Tennessee is turning to a familiar face to become its new offensive coordinator.

Sources close to the situation told GoVols247 on Tuesday night that Georgia's Jim Chaney is expected to be named the new offensive coordinator for the Vols and barring unforeseen circumstances will join Jeremy Pruitt's staff.

An official announcement could come as early as Wednesday.

Chaney previously coached at Tennessee for four years under Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley and has overseen prolific offenses for the Bulldogs the past two seasons, and plucking him away from an SEC East rival is a major coup for Pruitt and a Tennessee offense that mustered 17 points or less in five games in 2018.

The Vols have been in the market for a new offensive coordinator since two days after the season-ending loss to Vanderbilt when Tyson Helton left Tennessee to become the new head coach at Western Kentucky.

Tennessee's coach, coming off a 5-7 debut season, has been thorough in the process of researching coaches and has spoken with multiple candidates and coaches since Helton's departure. Pruitt knew the importance of this hire and wanted to make sure he made the right decision. And he will feel he's made the right decision in Chaney, an experienced play-caller who's overseen prolific offenses at multiple college stops and a proven develop of quarterbacks at the collegiate level.

Chaney's salary was $950,000 in 2018, according to the USA Today database for assistant coaches. His contract at Georgia reportedly ran through the 2020 season, and it's unclear what the Vols will have to pay in terms of a buyout. Tennessee paid Helton $1.2 million this season.

It’s a return to Tennessee for Chaney, who was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Vols under Kiffin in 2009 and then Dooley the following three seasons.

The Vols recorded one of their best ever seasons statistically on offense with Chaney calling the shots in 2012, when Tennessee featured Tyler Bray at quarterback, Cordarrelle Patterson and Justin Hunter at wide receiver, Mychal Rivera at tight end and three future NFL players on the offensive line. Tennessee averaged 36 points per game in 2012, a season Chaney completed with a win against Kentucky as the interim coach after Dooley’s firing.

Chaney’s offenses at Arkansas in 2013 and 2014 ranked just 11th and eighth in the SEC in total yards, and Pittsburgh ranked ninth in the ACC in scoring with Chaney as its offensive coordinator in 2015.

His quarterbacks at both stops, Brandon Allen at Arkansas and Nathan Peterman at Pittsburgh, are currently on NFL rosters, as is Bray.

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Kirby Smart tabbed Chaney as his offensive coordinator when he took the Georgia job before the 2016 season, and the Bulldogs have been explosive on offense the past two seasons after finishing just 11th in the SEC in scoring and total offense three seasons ago, when quarterback Jacob Eason had the fourth-most passing yards by a freshman in Georgia history.

Georgia averaged 35 points and 435 yards per game and finishing in the top 20 in scoring in 2017, and the Bulldogs averaged 30 more yards per game and finished second behind Alabama with a 38-point per-game scoring average this season.

The Bulldogs were 14th nationally in scoring and 18th nationally in total offense while ranking 16th in rushing and fourth nationally in pass efficiency.

Chaney’s offenses in Athens have been impressively balanced. This season the Bulldogs led the SEC in rushing at 238 yards per game and also averaged 226 passing yards per game. Georgia also led the conference in rushing in 2017, and quarterback Jake Fromm saw his passer rating jump by 11 points from his freshman season to his sophomore campaign in 2018.

Fromm has 54 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions and has averaged 9 yards per attempt in each of the past two seasons.

Chaney, who turns 57 this month, made his name more than a decade ago coaching Drew Brees and multiple prolific offenses at Purdue, and he also has NFL experience having spent three seasons as the offensive line coach and tight end coach for the St. Louis Rams before coming to Tennessee.