Tennessee football has moved on from Butch Jones. According to reports, his tenure with the Volunteers ended Sunday following a loss to the Missouri Tigers.
It may have taken longer than many Tennessee football fans wanted. However, it’s finally happened.
Coming off of a 50-17 loss to the Missouri Tigers on the road, things clearly couldn’t take any longer. And Butch Jones is now out as Tennessee football’s head coach.
Bruce Feldman reported the move Sunday afternoon.
BREAKING Butch Jones is out as #Vols head coach, source tells me. He just informed his staff.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 12, 2017
An SI report said that Brady Hoke would be named interim head coach of the program for the final two games. At 4-6 and 0-6 in the SEC, the Vols still have a chance to play for a bowl game.
However, they would have to beat an LSU Tigers team this Saturday that is on a roll. Then they would have to beat the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville.
Both things are actually going to be much more difficult than you could imagine. And with the distraction of Jones leaving, it’s hard to see this team getting to 6-6.
Jones finished his career at Tennessee with a 34-27 record. However, he was 14-24 in the SEC, even if he went 3-0 in bowl games. Going 1-4 against Florida and 0-5 against Alabama did not help matters.
With the move, the Vols suffered another decommitment. Shocky Jacques-louis, a three-star athlete on Rivals, announced his recruit shortly after the news broke.
I am officially decommitting from the University of Tennessee........
— Shocky Jacques-louis🇭🇹 (@ShockyMVP) November 12, 2017
At this point, the focus for Tennessee football fans isn’t even the end of the season. For Rocky Top, it’s about the next head coach.
Hoke is clearly not going to be the permanent guy in Knoxville.
Names have ranged from Jon Gruden to Dan Mullen to Bobby Petrino. At different points, all three guys have been frontrunners in Knoxville. Chip Kelly has been mentioned too.
John Currie doesn’t have to make a move immediately. But entering the coaching sweepstakes with the Florida Gators could prove tricky. He needs to lock in his guy before anybody in Gainesville can take him away. That would just be devastating.