The CheckerBoard

Charlie Strong was a given to bring in top 10 classes. We don't know how Butch Jones would recruit. He has no ties down here, we don't know anything about his staff. There is just a lot of question marks. He could be good, but Strong we know would've upgraded this roster...

If Butch keeps Graham and Pittman and brings in Tee I wouldn't be upset.

Bring him in and get tee and other great recruiters and lets go

That's how I feel. Just give any HC a bunch of recruiters. It's obvious Jones can coach, it's just whether or not he can get the players...

FWIW I watched the Louisville Cincy game this year. Cincy dominated the game but just made silly turnovers and lost. While I think Strong would've recruited here better, and might have brought in better coaches, Butch Jones is the better in game HC.

I suppose that's true, there are no "guarantees", but you make decisions based on probabilities and the information you have available. Strong, from what we "heard" and what we "know" has extensive ties in the south having coached at Floriday, SC, and now in Kentucky. I think it's fairly clear his players love him, and from the buzz generated during yesterdays circus, a lot of recruits were perking up there ears at the thought of Strong coaching for us. Not to mention the fact that he has been relatively successful at Louisville as a head coach.

I have heard zero buzz from recruits who cant wait for us to hire Butch Jones. He has no history of ties in the Southeast, has never had to recruit against the likes of Alabama, Georgia, LSU etc.. and, imo, is not going to generate much excitement amongst the base and among recruits. But just from a coaching record standpoint, im not impressed. He has not only not had to recruit against the big boys in the SEC, but he has not won at an elite level anywhere. So he has neither of the two most significant qualifications we should be looking for - proven experience and success in recruiting in the SEC, or winning at an elite level at another program. Does this mean he wont/cant be successful here? Of course not. My crystal ball doesnt work any better than yours does. But evaluating the probabilities, to me, Butch Jones has a much greater risk for us, too great for us to take a chance at THIS point in our programs history.

Strong posts Buckshot. I agree...Butch has strong crenedentials and I too am shocked everyone is so crushed by Strong. Most people over the last few weeks have had just as many concerns about Strong. To me, it just shows that Vol fans are ready to rally around a new start.

And sadly, I realize that most fans are too narrow minded to get past the Cincy loss to Dooley last yr. Nevermind that Dooley beat Butch Davis as well (dont care what the cheated outcome eneded up).

Butch Jones may not be the "splash" hire that some are looking for, but pretty sure he can coach, and there are plenty of people out there in the football World who would see the hire for what it is "Football" decision & not politics.

He may not have SEC credentials, but the last time I checked there were plenty of 4 and 5 star recruits in the Cincinnati area that he would name name recognition with.

ESPN's Chris Mortenson is on record as being on board with a Butch Jones hire, his jon is analyzing football, I would imagine Butch Jones warrants consideration.

Probably my second Butch choice (after Davis), though. That guy needs a second chance. It is possible he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, twice (Miami, UNC), isn't it....?

Hearing a lot of craziness right now though - Pelini, Rich Rod, Solich, and others. Butch Jones should be on the short list though, at this point...

Charlie Strong has been at 2 elite SEC programs, but he hasn't been THE guy. I firmly believe that Butch Jones has had more coaching success as a head coach than Charlie Strong has. The evidence is there to back that up and thats how i say he'd be a better hire completely straight faced. Having DC experience means nothing as a HC. Look at how many coordinators are great in that capacity but are not cut out to be a HC.

Charlie Strong was part of great staffs at those other schools, not the guy leading the staff. He was 7-6, 7-6 and now 10-2 going to the BCS bowl because of a conf. tie breaker. How do we know this isn't a one year wonder? Butch Jones won at Central Michigan and now Cincinnati. His bad year at cinci they had a ton of injuries. As far as being a superior recruiter, i'm sure he had a lot easier time at USCjr and Florida getting people to go there. I'm not taking anything away from him, but we both know it's easier to get guys to go to big time schools than the "lesser" programs.

And I definitely disagree witn you about Jones being a decent coach who has had decent success at a mid level school. He's won 65% of his games and done it at a school not at all known for football. He's beaten Charlie Strong twice. If he's just a decent coach with decent success, that means the same thing for charlie strong.

As far as the fans go. If he does his job and coaches the team and they win ball games, the stands will be filled. There's not a lot that's done in december that's going to get fans excited for Tennessee football. Whoever the new coach is is going to have to win to fill the stadium. Winning will create excitement, and I think butch jones is qualified to do that.

He lost to Dooley.

He has ridden Brian Kelly's coattails at his 2 stops.

Buckshot, there is no doubting that Butch is a "winning" coach. But he has not demonstrated an aptitude for winning at an elite level. Your claim that you cant blame him for not making it to BCS bowl games or an elite level because he is at a "non-football" school like cincy is undermined by the fact that that is EXACTLY what Brian Kelly did the previous two years before Jones took over. Kelly went 12-0 his last year and took his team to a BCS bowl his last two years. THAT is why ND hired him. Do you think ND would hire Butch Jones with his record? Im going to say no chance. Why do you think the schools that are contending with us for Jones are Colorado and Purdue?? Are these really schools we want to be compared too?

Look at the DETAILS of his record. The teams he has beaten, the teams he has lost too. The ranked teams he has played. Any signature wins that you see? Plenty of signature losses, including a loss to Toledo this year. Again, i dont see what people are looking at in his record. He has a nice W-L record, no doubt. But it's not elite. It's not what Brian Kelly did when he parlayed a 12-0 season and a BCS bowl into a ND gig, and it's not what Urban Meyer did when he parlayed a 12-0 season at Utah into the UF gig. Losing to Toledo and 2 of the 3 ranked teams you play should NOT qualify you for the University of Tennessee head coaching position.

After watching this video and doing some research on Butch Jones, I'd be happy with him as our next HC. The only question is whether he can recruit in the SEC, but that's the gamble with most coaches.