KNOXVILLE - Tennessee's former defensive coordinator found his landing spot.
John Jancek will be the new safeties coach at South Florida, the Times Free Press confirmed Friday afternoon.
Sports Illustrated first reported the hiring, which has yet to be announced by the Bulls, late Thursday night.
Earlier this month Jancek and the Volunteers parted ways, and Tennessee hired Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop as his replacement.
In Jancek's final season Tennessee finished 16th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 20 points per game, and 36th nationally in total defense, allowing 362 yards per game.
South Florida finished 8-5 and lost to Western Kentucky in the Miami Beach Bowl last season.
Jancek had been Butch Jones' defensive coordinator the past six seasons at Cincinnati and Tennessee, but now he will join forces with Willie Taggart, who is 14-23 in three seasons as South Florida's head coach, and Raymond Woodie, who was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator this month when Tom Allen left for Indiana.
Jancek's tie to South Florida's staff is T.J. Weist, the newly hired receivers coach who held that position on Jones' staff at Cincinnati during his three seasons there.
Tennessee will owe Jancek the difference in his new salary and the $515,000 he was slated to make with the Vols in 2016.
Alonzo Hampton, South Florida's defensive backs coach, made $170,000 in 2015, according to USA Today's database of assistant coaching salaries.
Jancek has never coached safeties. He coached linebackers during stops at Cincinnati, Georgia and Grand Valley State and the defensive line while at Central Michigan.
His son, Zac, is a walk-on redshirt freshman quarterback with the Vols.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.