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Tennessee football: The train wreck is beginning for the Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 30: Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones leaves the field after a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Georgia won 41-0. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 30: Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones leaves the field after a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Georgia won 41-0. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee football head coach Butch Jones appears to be a lame duck. And as a result, the Volunteers are becoming a train wreck.

Related Story: 5 people who should NOT be candidates to replace Butch Jones

This happened down the stretch of last year and wrecked the 2017 Tennessee football recruiting class. It’s happening much earlier this year. And the Vols are slowly turning into a dumpster fire during the bye week following their 41-0 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.

With their 3-2 record and fan anger at an all-time high, the hot seat talk surrounding Butch Jones is killing the program. It’s likely only going to get worse.

This all started Monday. Vols offensive lineman Venzell Boulware announced that he was leaving the program.

And that was just the start. Later that night, Tennessee football lost its first recruit due to all the talk.

Three-star wide receiver Jatavious Harris decided to open things back up for him on the recruiting trail. He announced that on Twitter.

And then came one of the worst bombshells. On Tuesday morning, four-star in-state safety Brendon Harris, a key member of the 2018 Tennessee football recruiting class, also backed off his commitment.

That’s one key player leaving the program and two key commitments backing off their pledge for 2018, including one who is from East Tennessee. This is not good for the Tennessee football program or Jones.

It already looked like the hot seat talk took a huge toll on the players last Saturday. You can expect it to do something similar down the stretch.

Again, this is what makes Jones look like a dead man walking. His only chance to potentially save his job and this situation is to win out, which includes doing the unthinkable and beating the Alabama Crimson Tide.

If he just loses to Alabama and finishes 9-3, he could still have a case to save his job. But this snowball effect won’t change, and the situation won’t be saved.

Next: Week 5 SEC Power Rankings: Vols remain low

The departures for the Vols are just the beginning. The train wreck is ahead. And Jones is going to desperately need a miracle to somehow stop it.

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