KNOXVILLE - Tennessee officially announced its hiring of Chris Weinke as running backs coach Wednesday.
Weinke worked with new Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt in 2017 as an offensive analyst on the Alabama staff, with Pruitt the defensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide. Weinke replaces Robert Gillespie, with whom Pruitt parted ways after national signing day this month.
"I'm excited to have Chris Weinke on our staff to coach running backs," Pruitt said in a news release. "He has played the game at the highest level and what he has accomplished on the field speaks for itself."
Weinke led Florida State to the national championship in the 1999 season and won the Heisman Trophy as the Seminoles' quarterback in 2000. He played for both the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL.
Prior to his one-year stint at Alabama, Weinke was the quarterbacks coach for the St. Louis Rams.
"He is also an outstanding coach and teacher of the game, coaching in the NFL, in college this past season and at the high school level," Pruitt said in the release. "He has a great eye for talent and knows the game on the offensive side of the ball as well as anybody I've been around. He will be a great fit for our Tennessee program."
Weinke's salary will rank eighth among Tennessee's 10 assistants. He is set to make $355,000 annually, according to a copy of his contract obtained through an open records request.
Tennessee is scheduled to hold its first practice of the spring March 20. The annual Orange and White game is April 21.
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.