KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Two decades after playing quarterback on Tennessee's last national championship team, the Volunteers on Saturday confirmed that Tee Martin is returning as an assistant coach.
Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt announced Martin has joined his staff, which was first reported by ESPN earlier in the week. Martin's specific title and duties haven't been announced yet.
"It's the perfect time to come back home," Martin said in a statement. "My time here was the greatest four years I could've ever imagined on and off the field. It's my goal to help our Tennessee football student-athletes have the same experiences I had when I was a student here. It's great to be home."
Martin, the starting quarterback for Tennessee's 1998 national championship team, spent the last seven years on USC's staff, most recently as offensive coordinator. He had play-calling duties stripped from him in late October and was dismissed along with several other USC assistants after the season. USC went 5-7 for its first losing season since 2000.
Martin was a semifinalist for the 2017 Frank Broyles Award given annually to college football's top assistant coach.
Before coming to USC, Martin was an assistant coach at New Mexico (2009) and Kentucky (2010-11).
"He coordinated some of the nation's top offenses at USC, and he develops and identifies players as well as any coach in the country," Pruitt said in a statement. "He's an excellent recruiter, and he is terrific at building relationships with his players. He cares about developing young men on and off the field."
Martin posted a 22-3 record as the Volunteers' starting quarterback. He threw for 4,592 yards and 32 touchdowns while also rushing for 614 yards and 16 TDs during his Tennessee career.
"He knows what it takes to win here, and I'm excited to have him on our staff," Pruitt said.