Ex-UT assistant Azzanni says NFL job came ‘out of the blue’

KNOXVILLE — Zach Azzanni’s focus was entirely on his upcoming fifth season as Tennessee’s wide receivers coach and the inexperienced position group he was tasked with developing.

Then one phone call prompted him to make a career-changing decision.

Azzanni accepted an offer this week to become the receivers coach for the Chicago Bears, and he discussed his decision during an interview Thursday morning with Sports Radio WNML in Knoxville.

“It wasn’t something that I was searching for or looking for,” Azzanni said. “They called me out of the blue. They were searching for (a new coach) and going to the college ranks and trying to find new energy and new ideas and things like that. Any time a job opens like that, those guys are always going through guys they know and connections and things like that.

“I didn’t have any there, and I wasn’t calling or anything about the job. I was full speed ahead here as a Volunteer. They called me out of the blue and said, ‘Hey, listen, everywhere we called, your name just kept popping up and popping up and popping up.’ (They) called a bunch of coaches in the SEC (and asked), ‘Who do you respect as a receiver coach?’

“And they said, ‘Your name kept popping up, so we said what the heck, we should probably bring you in to interview you.’ That’s kind of how it went down.”

Before joining Tennessee’s staff in January 2013 shortly after Butch Jones was hired as head coach, Azzanni coached at three programs — Florida, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin — in three years, but his family, particularly his three young daughters, had settled into living in Knoxville.

“It wasn’t something that I was searching for or looking for. They called me out of the blue. They were searching for (a new coach) and going to the college ranks and trying to find new energy and new ideas and things like that.”

— ZACH AZZANNI, FORMER UT WIDE RECEIVERS COACH

Leaving a place his family grew to call home was the “hardest part” of his decision, Azzanni said, and his three girls, all younger than 10, were sad about leaving.

Azzanni said Jones was supportive of his decision. His playing career at Central Michigan coincided with the start of Jones’ tenure as an assistant coach there, and he coached on Jones’ staff for three seasons at Central Michigan and four at Tennessee. Azzanni called Jones “a friend and a mentor” with whom his relationship “goes well beyond the offices.”

Yet when Tennessee had to replace its offensive coordinator after the 2014 and 2016 seasons, Azzanni wasn’t chosen, and when Jones elected to go the in-house route last month, he tabbed tight ends coach Larry Scott.

One couldn’t blame Azzanni for wondering how much upward mobility would be available had he stayed at Tennessee, but he insisted making a move, particularly jumping to the NFL, was not on his radar until Chicago called and offered the job.

“The NFL was never something early on in my career I ever thought about,” he said. “I love college. I love recruiting kids, them coming in as a freshman and leaving as a senior, and it’s fun to watch them develop. That part is fun for me and my wife, and we liked that part of it. But as you get older, you’re always thinking about the next step in your career.

“I’d love to be a head coach someday in college. I’ve been a coordinator. I’ve had every title under the sun, and this just seemed like (a good move). I talked to a lot of people doing research about this, and everyone’s like, ‘There’s 32 of these jobs out there, Zach, and they don’t fall out of the sky.’ It’s a risk I have to take this time.

“It’s an opportunity for me to learn and be around new people and learn new systems and different ways of doing things, and I think it’ll only help me.”

Azzanni was the target of criticism during his first three years at Tennessee as his receiving corps battled injuries, inexperience and inconsistency.

He had a strong 2016, though, as Josh Malone (50 catches, 972 yards and 11 touchdowns) parlayed a superb junior season into an early jump into the NFL draft and Jauan Jennings (40 catches, 580 yards and seven scores), a converted quarterback who’d never played receiver, became a star during a memorable sophomore season.

Beyond Jennings and oft-injured fifth-year senior Josh Smith, the Vols are set to have eight firstor second-year receivers in 2017.

“The next coach that comes in here to coach that room is going to like his room,” Azzanni said. “Those are great kids in there now. It’s finally a high-character room and a lot of good kids that are willing and eager. The Marquez Callaways and Brandon Johnsons and Tyler Byrds and Latrell Williams — those guys are ready to roll, so it’s going to be fun to watch them.”