Report: Tennessee Hires Defensive Backs Coach Derrick Ansley

Tennessee’s open coaching spot in the secondary lasted less than an hour on Friday afternoon. Shortly after the report was released that the Volunteers were parting ways with cornerbacks coach Terry Fair, GoVols247 confirmed that current Oakland Raiders defensive back coach Derrick Ansley would return to Tennessee.

Ansley’s past stops include Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama. He is most well known for his Alabama stint from 2016 to 2017, where he was the defensive backs coach under then Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. He and Pruitt have worked together for almost half a decade, as Ansley was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2010 to 2011, when Pruitt was the defensive backs coach.

Most were stunned at the earlier news of cornerbacks coach Terry Fair leaving the staff. Fair’s departure, coupled with the earlier departure of Charles Kelly, meant that the secondary needed a coach for both the cornerbacks and the safeties. Pruitt went with a proven option who he is familiar with.

Ansley is also known for his recruiting prowess. In his time at Alabama, he helped bring in nine blue-chip recruits, with eight of those being ranked in the top-150.