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Former Coaching Staff Tracker: John Chavis hired as middle school assistant

John Chavis was Arkansas' defensive coordinator from 2018-19.
John Chavis was Arkansas' defensive coordinator from 2018-19. (Nick Wenger)

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A new middle school football team in Knoxville, Tenn., will feature some familiar faces on the sideline.

In addition to being coached by former Tennessee quarterback Jeff Francis, the West High feeder program will also feature longtime SEC defensive coordinator John Chavis, according to VolsWire.com.

Chavis was Arkansas’ defensive coordinator the last two seasons, including a 2019 campaign in which it allowed the most points (36.8) and yards (450.7) per game in school history.

Interestingly, the middle school he is at feeds into Knoxville West High School, which produced 5.5 three-star linebacker Drew Francis and 5.4 two-star defensive end Tyrece Edwards in the 2020 recruiting cycle. Both players were committed to Chavis and Arkansas at one point, but after the coaching change, they ended up at Middle Tennessee State.

He is the latest member of the Razorbacks’ former coaching staff to land a new job. Here is a rundown of where everyone else ended up…

Chad Morris - head coach —> Auburn offensive coordinator

Fired before the end of his second season as Arkansas’ head coach, Morris had as many losses to Group of Five programs as total wins (four) and was winless in 14 SEC games. A few weeks after he was fired, he was hired as an offensive coordinator by his friend, Gus Malzahn, at Auburn.

Joe Craddock - offensive coordinator —> UAB tight ends coach

In two seasons, Craddock’s offenses averaged just 21.5 points and his quarterbacks - the position he coached - combined for a whopping 33 interceptions, the most Arkansas has had in back-to-back seasons in nearly 50 years. He was hired as UAB’s tight ends coach in January.

Justin Stepp - wide receivers coach —> Arkansas wide receivers coach

Coming off a season in which he was the driving force behind the Razorbacks signing a quartet of four-star wide receivers - two of which, Treylon Burks and Trey Knox, were starters as true freshmen - Stepp was the lone holdover from Morris’ staff. Click here for a story on why Sam Pittman decided to keep him on staff.

Jeff Traylor - running backs coach —> UTSA head coach

A high school coaching legend in Texas, Traylor was instrumental in the Razorbacks landing Rakeem Boyd, who enters the 2020 season with a chance to climb the UA’s all-time rushing chart. He has returned to the Lone Star State to become a head coach at UTSA, a Conference USA program.

Barry Lunney Jr. - tight ends coach —> UTSA offensive coordinator

Although athletics director Hunter Yurachek openly talked about how well he interviewed for the head coaching job after serving as the interim coach, Lunney - an Arkansas native who played quarterback for the Razorbacks and was their tight ends coach for seven years - was passed over for Pittman. Likely in an effort to boost his resume, he followed Traylor to UTSA to become his offensive coordinator.

Dustin Fry - offensive line coach —> ???

One of several offensive assistants who followed Morris from SMU to Arkansas, Fry was the Razorbacks’ second straight offensive line coach without experience as a Power Five on-field assistant. He is one of three assistants from last year who have yet to be announced with a new position.

John Chavis - defensive coordinator —> middle school assistant in Knoxville

As mentioned above, Chavis has returned to Knoxville - where he played and coached for the Volunteers - to become an assistant coach for a new middle school program.

Steve Caldwell - defensive ends coach —> Tennessee Assistant Director of Life Skills & Character Development

His tenure on Morris’ staff was actually Caldwell’s second stint with the Razorbacks, as he was also in Fayetteville from 2010-12. Following his most recent stint, he accepted a non-coaching position at Tennessee, where he coached for more than a decade.

Kenny Ingram - defensive tackles coach —> ???

A Memphis native who has also coached at Arkansas State and spent time at Auburn, Ingram replaced John Scott Jr. on Morris’ staff after the 2018 season. He is one of three assistants from last year who have yet to be announced with a new position.

Ron Cooper - safeties coach —> ???

A former head coach at Eastern Michigan, Louisville and Alabama A&M, Cooper followed Chavis from Texas A&M to Arkansas as part of Morris’ staff. He is one of three assistants from last year who have yet to be announced with a new position.

Mark Smith - cornerbacks coach —> LIU defensive coordinator

After serving as the Director of Recruiting and a defensive analyst at SMU, Smith - who is also a respected high school coach in Texas - followed Morris to Arkansas and was hired as one of his 10 on-field assistants, his first such job at the collegiate level. It was announced last week that he has been hired as a defensive coordinator by Long Island University, an FCS school in New York.

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