Tony Ball is coaching football in the Southeastern Conference again.
The former standout at Brainerd High School and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was announced Tuesday as Vanderbilt's receivers coach. The announcement coincided with the start of spring practice for seventh-year head coach Derek Mason and his Commodores.
"Tony Ball is a quality man who brings a wealth of experience and coaching success to our staff," Mason said. "We've attracted one of the nation's top receivers coaches. Tony has been part of several successful programs, including Georgia, LSU and Virginia Tech.
"With Tony, we are getting a coach with a long track record of bringing the best out in his student-athletes."
Vanderbilt needed a receivers coach after Aaron Moorehead left this month for the same role with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
Ball spent nine seasons on Mark Richt's staff at Georgia, working with running backs from 2006 to 2008 and with receivers from 2009 to 2014. He oversaw the development of two NFL first-round draft picks: running back Knowshon Moreno (12th overall to Denver in 2009) and receiver A.J. Green (fourth overall to Cincinnati in 2011).
Moreno rushed for 2,734 yards and 30 touchdowns during the 2007-08 seasons, while Green remains the highest-drafted Georgia player since quarterback Matthew Stafford went first overall in 2009.
Ball arrived in Athens following eight seasons at Virginia Tech (1998-2005), and he spent the 2015 season at LSU after leaving Georgia. During his one year under Les Miles in Baton Rouge, Ball worked with three receivers who have played in the NFL: D.J. Chark (Jacksonville), Malachi Dupre (Arizona) and Trey Quinn (Washington).
His two most recent coaching stops have been at Louisiana Tech in 2017-18 and at Texas-San Antonio last year.
Ball was a running back and a special-teams star for the Mocs in 1977-80, leading the nation in kickoff returns as a freshman with a stout 36.4-yard average. In 2003, he was named to UTC's All-Century Team as the return specialist.
After UTC parted ways with Rodney Allison following a 1-11 season in 2008, Ball expressed an interest in becoming head coach at his alma mater. He was not among the finalists, however, with Russ Huesman ultimately getting the job over Hugh Freeze and Jason Simpson.
Tuesday's practice in Nashville was the first of 15 workouts allotted by the NCAA. The Commodores, who went to three bowl games in a four-year stretch under Mason before faltering to a 3-9 record last season, will hold their spring game April 3.
"The players have a different mantra looking out on the season this year," redshirt junior cornerback Allan George told reporters. "Coming off of last season, we don't want anything like that again. A lot of people in this program came from winning programs in high school.
"We know what winning feels like and losing kind of hurts a lot, so we're not trying to look back on that at all."
Vanderbilt entered Mason's seventh spring with new offensive coordinator Todd Fitch, new defensive coordinator Ted Roof and a complete overhaul at quarterback. Riley Neal, Deuce Wallace and Mo Hasan were the three quarterbacks last season but are no longer in the program, leaving opportunities for early enrollee Ken Seals, junior college transfer Jeremy Moussa and junior walk-on Jack Bowen.
Tuesday was the first practice for Seals and Moussa.
"Both looked poised and comfortable in Fitch's new offensive scheme," Mason said. "I thought Seals looked good moving around, and Moussa threw the ball well. They can both make plays, and their arm talent is undeniable."
Two other quarterbacks, freshman Michael Wright from Woodward Academy in Atlanta and junior Danny Clark from Copiah-Lincoln (Mississippi) Community College, will join the mix this summer.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.