HOOVER, Ala. – Hundreds of reporters lurked, waiting for Butch Jones, the third and final coach to appear in the main hall on the first day of SEC media days, armed with questions like, “What do you think you’ve got to do to take that next step, you know, to get to Atlanta?”
One inquiry centered on where the 2017 Tennessee football team will turn for leadership with six NFL draft picks departed from a team that fell short of Atlanta, site of the SEC championship game.
Another question concluded bluntly with “Do you view that last season as a disappointment?”
Jones came prepared with answers from a perspective that reached further into the past than a 2016 season – derailed by losses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt – that was the subject of many questions Monday on the first day of the annual preseason frenzy at the Wynfrey Hotel.
“I think if you step back and really look at the narrative, there are a lot of great things and a lot of positive momentum that continues to really progress in our football program,” Jones said.