Former Vols head coach Butch Jones gets surprising news from Arkansas State
Former Tennessee Vols head coach Butch Jones received some surprising news from his current employer, Arkansas State, this week. Jones, who was hired as the Arkansas State head coach before the 2021 season, received a contract extension this week from the Red Wolves. Why is this surprising? Well, Jones didn't exactly do a great job […]
Former Tennessee Vols head coach Butch Jones received some surprising news from his current employer, Arkansas State, this week.
Jones, who was hired as the Arkansas State head coach before the 2021 season, received a contract extension this week from the Red Wolves.
Why is this surprising?
Well, Jones didn't exactly do a great job in his first season as the Arkansas State head coach.
The Red Wolves went 2-10 in 2021. The previous year, Arkansas State went 4-7 under Blake Anderson. Prior to the 2020 season, which was strange for everyone due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Red Wolves had experienced nine straight winning seasons.
Arkansas State's two wins in 2021 were the program's fewest since winning two games in 2001.
Maybe Jones will turn it around — he found moderate success at Central Michigan, Cincinnati, and Tennessee.
The problem here is that Arkansas State didn't need to give Jones an extension. It's not like other programs are clamoring to hire the former Vols head coach. Jones, after all, spent three years as an off-field assistant at Alabama before finally landing another head coaching job. Jones isn't an in-demand coach. In fact, the likely outcome for him at Arkansas State is that he's eventually fired (another 2-10 season might do the trick).
By now, we know who Jones is as a head coach — he can market a program, but he's not a good program builder. Nor is he a good X's and O's coach. And his reputation is so bad after his missteps at Tennessee that I can't imagine he's a popular figure on the recruiting trail.
Featured image via Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports