For Vol fans wanting to see a change at the head coaching position after Tennessee’s 29-26 loss to Kentucky, the news on Sunday morning won’t make you happy.
According to a report from long-time Knoxville reporter Jimmy Hyams, Butch Jones is expected to be the coach of the Vols when they take on Southern Miss for homecoming on November 4th.
Source: Tennessee has not called a press conference for today or this week regarding status of coach Butch Jones.
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) October 29, 2017
While many believe Jones will not survive this season, another source told me Jones will coach the Southern Miss game Saturday.
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) October 29, 2017
Does that mean Jones will survive the season? No.
But it does indicate he will survive the week.— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) October 29, 2017
As Hyams points out, Jones coaching the Vols’ next game doesn’t mean he survives the whole season. But with Tennessee at 3-5 and bowl eligibility looking less and less likely for the 2017 team, fans are ravenous for a change and to hear something from Tennessee’s leadership.
Right now, the silence from athletic director John Currie and the rest of Tennessee’s administration is deafening. And it’s only getting worse as the losses continue to pile up.
The Vols have lost four consecutive games and are 0-5 in SEC play. They were handed blowout losses by Georgia and Alabama, and they’ve suffered close losses to Florida, South Carolina, and Kentucky.
And that loss to Kentucky? That was only the second time Kentucky had beaten Tennessee in football since 1985. The other time? In 2011, when Derek Dooley was head coach.
If Hyams is correct, Jones will be on the sideline when Tennessee hosts Southern Miss for homecoming this upcoming weekend. And if that’s the case, expect a chorus of boos from fans whenever Jones’ name is announced pre-game. And also expect the attendance to be woefully low for the game as well.
3 Responses
Get off his case & support him for the rest of this year! I think the BAD SPORTS are in Knoxville!
I don’t understand why the administration at the University of Tennessee is willing to settle for just being average at best. Do they not get that if we keep losing the fans will stop coming then how much money will the university be making. It seems to me that Currie doesn’t want to fire Jones but he was more than willing to get rid of Coach Fulmer who by the way is a HALL OF FAME COACH and the year before he was fired won the east and 10 games I may not be the smartest guy around but Coach Jones has done neither. Don’t get me wrong Coach Jones in my opinion has taken us as far as he is able he is a nice man but if the administration truly cares about the players and the University of Tennessee then Jones has to go NOW
I personally think it is ludicrous to be calling for Butch’s demise so soon! He spent the first year/s cleaning up the Dooley mess and earning the trust of the team. He has barely had enough time to recruit and build a team. Yes, we are having a lousy year, but he never promised a rose garden, what’s that saying? Oh yeah, “brick by brick”. That doesn’t happen over night. Look back at the milestones he has achieved and give him a break. No team can be the super stars every year and guess what? The Peyton Manning’s of the world are few and far between. I say leave Butch to continue his work and wait and see what happens.