“(Ansley)'s ready. He’s been ready for quite some time. … He’s somebody that’s been in the back-end with me. He has a really good idea of why we want to call something and when we want to call it.”
Pruitt held the lion’s share of playcalling responsibilities on defense in 2018, but Kevin Sherrer, formally Tennessee's co-defensive coordinator who is shifting to special teams coordinator in addition to coaching inside linebackers, was also heavily involved, especially late in the year.
But Pruitt clearly believes Ansley’s addition, both for the secondary and defense as a whole, makes the unit better. He spoke extensively about the “cohesiveness” in the room already, saying Ansley, Sherrer, Chris Rumph and Tracy Rocker “communicate really well together."
Ansley left the Raiders after one year as the highest-paid DB coach in the NFL. He received a three-year contract and a seven-figure salary to return to Tennessee. The Alabama native worked with Pruitt for two stints with the Tide and also made stops at UT and Kentucky.