After adding an offensive coach to an already-full staff, Tennessee appears to be on the verge of losing a defensive coach to a promotion.

Charles Kelly, the safeties coach and special teams coordinator for the Vols, has been offered the defensive coordinator position by Maryland and new coach Mike Locksley, Football Scoop reported on Wednesday night.

According to the report, Kelly is likely to accept the job and a deal could be in place soon.

Kelly spent the 2018 season coaching Tennessee's safeties and coordinating its special teams units. He previously worked with Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt at Florida State in 2013. Kelly coached the defensive backs for the Seminoles and became the defensive coordinator in 2014 after Pruitt left for Georgia.

The former Auburn defensive back previous worked at Georgia Tech for seven seasons coaching the defensive backs and special teams and serving as the interim defensive coordinator after getting his collegiate coaching start at Nicholls State (2002-05), Jacksonville State (1994-98) and Henderson State (1999).

Kelly is a trusted member of Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt's defensive staff. The Vols split up secondary duties with Kelly handling the safeties and Terry Fair coaching the cornerbacks. Pruitt was heavily involved in coaching the defensive backs in practices throughout his first year, but as the 2018 season progressed he entrusted the responsibilities more to Kelly and Fair.

Tennessee signed Kelly to a two-year deal through the end of January 2020, and his 2018 salary was $325,000.

“Coach (Phillip) Fulmer (Tennessee's athletic director), he showed what kind of leadership he had,” Kelly said at a recruiting event last year. “Coach Pruitt and I had the chance to work together in 2013, and I told a bunch of people, and I told him, he was the most talented coach I’d worked with at that time in my 26 years. And for Coach Fulmer to be able to see that and to give him this opportunity, that’s great. He’s gonna do great things here.”

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Tennessee this week hired former USC wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator Tee Martin to an already-full staff. Martin is expected to coach on the offensive side of the ball, but his role has not yet been specified. The Vols also hired Georgia's Jim Chaney as their new offensive coordinator earlier this month, but Pruitt said last week it's not been determined if he will coach the quarterbacks.

Martin arrived in Knoxville late Monday night, but Tennessee has yet to formally announce the hire of its former national championship-winning quarterback.

Chaney replaced Tyson Helton, who left to become the new head coach at Western Kentucky just days after Tennessee's 2018 season ended.