Butch Jones, The New Face Of The Tennessee Vols.

Butch Jones

It looks like the coaching search is winding down and Butch Jones will be the next head coach of the University of Tennessee. This isn't what the fan base was hoping for, nothing against Jones, but Athletic Director Dave Hart really done a terrible job on this search. There were many better candidates who could have took the job, let me rephrase that, there were better unemployed coaches who WOULD have took the job(Petrino). Butch Jones turned down Kentucky and Colorado waiting on UT to call, but Kentucky isn't very good and Colorado was the worst team in the FBS last year. One other thing, the worst coach in UT history(Dooley), beat the guy by three touchdowns. But the UT fans will eventually get behind him and hopefully not be let down again.
Butch Jones previously coached at University of Cincinnati from 2010 to 2012 and Central Michigan University from 2007 to 2009. A Michigan native, he played college football at Ferris State University. Jones and his wife, Barbara, have three sons -- Alex, Adam, and Andrew. He currently holds a 50-27 overall record. He won the Big East Title last year and won the Liberty Bowl against Vanderbilt, he was also named Big East Coach of the Year.
So at 2:30 today UT will introduce Jones as the new head coach. The fans expect certain things, things he hasn't done yet in the Big East. They also expect him to retain running back coach Jay Graham and go get wide receiver coach Tee Martin from USC. The fans will eventually get behind him, but he will have to win to keep his dream job.

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This Just Sums It All Up

It's Officially a Dumpster Fire.

The great University of Tennessee's coaching search has now turned into an embarrassment for the fans and players. Turned down by Strong, Gundy, and Gruden, it is officially a dumpster fire. The Vol message boards and radio show callers are calling for AD Hart's head. Last night the hashtag #turneddowntennessee was trending worldwide on Twitter. UT is being left behind again, just like the Dooley hire. The University of Tennessee has rich tradition, excellent facilities, a huge stadium, and passionate fans. The only thing that can be happening is the administration is botching it, and that's sad. UT is going down the toilet, a once great program on the verge of being destroyed by people with absolutely no ties to UT. It's now time to salvage the situation and go get someone quick. Another gamble hire, just like Dooley was, but this hire could be the end of big time football at UT. UT is the laughingstock of the nation, and deserves it. This administration has problems, some fans have unrealistic expectations, but if UT can't hire a coach from a lesser school in a lesser conference, that's terrible. It's time for the AD to get someone in here, and can't afford to be hung up on getting perfection. UT has to put this fire out now, Petrino is available, Butch Davis is available, Jim Tressel is available, all winners who can be hired. UT has to get back to winning, this list is the easiest way. They might not be the most popular hires, but can UT afford to be picky at this point? No they cannot.

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Offers Reportedly Made

I'm not gonna go deep into this because it hasn't been confirmed, but it is being reported that Charlie Strong of Louisville and Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State have been offered the job as the University of Tennessee head coach. In my opinion, AD Hart's guy is Gundy and Strong is the safety net. I am satisfied that Strong is the guy at this point, Gundy just wants a raise. Vol message boards are going stupid about this whole thing, mostly because its about 99.999999% chance that the coaches name won't be Gruden. It's pathetic and embarrassing for fans who are actually living in the real world. UT fans have to get behind their guy and support him!

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Bret Bielema to Arkansas

It appears the Arkansas Razorbacks have hired Wisconsin Badger coach Bret Bielema. It's quite shocking actually, this is the same coach who was quoted as saying he would never come to the SEC. Not to mention the totally different styles of play he has compared to Razorback former coach John L. Smith. Bielema is a run first, big lineman, pound the rock kind of coach, Arkansas has come to be known for their high flying pass game.
A few things about him:

• 68-24 overall record
• Kansas State-Co-Defensive Coordinator from 2002-03
• Defensive Coordinator-University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2004
• Replaced Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin in 2005
• Has been to a bowl game every year since he took over at Wisconsin
• Scheduled to play in the Rose Bowl this season

It appears to be a good hire on paper, but his name came way out of left field. This is just one of the many coaches rumored to be hired by Arkansas, this does appear to be confirmed though. In the SEC, Tennessee has still not named a coach but the list has been thinned down to Charlie Strong and Mike Gundy. The Auburn Tigers are still looking also, although they are rumored to be close to hiring Gus Malzahn, head coach of Arkansas State.

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Charlie Strong

Louisville's head coach Charlie Strong is one of the final candidates for Tennessee's open head coaching position. He is a defensive minded coach with experience in the SEC. Charlie Strong was born in Batesville, Arkansas. After lettering for four years (1980–1983) at the University of Central Arkansas, Strong joined the Gators coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 1984. He later served as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M in 1985. His first full-time coaching job was at Southern Illinois in 1986, where he coached wide receivers. He later assumed defensive coaching duties at Florida, Ole Miss, and Notre Dame. He also received a master's degree and education specialist degree from the University of Florida. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
In 1999, Strong joined the South Carolina Gamecocks as defensive coordinator, becoming the first African American coordinator in Southeastern Conference (SEC) history. His stifling defenses and charismatic personality created buzz that he would be possibly the first black head coach in the SEC, but job offers were slim. Sylvester Croom eventually broke the color barrier in the SEC coaching ranks.
Strong was hired as defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators before the 2003 season. Florida head coach Ron Zook was fired midway through the Gators' 2004 season, but continued to coach until the bowl game; Strong served as interim coach of the Gators for one game, the December 2004 Peach Bowl. Florida lost the game, 27–10, to the Miami Hurricanes. Florida credits the regular season to Zook and the Peach Bowl to Strong. When Urban Meyer was hired as Florida's head coach, Strong was the only assistant coach retained from Zook's staff.
In a January 2009 interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Strong expressed his belief that race played a large part in the reason that he hadn't been offered a head coaching job at that point. Strong, whose wife is white, especially cited prospective employers' discomfort with his interracial relationship.
He became the 21st head football coach at the University of Louisville on December 9, 2009^[2]. In a telephone interview that day with ESPN.com columnist Pat Forde, former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, himself African American, said of Strong, "When they see what he can do, you're probably going to have a lot of people disappointed they didn't hire him sooner."
I'm not necessarily sold on this guy yet, he's only been a head coach for 3 years in a weak conference. He's also choked a couple of games away against inferior opponents this year. The UT fan base is sold on him already, most everyone wants him to be UT's next coach. I could support him, but he is coming into a bad situation for a new coach. UT isn't Louisville and things are 100 times more difficult in the SEC. He does have the Cardinals playing in a good bowl against his former Florida Gators team, and he has built Louisville into somewhat of a contender. For UT his experience and inability to put inferior teams away should be an issue, on the other hand he has a great defensive mind, something UT has lacked in the last half decade.

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Mike Gundy

It appears Mike Gundy has interviewed with Tennessee. I admit I'm not as familiar with him as I should be. He is the current coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys and has a 66-35 overall record. He isn't very media friendly, most notably his "I'm a man, come at me, I'm 40". This doesn't bother me at all, most the inside reporters here in Knoxville deserve it. He done very well in 2011 finishing 12-1, this year he is currently 7-5 and has an upcoming Heart of Dallas bowl game against Purdue.

This is Wikipedia's 2011 season entry:

2011 season

The Cowboys entered 2011 with their highest expectations since the 1980s. They opened the season ninth in both major polls. Gundy's Cowboys didn't disappoint, starting the season 10–0, the best start in school history. Gundy has had a hand in four of Oklahoma State's five 10-win seasons (two as quarterback, two as head coach). With a 52–45 win over Kansas State, the Cowboys rose to second in the AP Poll and Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings, the highest national rankings in school history. On November 18th, Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State in double overtime 37–31, all but dashing their national title hopes, but remained in the BCS hunt with a series of upsets in the following weeks, along with a convincing 44–10 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners on December 3, snapping an eight-game losing streak in the Bedlam rivalry. It was also Gundy's first win over Oklahoma as a player or a coach at Oklahoma State; he'd gone 0–4 while the Cowboys' quarterback.
On December 4, it was announced that Oklahoma State had earned a spot in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, being barely eclipsed out of the BCS National Championship game by second-place Alabama by the smallest margin between #2 and #3 in BCS history. Many AP voters hinted that if the Cowboys were to beat Stanford as they did the Sooners, and Alabama upset SEC West rival LSU in the BCS Championship Game, the Cowboys could earn a split title with an AP Poll #1 ranking (this is opposed to the USA Today & Harris Coaches polls which are contractually bound to vote the winner of the BCS title game #1).
The #3 Cowboys beat the #4 Stanford Cardinal 41–38 in the Fiesta Bowl, marking Oklahoma State's first BCS bowl win, and first outright Big 12 Conference title in the same season, though it was not enough to convince voters to give OSU a split title.

I could get behind him I suppose, but I don't think he will actually come. I would dare to say he is just lobbying for a raise, and that's OK, I don't blame him. He's not known for having a good defense, which is what we need the most. Apparently, he has had some issues with the AD, which could sway his interest. I have respect for him, I think he's a great coach, I'm just not so sure he's the right fit at UT.

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It's Finally Over!

It's over, the great University of Tennessee has been turned down by King Chucky. Sad, sad day in Knoxville. I wrote an article about my top 3, just exclude the Gruden part. It has been a fun ride so far, but now it's time to get serious and get a new coach.

Bobby Petrino
He's a winner and he is my first choice. If you have been living on the moon for the last few years, he is not well liked. He has deserted two teams and been fired from another, but he wins like crazy everywhere he goes. The University of Tennessee needs wins now, and Bobby can get it done, quick. UT fans worry about him leaving in a few years, but if he wins for 3 or 4 years, what's the problem? This guy is unemployed too, making him very affordable to hire. I get bashed for supporting this hire, everyday, his record and coaching ability cant be overlooked though.








Jimbo Fisher
Oh Jimbo, your parents must have hated you, but Florida State does not. 10-2 this season with the ACC title game and a BCS bowl game to go, impressive to say the least. Why would he leave Tallahassee? We aren't really sure, he doesn't get along with the AD down there, so the rumor goes. He is on UT's list, he is close to UT's Athletic director, and he is interested. Jimbo's a good coach, but he is a great recruiter, UT needs that right now. Knoxville and Tennessee in general isn't the best or easiest place to recruit so it puts him high on the list. I'm high on Jimbo, not only for his name, we have to have a good recruiter.









Greg Roman
Hey, its Peter Griffin! Not really, it's Greg Roman, offensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh's led San Fransisco 49ers. The 49ers are pretty good in case you didn't know, and Roman's wife is from Tennessee. So UT's Athletic Directer Dave Hart said he wanted a current head coach, but this guy is a home run hire in my book. He was over the offense at Stanford from 09-10, he has been in the NFL several years prior, and followed Jim Harbaugh to the 49ers after Stanford. He has been successful everywhere he has been, now its time for him to take a head coaching job.

This is who I think would be the best fit at UT, there have been so many names relating to this it's hard to keep track. I will keep you updated! Look at some of my other Yahoo articles below and comment on what you think.

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A New Twist

Well, there is a new twist to the Gruden saga. Apparently a Chattanooga based newspaper has learned that Gruden has in fact been made an offer and he is considering accepting. This is getting good, the article cites two unnamed sources who say the problem is assistant pay and control issues.Here in Knoxville it is all you hear, all day long. Which isn't a huge deal except when it dies down, you can bet the next morning a story like this will be released. Don't get me wrong, it is exciting, but our AD is losing control fast. The Vol fans need a statement quick or it could go into apocalypse mode here.

In other news, Monte Kiffin will leave USC. He and his boy Lane aren't very popular here, but leave it to Vol fans to link him to the UT job. Since he announced his leaving USC, it apparently means he is now on Grudens' staff. Good Stuff in my opinion. ESPN sorta addressed this when Mark May said we had a better chance of getting Madden, he isn't very popular around here either.

I have some new articles on Yahoo not pertaining to(at least not as much)Gruden. Check it out.

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So Here is the Newest Update on the Coaching Search:

It appears Jon Gruden is asking for a ton of money not just for him but for his assistants also. The report is somewhere around 36million over 6 years with a 3million dollar budget for his staff, not to mention he wants to have full control of the football program. Remember that this guy hasn't coached since 2008, and has never been a head coach in college. There are other names being mentioned now, Al Golden, Charlie Strong, Larry Fedora, and about 1,000 other people. It's not looking good for the fans in Knoxville, a revolt could be coming if a bad hire is made. Honestly, this is the most excited I've been for UT football in 3 years!
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Jon Gruden

So I am a huge college football fan, and here in TN we just fired our coach. We now have an internet phenomenon called #Grumors. It is the most insane thing I have ever seen, Mr. Jon "Chucky" Gruden, former Tampa Bay Buc Superbowl winning coach. He is the #1 choice for for the fans, rumors are now running rampant on Vol message boards and Twitter. I cant relay the insanity just in words, Google Gruden to Tennessee and laugh your ass off. The fact that anyone that isn't Gruden and gets hired is a huge letdown now will drive any good coach far, far away from UT. Anyone who isn't directly related to this area is not going to understand, and I apologize for that, because you are definitely missing out on all the fun.

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