Where former Vols head coach Butch Jones ranked Tennessee on his final Top 25 Coaches Poll ballot
The final US LBM Coaches Poll was released earlier this week and the Tennessee Vols came in at No. 8. That's one spot higher than Tennessee was ranked in the Final AP Top 25 poll. Former Vols head coach Butch Jones is one reason why Tennessee was ranked higher in the coaches poll than they were […]
The final US LBM Coaches Poll was released earlier this week and the Tennessee Vols came in at No. 8.
That's one spot higher than Tennessee was ranked in the Final AP Top 25 poll.
Former Vols head coach Butch Jones is one reason why Tennessee was ranked higher in the coaches poll than they were in the AP poll.
Jones ranked Tennessee No. 7 on his final US LBM Coaches Poll ballot.
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart and Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer also ranked Tennessee at No. 7.
A year ago, Jones ranked Tennessee No. 18 on his final coaches poll ballot (the Vols finished No. 17 in the final coaches poll for the 2023 season).
Butch Jones' coaching career is trending in the right direction
After getting fired by Tennessee in 2017, Jones spent three seasons as off-field assistant at Alabama.
The former Vols head coach was hired as Arkansas State's head coach ahead of the 2021 season.
It's been a slow go for Jones at Arkansas State — he was viewed as being on the hot seat at one point — but he has the Red Wolves trending in the right direction entering the offseason.
Arkansas State won just five games in Jones' first two seasons in Jonesboro, but they've been bowl eligible the last two seasons. The Red Wolves went 6-7 in 2023 and they went 8-5 in 2024.
Jones signed a contract extension with Arkansas State in December that runs through 2029.
The Red Wolves open the 2025 season against Southeast Missouri before playing two tough games against Power-4 opponents — on the road against the Arkansas Razorbacks and at home against the Iowa State Hawkeyes.
