Tennessee tight ends coach Larry Scott has helped the Vols recruit well in Florida, but he could be headed back to the Sunshine State as a head coach.KNOXVILLE -- The expected moves are now official.
Tennessee's football program on Friday announced the promotion of Larry Scott to offensive coordinator and the hire of Mike Canales as quarterbacks coach.
Scott spent the 2016 season with the Volunteers as the team's tight ends coach and special teams coordinator, a title that now will go to newly hired defensive backs coach Charlton Warren.
The changes come after offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, who spent the past two seasons at Tennessee, left for Indiana instead of heading into retirement.
"We spoke to a lot of very quality candidates," Tennessee coach Butch Jones said in a statement. "Our goal was to gather as much information as possible in a timely manner but also go through a detailed process, which we did.
"We feel strongly about our offensive staff and that Larry Scott is the best fit moving forward to lead the unit. Larry played an important role in the success we had offensively last year and was heavily involved in all aspects of our game plan, both during the week and on game day
"We felt it was vital to maintain our continuity on offense and keep building on what we have established the past four seasons."
Scott previously coached at South Florida and Miami, where he was the interim coach and guided the Hurricanes to a 4-2 finish in 2015 before joining Tennessee's staff.
North Texas interim head coach Mike Canales shouts from the sideline during the first half against Tennessee in an NCAA college football game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)Canales spent the past season at Utah State after six seasons at North Texas and previous stints with Arizona, South Florida, North Carolina State and one year in the NFL with the New York Jets.
"I'm also really excited about adding Mike Canales to our staff," Jones said in a statement. "Mike has recruited, coached and developed numerous quarterbacks at the collegiate level. He will be of great benefit to our players and staff with his extensive experience and knowledge of the quarterback position.
Scott played for South Florida during Canales's first stint in Tampa and also coached alongside Canales for three seasons (2007-09).
According to a program official, Canales's deal with Tennessee runs through February 2019 and includes a salary of $300,000. A new compensation package for Scott is "still being finalized," according to the official. Scott's 2016 salary was $360,000, but he's obviously in line for a raise with his new role.
Tennessee previously did not have a full-time quarterbacks coach. The title formally belonged to DeBord, but he spent most of his time in practice helping with the offensive line. Quality control coach/graduate assistant Nick Sheridan was the Vols' de-facto quarterbacks coach, but he left last week for a full-time job on Central Michigan's staff.
The Vols averaged more than 35 points per game in each of the past two seasons.
Scott, Canales and Warren will meet with the media later Friday.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.