the same position at Cincinnati. The two were also on the same staff at Central Michigan in 2003 and 2004.
“John and I had a long discussion this morning and we both came to the conclusion that it was best to part ways,” Jones said in a statement. “I want to thank Coach Jancek for his contributions to the University of Tennessee football program the past three years. His hard work and dedication to this program played a major role in our back-to-back bowl wins. These decisions are never easy especially for someone I have worked with at three different schools. We feel strongly about the direction our program is headed and will work diligently to find the best person available to lead our defense.”
The Vols were 36th nationally in total defense this season and 16th in the country -- and fifth in the SEC -- in scoring defense. Their third-down defense was tops in the conference and third of all FBS teams.
As for a potential replacement?
The worst kept secret in the world is that the #Vols are expected to make a strong play for Penn State’s Bob Shoop.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) January 6, 2016
Auburn reached out to Shoop multiple times regarding their coordinating vacancy, but the Nittany Lions coach declined to even speak about the opportunity.
