Tennessee hires Bob Shoop as defensive coordinator
Penn State's Bob Shoop is moving to Tennessee.
The Volunteers announced Saturday that Shoop would be the team's new defensive coordinator. Shoop has been Penn State's defensive coordinator since 2013.
"We are very excited about the addition of Bob Shoop to our coaching staff," Tennessee coach Butch Jones said in a statement. "Bob has established himself as one of the premier coordinators in all of college football and is very well-respected as a recruiter, football coach and person. He brings a wealth of experience at the highest level and possesses all the qualities we were looking for as we went through this process. He has directed units that have finished in the Top 25 nationally in each of the last five years and he will do a great job of developing our players on the defensive side of the ball."
Penn State's defense was No. 14 in yards per game in 2015. The Nittany Lions gave up 325 yards per game and 4.78 yards per play. Tennessee was No. 36 in the country in yards per game and gave up 5.21 yards per play.
"I would like to thank [Tenessee athletic director Tom Hart] and Coach Jones for giving me this opportunity," Shoop said. "I also want to thank [Penn State coach James] Franklin, the Penn State players and coaches and the Penn State community for an incredible two seasons. This was not an easy decision and one that I didn't take lightly. Over the last 24 hours I had an opportunity to meet with Coach Jones and his staff. It became evident to me that he is building a great program, a program on the rise and certainly one that will compete for an SEC Championship. I'm looking forward to becoming a part of the team."
Tennessee parted ways with defensive coordinator John Jancek earlier in the week. Shoop came to Penn State with Franklin from Vanderbilt following the 2013 season. Shoop was the defensive coordinator at Vandy from 2011-2013.
The hire of Shoop will likely keep the Tennessee expectations train rolling. With the coaching turnover at Georgia and Missouri and the offensive deficiencies at Florida, don't be surprised if Tennessee is the consensus favorite in the SEC East in 2016. The Volunteers haven't won the SEC East since 2007.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
