Mark Zerof, USA TODAY SPORTS
Butch Jones has been a winner at each and every stop in his coaching career. He won at Central Michigan and with the Cincinnati Bearcats. It may have taken longer at some places than it did at others, but Jones has always gotten the job done.
As he enters his third year as the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, Jones is 12-13 in Knoxville. While last year’s team did show improvement (7-6 as opposed to 5-7 in 2013), the Vol Nation wants more. Tennessee fans expect to be in the hunt in the SEC East each and every season and they haven’t been there in quite some time.
In fact, since Tennessee fired Phillip Fulmer, the Vols have not seriously contended in the SEC. Tennessee has not won the SEC East since 2007.
All of that is to say that there is a certain amount of pressure on the Tennessee head coach, no matter who he is or what he has done before his arrival on Rocky Top. There are expectations in Knoxville that have not been fulfilled in a while, and that just comes with the job.
And Jones has, in an odd way, added even more pressure to himself by signing back-to-back top five recruiting classes (according to Rivals.com). When Jones took over the program, there was a definite lack of talent. Now, there is no excuse for not improving because the talent is there.
Jones is not exactly on the hot seat in Knoxville, but taking a step back or staying around the .500 mark this season would make that seat quite a bit hotter. However, Jones’ proven track record of success indicates that a regression is not likely.
Hot Seat Monitor: 4 out of 10
Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
