Apr 12, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers linebacker A.J. Johnson (45) dances on the field after the spring game at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome to another installment of mailbag Friday, where you can ask us anything from questions about life to the Tennessee Volunteers.
As always you can email us (Zach.Ragan@FanSided.com) or tweet your questions to @AllforTennessee at any time during the week!
Alright, let’s get to it!
@allfortennessee @ZachAFT What do you think about the Vols opening with Utah State?
— William Mouncy (@WMouncy82) April 25, 2014
I think it’s an extremely tough game to open with. Obviously the early oddsmakers agree as they currently have Tennessee as a 6.5 point favorite.
Ultimately I think the Vols will win this game, but it won’t be a blowout and it probably won’t be pretty. Obviously Butch Jones probably wishes he was opening with Austin Peay again, but in the long run it’ll be good for UT to have a tough test early.
"Why is Steve Spurrier the biggest jerk in the south-east? — Jake M."
This won’t be a popular opinion among Tennessee fans, but I wouldn’t call Spurrier a jerk at all.
The fact that he’s so candid is a treat to us all. His jabs at Tennessee are almost his way of endearing the Volunteers. You don’t hear him taking jabs at Mississippi State or Arkansas.
As long as Spurrier is talking about UT, then it means they’re relevant to him.
For our sake, I hope they always remain relevant in his mind, because the sound bites are priceless.
"Do you think Butch Jones will ever leave Tennessee for another job? — Wesley S."
I think it’s way too early to be thinking about things like that, but I understand your concern as a Vol fan.
In short, no I don’t think he’ll leave for another job. I think if he leaves it will be because he was asked to leave. I honestly believe Jones when he calls Tennessee his dream job. He’s back that claim up with his actions every step of the way.
Jones, even if he goes 5-7 again this season, won’t be on the hot-seat in 2015. He’ll be given more time than Dooley simply because he’s making progress. You can see things changing.
"Why did Alden Hill leave Tennessee? — Bill C."
That’s simple. Opportunity. He wasn’t going to have an opportunity at Tennessee. No matter how much he loved being in Knoxville, he wanted an opportunity to play. With Jalen Hurd, Marlin Lane, Derrell Scott, Justus Pickett and Treyvon Paulk (when he gets healthy) on the roster, it just wasn’t going to happen at Tennessee. He obviously has some talent (as he displayed in the 2013 spring game) and he deserves a chance to play somehwere.