KNOXVILLE - Tennessee made a statement by landing one of the nation's top defensive coordinators.
The Volunteers announced the hire of Penn State's Bob Shoop, who will replace John Jancek after two seasons with the Nittany Lions, on Saturday night.
Shoop spent Friday in Knoxville meeting with Tennessee head coach Butch Jones and his coaching staff before returning to Pennsylvania on Saturday to mull the offer to join the Vols.
"We are very excited about the addition of Bob Shoop to our coaching staff," Jones said in statement.
"Bob has established himself as one of the premier coordinators in all of college football and is very well-respected as a recruiter, football coach and person. He brings a wealth of experience at the highest level and possesses all the qualities we were looking for as we went through this process.
"He has directed units that have finished in the top 25 nationally in each of the last five years and he will do a great job of developing our players on the defensive side of the ball."
For the past five seasons Shoop was James Franklin's defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt and Penn State, and his units finished in the top 25 nationally in total defense in each of those seasons.
His deal with Tennessee is worth $1.15 million per year for three years, according to a Tennessee official.
That's a step up from the $515,000 salary Jancek made in 2015.
Tennessee also isn't responsible for Shoop's buyout, believed to be in the $800,000 range, with Penn State.
"That is between Bob Shoop and PSU," the Tennessee official said in a text message.
Landing Shoop is power move by Jones and Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart, who adjusted his stance on giving assistant coaches two-year deals, as the Vols enter 2016 with championship aspirations for next season.
"I would like to thank Mr. Hart and Coach Jones for giving me this opportunity," Shoop said in a statement "I also want to thank Coach Franklin, the Penn State players and coaches and the Penn State community for an incredible two seasons. This was not an easy decision and one that I didn't take lightly.
"Over the last 24 hours I had an opportunity with meet with Coach Jones and his staff. It became evident to me that he is building a great program, a program on the rise and certainly one that will compete for an SEC championship. I'm looking forward to becoming a part of the team."
Shoop's other coaching stops include William & Mary, Boston College, Army, Virginia, Villanova, his alma mater Yale and Columbia, where he was the head coach for three seasons.
He will be introduced in a press conference on Tuesday.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.