Tennessee football offensive coordinator Jim Chaney spoke with the media for the first time Friday night after spring practice #8. Video is courtesy of UT Athletics and VFL Films.

Tennessee Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney – 2019 Spring Practice

March 29, 2019

On deciding to come back to Knoxville: 
“I think anytime you are having to relocate your family there is a lot of serious discussion. We had a wonderful three years at the University of Georgia. Coach Pruitt called me and my wife and I have always enjoyed Knoxville. It is a place that we can see ourselves living for a long time. When Coach Pruitt called, and you never know, but it is one of the few jobs that I ever would have considered leaving the spot I had for. After talking to him and getting to know him, it was an easy decision to come back to the place that I have always enjoyed coaching at and living.”

On comparing himself now to his previous tenure at Tennessee: 
“I am older. I think that is about it. That is a good question, and I have not thought much about it. I try to do as good of a job as I can year in and year out. I have always been the guy that wants to be the first guy in and the last guy out. I like to work hard, I do not think that is ever going to change. Comparing me to then I understand the importance of physicality more now. Playing physical football gives you the opportunity to be successful.”

On learning what personnel he has offensively: 
“You understand, wherever job you go, there is no perfect coach and there is no perfect team. You try to get wherever you are at and try to understand the personalities of the players and their talent level. Also, the philosophy of the head football coach and the way he wants to do things. It has been interesting for me to watch the existing offense for these first eight practices and seeing who we are. In my mind, I am trying to sort out what kind of offense I think we should play, learning our players has been the tough thing.”

On watching last years’ team on tape: 
“I did a little bit when I first got here for depth. Just to see we have 10 linemen and watch them all and write a couple of paragraphs on each of them. I like to do that to see my evaluation of them.”

On if he’s enjoying not being a positions coach: 
“Isn’t that great? It has been good for me so far. It is easier to install an offense when you are in this role. When you can go from room to room to make sure that no one has any questions. I am blessed here because the assistants that coach has put together are very good; there are just some nuances that I like to do that they are not familiar with. I told coach Pruitt that any direction he wanted to go with I was fine with. Whether I need to be in a room coaching a position or not. That was not a part of the decision.”

On what he has seen out of Jarrett Guarantano: 
“The quarterbacks are doing a very good job of picking up the offense. The young freshman (Brian Maurer) is learning how to take snaps right now under center. JT Shrout will flash every now and then and do some really good stuff. I am optimistic about all three of those young men. I think that Jarrett is doing a great job of learning his role in a new system. He has been through a few of us (offensive coordinators). What is interesting when you look at guys like him in the college game, what am I the fourth coordinator he has had? How hard it is for them not to get calloused and cynical about the game of football and still be fresh with it and eager to learn. It is tough sometimes; it is not always a bed of roses out there for the quarterbacks. It is kind of, what we had here before with Johnathan Crompton, there are some similarities there. They are both good football players and I think Jarrett is going to have a good season and he is fun to be around.”

On comparing Nathan Peterman, Crompton and Guarantano: 
“None of them like to make mistakes, which is the number one maxim that we all live by here. The team that makes the fewest mistakes wins. It all starts at the quarterback position, and all three of them are capable of understanding a game plan and going down and executing it flawlessly. That is what I like about all of those kids, they have the ability to execute at a high level and play within your system. Also, a desire to be the best football players that they can be.”

On working with coach Tee Martin: 
“The question is what can he not do? Tee is a bright guy and has been around a lot of football. He brings a lot of good input it; he is a fantastic recruiter and fun-loving guy. I am tickled to death that he is here. He is a great sounding board for me to talk about the passing game with. He knows what he is doing, and he is an exceptional coach. We are becoming very close friends, so I am enjoying my time with Tee.”

On playmakers on offense: 
“I think when you look at the strengths of the team right now; I would argue the experience at the wide receiver corps. Those kids are making plays and understand things, I will add a new concept and they have seen it before. We are not re-inventing the wheel here. I think that Jauan (Jennings), Marquez Callaway, Brandon Johnson and Josh Palmer are all playing good ball. (Jordan) Murphy has been making some good plays at slot. We are moving bodies around the offensive line to find some happiness there. (Jerome) Carvin is doing a better job and doing some good stuff. I would argue that the seniors at the wide receiver is something to hang your hat on.”

On turnover at the coordinator positions in the SEC: 
“I think it helps you a lot when you know people and people know me. When you go against people, I have folders on certain coordinators and coach Pruitt and Kirby. We all know one another and we know what each other is going to do. In terms of coordinators moving and changing, I don’t know. I think so many people look at football so much different from their own jobs and I don’t quite see it that way. Don’t people in your profession move and do different things. We do too. Our jobs are just are a little more high profile and public. I know I can answer it for myself personally. My wife and I decided we didn’t want to pass on it.”

On adapting as a coordinator based on the personnel:
“When you get older, you know it is all about the players. When you are young, you say it is all about the players. I remember when I was younger I was fortunate enough to have Drew (Brees). You say it is about the players, but down deep at 31 or 32, you thought you had all of the answers. Then he left, I wasn’t near as smart. It takes a few times to realize it is truly all about the players. They are the ones that are going to cross the lines and represent you. When you get older, hopefully you get a little wiser with age. You try to put some plays together to try and get that group to execute and score points to win games. My belief is stronger now than it’s ever been that it’s about the players. You just try to get the 11 best out and that dictates the style of play.”

On what success would be for this offense:
“Doing our part in ensuring victory. Statistically, I don’t get much into that. I would argue that my daughter can watch us and say ‘you guys played a clean football game. You didn’t have turnovers, you didn’t have penalties. It looked clean and you did a good job running on-and-off the field.’ I want a normal football fan to be able to watch our offense and say ‘those boys played hard, it looked like they executed pretty well. They were a solid well coached offense.’ That would make me happy as well as ensuring we did our part in ensuring victory.”

On running backs and their physicality: 
“David (Johnson) has done a good job and as a whole coach Pruitt does a good job of teaching that physicality. I don’t know that kids are born and raised to run through the wall for you. Sometimes you have to go teach them that they can and will be able to do that. I believe that our players understand that it is a component of championship teams – to be physical and run the football. That’s what we want to do. In every practice this spring, I have seen a little more physicality out of our existing players.”

On pinpointing on tape what held the offense back in 2018: 
“I evaluated players. That is coach Pruitt’s job to evaluate systems. As far as going back and watching the games and saying, I don’t like this or that, that isn’t my job. My job is to get the players and put them in the right system to be successful.”

On offensive linemen that have taken strides in spring: 
“I’ll tell you what you find when you watch big offensive linemen. You see their fleas and then you go to work on their fleas. It’s easy to say now eight practices in that after the spring game we will be able to sit down and tell them what they will have to go to work on for the next four months. Sometimes you are not initially sure always whether it’s lower body strength, it’s lateral movements, it’s hand placement, it’s overall strength or it’s knowledge of the offense. We will be able to define that for our kids and let them go to work on it and they will. Our kids have proven they will work.”

On preparing for a coach Pruitt defense: 
“They are well coached. You don’t watch these good defenses and say, ‘they are completely screwed up in one spot. Let’s go attack there.’ You have to know their nuances and know what they hate to do and go get it. You hope that that’s apart of you. The worst thing that can happen is what they hate to do is something you can’t do. That’s never a good thing. Playing against coach Pruitt and his defenses, they are hard playing, tough and they are trying to get the ball off of you all the time. That is defining a championship style defense. Those components are not unique to anybody. Play good defense and physical football you have a chance.”

On being back at a school for a second time: 
“With Lane (Kiffin), we skinned the cat one way. With Derek (Dooley), we did it a different way. Now with coach Pruitt, we are doing it this way. My job as an assistant coach is to do whatever fits into his philosophy. What has been fun here is I have been able to see a lot of people here that are near and dear to my heart. In a lot of ways, you guys know my role. This is my honeymoon period right now between fall. There will be a call that I make on third and one where I make a call and you all are going to say, ‘what in the heck was that’ as will my wife. It has been fun to get reacquainted with some friends. I’m really enjoying. Coach Pruitt has been a blast to work with. The staff he has put together on my side of the ball I could not ask for anything better. They are fantastic people and great coaches. I’m very fortunate.”

ATLANTA, Ga. — University of Tennessee women’s basketball signee Jordan Horston was named the MVP of the 2019 McDonald’s All-American Game on Wednesday evening at State Farm Arena.

The product of Africentric Early College in Columbus, Ohio, who is ranked as the No. 1 guard and the No. 2 overall player in the 2019 signing class as rated in the HoopGurlz/espnW Top 100, scored 14 points and added four rebounds, three steals and an assist in 22 minutes of action.

The 6-foot-2 standout was in the starting lineup fittingly wearing a No. 23 jersey, helping the East team to an 83-68 victory over the West. She was the 35th Lady Vol signee to participate in the game and the sixth to earn MVP distinction.

Horston, who led her high school to its second straight state title in 2019, earned WBCA and Naismith All-America honors and was a finalist for Naismith Player of the Year. She was named Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year and made the Columbus Dispatch All-Metro Team for the third season in a row, earning co-player of the year honors from that publication in 2019.

As a senior, she averaged more than 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists per contest. She tallied 15 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the state title game despite battling a 102-degree fever.

Horston is a member of a three-player UT signing class ranked No. 8 nationally by HoopGurlz/espnW. Her Lady Vol classmates include 6-foot-5 center Tamari Key of Cary, N.C. (Cary H.S.) and 6-foot-5 forward/center Emily Saunders of Mullens, W.Va. (Wyoming East H.S.).  Key is ranked 46th in the HoopGurlz/espnW 100 and No. 50 by ProspectsNation.com. Saunders, meanwhile, is ranked No. 88 by ProspectsNation.com.

-UT Athletics