Dogs OC leaving Athens for Knoxville

There are reports that Georgia Bulldogs offensive coordinator Jim Chaney is leaving Athens for Knoxville, to be an assistant on the staff at Tennessee. That will mean replacements at both coordinator positions for Bulldog football coach Kirby Smart, who is still looking to find Mel Tucker's successor as defensive coordinator. Mel Tucker is now the head coach at the University of Colorado. 

From the AJC's DawgNation…

Chaney has been at Georgia since Kirby Smart was hired as head coach in 2015. He was Smart’s first hire when he brought him in to coordinate the offense and coach quarterbacks.

Dawgnation reported that Chaney has negotiated a deal with the Vols worth between $4.5 and $5 million over three years — a significant raise from the contract he has had in place that paid him $950,000 annually ($2.85 million over three years) through June of 2021 at Georgia.

Smart was under the impression as late as Monday that Chaney would be staying, and the Bulldogs offered Chaney a raise to maintain his post.

Tennessee’s offer, however, grew too rich for Smart to match without disrupting his offensive staff’s financial harmony.

Recently promoted co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach James Coley is at $850,000 a year, and valuable offensive line coach Sam Pittman is making $825,000 annually.

In addition to their coaching prowess, Coley and Pittman are two of the top recruiters in the nation, as evidence by Georgia’s wealth of talent on the offensive line, and the talented prospects on the roster from South Florida.

Running backs coach Dell McGee is at $550,000, and receivers coach Cortez Hankton completed his first year on the staff at $375,000.