SEC Head Coach Evaluation: Tennessee Volunteers’ Butch Jones

Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

The Case Against . . .

Butch Jones came to Knoxville to take over a situation that had only known turmoil since Phillip Fulmer’s career began to wind down.  Many still viewed/view Tennessee as a destination level job, however.  Tennessee is a program that an ESPN raido host recently compared to Ohio State in terms of tradition, fan support, and facilities.

Jones has led the Volunteers to a 6^th and 4^th place finish in the SEC East thus far.  Fair or not, Tennessee at minimum needs those types of finishes annually in the SEC overall for Butch Jones’ tenure to be considered successful.

Note that I did say at minimum.  For Jones to have his tenure one to be remembered, Tennessee must perpetually compete for the SEC crown.  While Butch Jones did have some rebuilding security time, it has now evaporated.

The thing that has simultaneously done Jones a favor and disservice is the perceived overall strength of the SEC East.  Some of the power players being down has helped Jones secure some elite recruits and sneak in a few wins with subpar talent.  If he is not successful this year, though, the weakness of the division will be thrown in his face.

If Jones does not finish at least 2^nd in his division this year, you can bet you will hear grumblings.  Fans and enemies alike will grumble about how “Jones can’t even compete in a weak SEC East,” “what is Butch going to do when the east is good again. . .” and much less clean comments.

It is not entirely fair, though, as nearly every program in the division is improving.  And Vandy cannot be worse.  It is very possible that Jones’ Volunteers are much improved on the field but only see a one or two game bump in overallwins.

Such is life in the SEC.

While most of this is purely speculative, that is really all one can currently go on after only two years in Knoxville.

One factual knock is his record against ranked opponents while at Tennessee, as follows (all rankings are from the AP Poll):

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2013:

#2 Oregon, L 15-59

#19 Florida, L 17-31

#6 Georgia, L 31-34 (OT)

#11 South Carolina, W 23-21

#1 Alabama, L 10-45

#10 Missouri, L 3-31

#7 Auburn, L 23-55

2014:

#4 Oklahoma, L 10-34

#12 Georgia, L 32-35

#3 Ole Miss, L 3-34

#4 Alabama, L 20-34

#19 Missouri, L 21-29

Aside from a penchant for playing Georgia extraordinarily close, many of Tennessee’s losses against ranked opponents have been blowouts.  Overall, though, Tennessee’s losses to ranked opponents were much more respectable in 2014 compared to 2013.

The fact that Tennessee gained an extra win in 2014 while playing two fewer ranked opponents will also not escape Jones’s critics.  Neither will going 1-12 in such games.

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