John Chavis
Current role: Defensive coordinator at Texas A&M
The connection: Chavis played at UT from 1976-78 and coached the Vols from 1989-2008, getting elevated to defensive coordinator in 1995.
Pros: He’s one of the most respected defensive coordinators in the nation and brought the Vols some of their best defenses in history during his tenure. Texas A&M is in crisis mode, so though he’s only been there one year and gets paid a ton, he might think about a jump to a more stable position.
Cons/Questions: It starts, and maybe ends, with money. Chavis is paid over $1.5 million by the Aggies – making him one of the highest paid assistant coaches in the nation. Could UT fork over anything even close to that? That would be approximately three times what Jancek was being paid. It’d probably take a large hometown discount for him to be in play, if he’s even interested.
