Tennessee football: Butch Jones does deserve credit for restoring Vols
By Colby Howell
While his time as Tennessee football could be coming to an end, Butch Jones doesn’t get enough credit for all he’s done for the UT Volunteers program.
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Love him or hate him, Tennessee football head coach Butch Jones deserves a lot more love than fans are willing to give. Though his time with the Vols seems near its end, the last 5 years have been no cakewalk.
An important element to Tennessee football’s fanbase is its impatience. It’s something very difficult to deal with as head coach anywhere. In Knoxville, however, you’re dealing with a new kind of pressure.
When UT fans are unhappy, you’ll know. There’s no silencing them, especially in the day and age of social media. They expect to win at a high level and when that doesn’t happen, you can lose them in a heartbeat. Butch Jones has indeed lost them. Maybe not all, but most.
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Some fans have said incredibly brutal things. And Jones probably hasn’t ignored all of those comments. Certainly that will weigh on a coach’s mentality. Considering what exactly he brought the Vols up from, it seems he’s coaching for very little.
Tennessee football was in absolute disarray before he arrived. While, yes, they could be heading back down that path, you can’t deny what was happening in 2012.
Derek Dooley’s final year in Knoxville ended with a 5-7 record, and he was fired after they were 4-7 (total: 5-18 in SEC play over his tenure). Meanwhile, Butch Jones has yet to lose more games than his previous year. He put together two straight 9-4 seasons with Top 25 finishes and three straight (sound) bowl victories. He snapped the streak against Florida and beat Georgia two years in a row.
The common argument is, however, if it was him or his players.
Of course it’s easier for any coach to win when his depth chart is complete with playmakers. Tennessee’s lack thereof this year is weighing in on Jones.
So yes, in essence Tennessee football has unlimited potential all over the field. But, the staff overhaul and player development has been especially underwhelming in 2017. It’s almost as if the Vols would start completely from scratch.
Plain and simple, the Vols need consistency.
In any case it seems unfair to compare any college program to Nick Saban and the job he’s doing at Alabama. The money and resources seem incomparable. But in Knoxville, they aren’t really.
According to Business Insider, the Vols are raking in roughly $126M a year, a 17% increase from the Dooley era. Bama is pulling about $140M. Yes Bama is making more, but at that kind of revenue Tennessee can afford a coach to do a Saban-like job.
Alabama set a school record by having 10 players drafted into the NFL. Tennessee had six. All six players came from Butch Jones recruitment. The difference is Alabama has moved on from their 10 drafted players without skipping a beat. They still remain undefeated, still remain No. 1.
Not Tennessee.
The Vols are suffering quickly this season without their stars. As a result, lots of fans are abandoning Jones’s legacy and seeing him for what he is now. Sadly, he’s just not winning like he should be.
According to rumors surfaced from the Finebaum Show, Tennessee football is ready to break the bank for Jon Gruden as Head Coach. On paper, this could be a home run hire and would easily maintain their recruiting.
Let’s be real though. While he may deserve to go, there’s a lot to thank Butch Jones for. The fans that have said they’ve been ready to get rid of him for two years do not understand football. While it’s difficult to watch now, and they may be ready to move on, Butch Jones did his job and he did it well.
Next: 5 people who should NOT replace Butch Jones
The program is back at relevance and the Vols are competitive once again. Now that they’re here, whomever UT hires, AD John Currie is ready to bring a championship back to Knoxville. Fans just have to overcome their impatience.