A former Tennessee Vols assistant coach who was a fan favorite during his time on Rocky Top reportedly has a new job in college football. 

According a report from Football Scoop’s John Brice, former Vols defensive coordinator John Jancek was hired this week by Colorado State to serve as the program’s new outside linebackers coach. 

Jancek was Tennessee’s defensive coordinator from 2013 to 2015. 

Jay Norvell, Jancek’s new boss, just wrapped up his third season as the head coach at Colorado State.

Norvell is a former Oklahoma Sooners assistant coach who worked alongside current Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel in Norman for seven seasons. 

Heupel and Norvell, who served as Oklahoma’s co-offensive coordinators from 2011 to 2014, were fired together by Bob Stoops after the 2014 season. 

A year after Heupel and Norvell were unceremoniously dismissed by Stoops at Oklahoma, Jancek, a few hundred miles away in Knoxville, was let go by then Tennessee head coach Butch Jones despite the Vols finishing with the No. 16 scoring defense in the nation in 2015. 

Jones hired Bob Shoop to replaced Jancek ahead of the 2016 season. It was a move that proved to be disastrous for the Vols as Tennessee’s defense regressed significantly under Shoop, finishing No. 70 in the nation 2016 and No. 83 in the nation 2017. 

Jancek most recently served as the special teams coordinator/linebackers coach at LSU in 2023.