It’s Time To Be A New Kind Of Vol Fan

We still don’t know who will be calling plays for the Tennessee Volunteers next season, but we do know that Butch Jones will employ the same offensive system.

Jones, during an appearance on Football Scoop Radio on Sunday evening, said “we are not looking for an overhaul, we are looking to enhance our system and continue to grow it…..we can’t go backwards and spend time installing a new system”.

That much is to be expected. Jones has run the same type of offense during his entire career as a head coach. It would be silly to change it now (especially now that Tennessee has an established quarterback in Josh Dobbs).

The big question now, of course, is who will Jones hire to run the offense?

As of Sunday night, no one has been hired. And there aren’t a ton of names floating around.

But there is one name that keeps surfacing.

Various media outlets have reported that former Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord was in Knoxville this weekend, speaking to Jones about the vacant position.

It’s not clear whether or not DeBord is the leading candidate, but he does appear to at least be a candidate.

(If you want to read more about DeBord, we suggest you check out this piece from our friends at Rocky Top Insider. You won’t find a better profile)

From what we’ve gathered from Vol fans on various social media platforms, DeBord would not be a popular hire. That’s partly due to his age, past jobs and the fact that he hasn’t coached since 2012.

Personally, I don’t know if it would be a good hire or not. In fact, no one knows.

Most folks probably didn’t think defensive coordinator John Jancek was a good hire when Jones brought him along from Cincinnati. Even Zach Azzanni’s credentials were questioned when he was hired as the wide receivers coach after former Vol quarterback Tee Martin reportedly turned the job down.

But now those guys are looked at as “can’t lose commodities”.

Vol fans want a guy that’s going to put them in the best position to win.

And why wouldn’t they?

But do fans really think that Butch Jones (who wants to win more than any fan out there) is going to make a hire that doesn’t give the Vols the best chance to win?

Jones is thisclose to reviving Vol football. Making a good hire is the most important thing in the world to him right now.

So in the words of Aaron Rodgers: Vol fans, R-E-L-A-X.

Jones has told you countless times that he’s the caretaker of Tennessee football. Let him worry about the coaching staff. He knows all the things you don’t know. He’s the one in the office 18 hours a day, striving to bring Vol football back to national relevance. He’s the one on the road recruiting 17 year old kids to Rocky Top, missing time with his family, while you’re at home questioning who he may, or may not hire.

Tennessee football is on the upswing. Jones isn’t going to make a misstep here. He knows what’s at stake.

This isn’t the Derek Dooley era. It’s time to be a new kind of Vol fan.

A fan that can put the past in the past.

There’s no doubt that Tennessee has been the definition of a snake-bitten program.

Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley, the bizarre losses. I get the heartache. I get the feeling of “it’s just a matter of time before it happens again”.

But it’s time to let it all go. This is a different era and there’s a different attitude in Knoxville.

Tennessee football has a purpose right now.

The purpose is winning national championships.

And Butch Jones has the vision to get the job done.