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Just how hot is the seat under Butch Jones? Yet another outlet has mentioned Jones in their top five coaches on the hot seat list. This time it’s Fox Sports.
Yep. If you can’t even consistently beat Vanderbilt at Tennessee, you won’t last very long. 2016 was the year to make it happen, but it didn’t. For the first time in a long time, Tennessee fans dealt with disappointment from expectations — which says something to the work that Butch and his staff has put in to this point. At some point though, you’ve got to take that next step.
Torres poses an interesting question that I’ve thought a lot about. What record gets Butch Jones fired? Is it 7-5? Or does it have to be a total flop back to the Dooley era 5-7 seasons? The tough answer here is that we just don’t know with a new Athletic Director in place.
One thing we do know is that the schedule this season won’t do Butch any favors. The Georgia Tech opener is one that Tennessee should win more times than not, but that triple option/flexbone look can give anyone fits. That’s far from a gimme. As Torres mentioned, a 3-4 start to the season is a very real possibility.
Other names in this top five included Gus Malzahn, Jim Mora, Kevin Sumlin and Brian Kelly.