KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni's new job is much tougher now than it was when he got hired last month.
That's just what Azzanni expected.
Azzanni took over a receiving corps that featured all-Southeastern Conference selections Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson. Both players have since decided to bypass their senior seasons to turn pro, leaving Tennessee without any wideouts who caught more than 13 passes this season.
The coach says he "kind of had a feeling" Hunter and Patterson would turn pro. Azzanni and defensive line coach Steve Stripling met the media Thursday for the first time since taking over their new jobs.
Azzanni, a former wide receivers coach at Wisconsin, said all of Tennessee's receivers would head into spring practice with a clean slate.
