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Butch Jones doesn’t understand criticism over current state of Tennessee program
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If one coaches at a high-profile school, there’s bound to be criticism and second-guessing. It’s simply the nature of the profession.
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones is certainly no stranger to this. Expected to be a dark-horse National Championship contender in 2016, injuries have completely derailed the Vols’ season.
Though a title shot is out of the question, Tennessee is still has a respectable 8-3 overall record. This isn’t good enough for many of the die-hards in Knoxville — and Jones isn’t sure why.
During his teleconference on Wednesday, he spoke about how far his program has come in four years:
Butch: The progress we’ve made in this program keeps being minimized, and I just don’t get it. We’ve come so far in so many areas.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) November 23, 2016
Prior to Jones taking over in 2012, Tennessee had gone through a rough three-year period in which the team had not made a bowl game. In 2010, Lane Kiffin coached for one year — before leaving unexpectedly for the Southern Cal job.
Tennessee needed a stabilizing force, and Jones has been that for this program.
#Vols coach Butch Jones said he doesn't understand why people don't get the progress made at Tennessee the last 4 years.
— Tennessee Beat (@TennesseeBeat) November 23, 2016
When factoring in this current season, UT will have made three-straight bowl appearances. Jones has turned Tennessee into a recruiting juggernaut — routinely finishing within the top 10 from a national standpoint.
Any measure of improvement can come from the team’s record on an annual basis. Take a look at the program’s record under Jones:
2013: 5-7
2014: 7-6
2015: 9-4
2016: 8-3 (with two more games remaining)
As one can see, Jones has gotten the program to a much better place when compared to his predecessor.
