KNOXVILLE – The news conference Butch Jones held Monday was far less significant than the one he attended exactly three years ago.
The venue was different, and there were more people and more cameras at the one three Decembers ago, when Jones was hired from Cincinnati to become Tennessee’s head football coach.
Tabbed to bring the Volunteers back to relevancy in the SEC, Jones reminisced about that day on Monday as he met with the media to discuss the bid to the Outback Bowl his program accepted Sunday afternoon.
“A whirlwind,” he said.
Jones had guided his third Cincinnati team to a share of the Big East Conference title and was one of the hot names on the coaching carousel that season. He was mentioned in connection with the Kentucky job that went to Mark Stoops. He appeared on the verge of accepting an offer from Colorado when the Vols called.
At a hotel in Lexington, Ky., Jones met with Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart and other administrators deep into the early-morning hours that Friday morning, then headed back to Cincinnati to inform his team of his move before flying to Knoxville to be introduced.
“It’s been a great journey,” Jones said Monday. “This is a very, very special place. I’m proud of everything that we’re building here. I’m about 15 pounds overweight from that three-year span, so I’m working on getting that back, but I’m just proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish here. I’m proud of our players.
“We have a long ways to go, but it’s been a very fulfilling three years and a very fast three years.”
Many expected Tennessee to take the step this season, but the Vols came up short in their biggest games, losing by a combined 17 points to four teams that went 40-8. They led playoff semifinalists Alabama and Oklahoma in the fourth quarter and couldn’t close. A similar formula in the loss at Florida likely cost Tennessee a division title.
The nature of those losses were and are bitter pills to swallow for a fan base that’s waited long enough for a return to glory, but it’s worth remembering where Tennessee was when Jones was hired.
He was the program’s fourth coach in six years. After winning 10 games in 2007, Tennessee missed the postseason altogether three out of the next five seasons prior to his arrival. The infamous year under Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley’s tenure left Tennessee in disarray.
Now the Vols are recruiting at a high level, enjoying stability on the coaching staff and preparing for their first New Year’s Day bowl in eight years.
“It points towards the progress that we’re making here,” Jones said.
Tennessee can finish the season ranked in the Top 25 with a win against Northwestern (10-2) in the Outback Bowl.
After the players wrap up final exams and the coaching staff completes a second week of recruiting, the Vols will practice this weekend for the game. Jones is hoping this team adopts a similar approach to last season’s Vols, who dominated Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl and got last offseason’s hype train rolling with that display.
“They went down to Jacksonville with a purpose – a purpose to win the football game,” Jones said. “Yeah, you’re going to have good times and enjoy your teammates, but it’s like I tell them: You don’t remember those; you remember the game. The game lives with you forever, and you rehearse that game over and over in your mind all the time.
“We had a very determined football team going to Jacksonville,” he added, “and we’ll rely on those experiences.”
Win or lose, Tennessee is going to be favored to win the SEC East next season, Jones’ fourth in Knoxville. The Vols would like to put one final stamp on his third one first.
“Obviously this game is big,” Jones said, “but we’ve had a very rewarding season. We’ve had the highs and the lows.
“You always want great expectations in your football program, but how far we’ve come in a very short period of time, when you look at a lot of firsts it’s been a long time. We need to step back and be thankful and grateful for everything that’s going on here. Things just don’t happen overnight, but they’re happening at a rapid pace. I firmly believe that.
“There is something to be (said) about having the momentum of winning and getting a ninth win and being ranked in the Top 25, but regardless of that, no bowl game will change how far this football program and this football team has come in a very short period of time of three years.”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.