Larry Scott and Mike Canales discuss their new roles on the Tennessee football staff. Scott was promoted to offensive coordinator and Canales arrives as the new quarterbacks coach.
Rhiannon Potkey
University of Tennessee football coach Butch Jones made two more additions to his staff with Miami connections.
Jones announced on Wednesday he’s hired Kevin Beard as UT’s new wide receivers coach and Tony Sorrentino as an offensive quality control assistant.
Beard, 36, is replacing Zach Azzanni, who left UT last week to become the wide receivers coach for the Chicago Bears. Beard, who joined Butch Davis’ staff at Florida International University on Dec. 5, worked with UT offensive coordinator Larry Scott at the University of Miami.
Sorrentino joins the Vols after spending the past four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Sorrentino spent one season at Miami in 2011.
“We are really excited about the additions of Coach Beard and Coach Sorrentino,” Jones said in a news release. “Coach Beard is a young, energetic football coach that has championship pedigree from his college playing days. He will do a great job working with our receivers and be a huge asset on the recruiting trail. Coach Sorrentino comes to Knoxville after the last four years working with receivers such as Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s going to bring a high-level of expertise to our entire coaching staff.”
UT did not provide contract information for Beard or Sorrentino. Azzanni was making $355,300 annually.
Beard served as an offensive quality control coach at Georgia last season. He was the wide receivers coach at Miami in 2015 and the assistant director of football operations in 2014.
A Plantation, Fla., native, Beard played receiver at Miami from 2001-03. He spent four years playing in the Arena Football League after college.
Following his stint in the AFL, Beard returned to South Florida to begin his coaching career working primarily with 7-on-7 teams and at University High School in Davie, Fla. Among the players he coached on the 7-on-7 teams were Amari Cooper and Travis Rudolph.
Sorrentino served as the assistant wide receivers coach in Jacksonville last year after working as the team’s offensive quality control coach over the previous three seasons. He was dismissed with one year remaining on his contract once new Jaguars coach and former UT assistant Doug Marrone took over.
Along with Miami, Sorrentino had a previous collegiate coaching stops at Minnesota from 2009-10. He also had coaching internships with the Baltimore Ravens (2007) and the Houston Texans (2002-03).
Sorrentino received his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education and his master’s in exercise science from The College of New Jersey, where he was a four-year letterman as a wide receiver.
UT’s players will be adjusting to several new faces and roles during spring practice, which begins March 21. Beard is the sixth staff change this offseason among positional coaches.
Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord left UT for Indiana and Scott took his place. UT hired Brady Hoke to coach the defensive line, Charlton Warren to coach defensive backs and Mike Canales to coach quarterbacks. Walt Wells was promoted from offensive quality control assistant coach to offensive line coach.