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Vols Football: The Pressure Is On Butch Jones

By Seth Norris

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Tennessee Vols Head Coach Butch Jones is in his third year with major expectations. Now, the pressure is on to actually produce.

Coach Butch Jones is leading the Tennessee Volunteers to the College Football Playoff.

That’s at least what some people in the national media predict, and of course that leads to exceedingly high expectations for this football team.

Before every season, in what has been a dark era of the football program, we hear “It feels like 98!” The majority of time it has been said in sarcasm after an opening win over the Division III Mighty Mice, or after another loss to Florida. But sometimes people believe that it truly feels like 98, and they may have a legitimate case for this season.

Let’s highlight what you might have heard this off-season as to why Tennessee is going to the playoff:

  • The Vols return 18 starters
  • The offense is run by a man named Joshua Dobbs who is believed to be smarter than Einstein
  • Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara will be the first duo to rush for 1,000 yards in the same season since Cedric Houston and Gerald Riggs Jr.
  • Derek Barnett is a freak and Cam Sutton is better than Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman
  • Kahlil McKenzie Jr. is already a top five draft pick
  • Curt Maggitt is a grown a** man
  • Butch Jones
  • Butch Jones
  • Mike DeBo….Butch Jones

Let us get to that last reason of Butch Jones.

At this rate, he seems to be statue bound. One day, we will look outside of Neyland and see a Butch Jones BRICK shrine with 15 national championships etched on a plaque. I am even hearing Brick by Brick sprinkled into church sermons, which may prove the theory that God is a Volunteer fan.

Jones has without a doubt been what Knoxville has needed. He has brought back excitement, and has brought in real SEC talent beating out actual SEC schools for players (yes, a shot at Derek Dooley).

With the talent, brings increasing expectations for the program, and that shifts the pressure to the coaching staff to put a fine tuned product on the field.

This will be pressure that is new to Jones and his staff because they have got a pass with how the program was handed to them.

Over his short tenure year, he has understandably been let off easy with some of his in game coaching decisions because he is still learning what it takes to win in the SEC. However, it has cost some the Vols some wins, like ending the streak over Florida last season.

In the SEC, you will not win without having a solid run game. In the 10-9 loss to Florida in Neyland Stadium, Jones abandoned said run game. For whatever reason, Justin Worley threw the ball nearly 40 times. Running backs Jalen Hurd and Marlin Lane only combined for 20 rushes. Through the first two seasons we have seen Coach Jones rely on the passing game far too often in times of panic.

Jones is a guy that has had to grow with the program himself. He is a proven winner everywhere he has been, but with a 12-13 record in his two seasons at Tennessee, it’s only a matter of time before that script is expected to be flipped.

That is this season.

Which is why the pressure is on Coach Jones. Fans are aware of the talent this team possesses. There are three players on the Chuck Bednarik award watch list that goes to the best defender in the country (Cam Sutton, Curt Maggitt, Derek Barnett). There are two players on the Maxwell Award watch list that goes to the best offensive player in the country (Joshua Dobbs, Jalen Hurd).

In a season where every game is expected to be winnable, if the Vols stay healthy and do not continue to improve in the win column, it may be time to start questioning Coach Jones’ ability.

Next: Make or Break Time for Former Vol Justin Hunter

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