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8. Butch Jones
It’s tough to balance SEC results and potential on this list. For everybody I chose before Jones, I did so because their conference credentials are better – meaning they’ve reached a point in their career where they’ve been in contention in the SEC and have hit that 9 or 10 win plateau that Jones will be aiming for in the next couple years.
But I am putting him in front of a several coaches who have a better track record than him because of recruiting and potential. Few, if any, inherited the issues Jones did at UT in 2013, and he’s done a great job getting them beyond many of them. His recruiting has been at or close to elite level and the Vols are on an upward trajectory. He could easily be in the top five next year with a nice step forward in 2015, but he’ll have to prove it on the field with a roster that he’s had some time to shape now.
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