By Ty Scheiner
The coaching career of Butch Jones has taken a different path than most expected. After multiple successful stops within the G5 and building winning programs at each, he seemed poised to prove that his program, style, and personality could create success at any level. The idea was that he would transition smoothly to a power conference school (Tennessee) and demonstrate that his coaching abilities were the constant factor in building winning football programs, regardless of the conference. But that didn’t happen the first time. Will Jones get a second chance at it?
Early Success at Central Michigan
In three seasons at Central Michigan, Jones recorded a 27-13 record, capped off by a 10-2 final season, earning his second MAC championship with CMU and getting the Chippewas to the GMAC Bowl, which he did not coach as he departed for Cincinnati. Jones was the only head coach to lead Central Michigan to consecutive bowl games and the first in MAC history to do so in his first three seasons.
Making a Mark at Cincinnati
The transition from Mount Pleasant to Cincinnati was a bit drama-filled. The departure of Brian Kelly to Notre Dame didn’t sit well with current players and the fanbase. Ironically, only three years before, CMU fans were in the same situation with Kelly leaving to coach the Bearcats. It can be argued that Butch Jones truly made a name for himself at Cincinnati. In three seasons, he went 23-14, with two Big East titles and two bowl appearances (going 1-0 in them, not coaching the last game as he had already taken the Tennessee job). Additionally, he was named the Big East Coach of the Year in 2011. It was reported that he was offered the head coaching job at Colorado in 2012 but turned down the five-year, $13.5 million offer, deciding to stay in Cincinnati, only to later accept the job in Knoxville.
Challenges at Tennessee
The jump to Tennessee was a bit unexpected and left Bearcat fans with a bad taste in their mouths, as they had seen this play out only three years earlier with Kelly. Jones confirmed he wasn’t looking to leave Cincinnati, as evidenced by turning down the Colorado job, but the opportunity with Tennessee was too good to pass up. Expectations were different in the SEC, especially at a storied program like Tennessee. While he went an average 34-27 over five years in Knoxville, this did not meet expectations, and towards the end of his tenure, it could be argued that his teams didn’t live up to their potential. Vols fans felt they had reached their ceiling with Jones, leading to his firing in 2017.
I don’t think Butch Jones is a bad coach; he’s had success wherever he’s been. However, the lights were too bright in Knoxville, and he may not have been suited for that program.
A Rejuvenation at Arkansas State?
Which brings us to Arkansas State and the potential rejuvenation of Butch Jones. After a few seasons in Tuscaloosa under Saban as an Offensive Analyst/Special Assistant to the HC, Jones was hired as the Head Coach in Jonesboro. Yes, the Red Wolves are 11-26 in the first three seasons under Jones, but they’ve seen improvement each year. He’s brought in some of the best recruiting classes the program has seen, guided 10 players to 11 all-conference selections in 2021, and last season brought the Red Wolves to their first bowl game since 2019. It was also recently announced that Arkansas State completed their 2024 recruiting class, ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference for the third consecutive season by Rivals, with a consensus top three finish in the Sun Belt. This is the first class in program history with multiple ESPN300 recruits for Arkansas State.
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Things are continuing to look up for the program and Jones. I think he is a good coach and has proven he can build programs, but maybe he is better suited for G5. Or perhaps he’s learned lessons at Tennessee and during his short stint at Alabama that will allow another power conference school to take a chance on him in the future. Either way, I think he’ll be out to prove that he is a respectable coach somewhere in the near future.
