Let’s face it. It’s over.
Barring a miracle comeback, Butch Jones will not be retained as Tennessee’s head coach next season. I’m not debating the merits of Jones or whether he should be fired. I’m just pointing out the obvious.
The past three games under Jones have been woefully embarrassing. That stretch was punctuated by the Vols’ 41-0 loss to Georgia at home. The defensive nature of his press conferences show that he’s feeling the pressure. The fact that he hasn’t received a contract extension is a sure sign that first-year athletic director Jon Currie isn’t 100-percent sold that Jones is the long-term answer. It’s also worth noting that Jones has been linked to other jobs throughout his time at UT. Does he even really want to be Tennessee’s head coach given the pressure of the job?
I know it’s not going to be cheap to get rid of Jones and his staff. Reports have claimed it would cost over $10 million in buyouts. However, the cost of keeping Jones would be even more expensive. Fans have lost faith in Jones. Think they’ll keep showing up to games? Think they’ll keep paying the same amount of donations for the current product?
It has been 10 years since the Vols have played in the SEC Championship Game. Tennessee is losing an entire generation of fans that will be expected to buy those tickets and make those donations.There’s too much at stake to simply hope Jones can magically change the current trajectory of his UT tenure.
If Currie indeed has serious doubt about Jones’ ability to turn the Vols into a championship program, then a change should be made immediately. That would give UT a chance to get a head start on several other top-notch programs that will also be looking for head coaches. UT could easily turn to defensive line coach Brady Hoke. He has head coaching experience and could lead the Vols for the remainder of the season.
Barring a miracle comeback, Butch Jones will not be retained as Tennessee’s head coach next season. I’m not debating the merits of Jones or whether he should be fired. I’m just pointing out the obvious.
The past three games under Jones have been woefully embarrassing. That stretch was punctuated by the Vols’ 41-0 loss to Georgia at home. The defensive nature of his press conferences show that he’s feeling the pressure. The fact that he hasn’t received a contract extension is a sure sign that first-year athletic director Jon Currie isn’t 100-percent sold that Jones is the long-term answer. It’s also worth noting that Jones has been linked to other jobs throughout his time at UT. Does he even really want to be Tennessee’s head coach given the pressure of the job?
I know it’s not going to be cheap to get rid of Jones and his staff. Reports have claimed it would cost over $10 million in buyouts. However, the cost of keeping Jones would be even more expensive. Fans have lost faith in Jones. Think they’ll keep showing up to games? Think they’ll keep paying the same amount of donations for the current product?
It has been 10 years since the Vols have played in the SEC Championship Game. Tennessee is losing an entire generation of fans that will be expected to buy those tickets and make those donations.There’s too much at stake to simply hope Jones can magically change the current trajectory of his UT tenure.
If Currie indeed has serious doubt about Jones’ ability to turn the Vols into a championship program, then a change should be made immediately. That would give UT a chance to get a head start on several other top-notch programs that will also be looking for head coaches. UT could easily turn to defensive line coach Brady Hoke. He has head coaching experience and could lead the Vols for the remainder of the season.
The common question is, “Who can the Vols hire to replace Jones?”. That shouldn’t be a concern. UT is, at worst, a top 15 job in the nation. The Vols struck out on their top candidates when they decided to replace Derek Dooley. It was a bit surprising, but understandable in retrospect. Dooley left UT’s program in a mess. The Vols were on the verge of NCAA sanctions because of a sagging APR and the roster was as bad as it had been in decades. That’s not the case anymore.
Jones’ program management and recruiting has improved the APR and the roster. It’s too bad his game planning and game management couldn’t have led to more wins. However, that hasn’t happened and it’s time for the Vols to move on.
