KNOXVILLE -Tennessee football coach Butch Jones said Monday that "nothing has changed" since Saturday night when Jones said he "absolutely" expects to have the support of athletic director John Currie moving forward with the last four games of the regular season.
"I understand everybody being upset," Jones said during his weekly press conference on the Tennessee campus. "If I was a fan, I would be upset, too. I bleed with them, but also I understand we need to win some football games, and I'm going to do everything in my power for our players, for our university, for our program to get that done."
Tennessee lost 29-26 at Kentucky on Saturday night to drop to 3-5 (0-5 SEC). The Vols host Southern Mississippi on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.
The Vols have lost four consecutive games and are guaranteed a final win total below the nine-win totals they posted under Jones in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
"In terms of record, obviously very, very disappointed," said Jones, who is in his fifth season at Tennessee. "But not discouraged. I understand the expectations of Tennessee football. So do our players. It's been one of those years. When you look, I think we've had four plays come down to the final play of the game. It's being able to close games out. But just like anything, things don't always go according to plan. I would say football is life just sped up a lot faster. That's truly what it is."
Currie, who is in his first year as athletic director, has remained publicly silent as Jones' job security has come under widespread scrutiny. Jones said that he and Currie "talk every day."
"He's a great person to work for," Jones said.
Asked if it would help the players for Currie to make a statement on Jones' situation, Jones said no.
"Our players, just like us, it's back to work for another week," Jones said. "They're ready to go, just like our coaching staff. It's a week to week season, as we talk about, and it's all about Southern Miss and getting ready to play in Neyland Stadium for Homecoming."
Jones' contract runs through the 2020 season. A copy of it shows he would be owed $2.5 million for each year remaining on his deal, if fired. Tennessee would owe him roughly $8 million if he were fired this week. But if Jones were to get another coaching job elsewhere after being fired, Tennessee's financial obligation to him would be decreased "dollar-for-dollar" by his new income, according to his contract.
Attendance may also be a factor in how long Jones is allowed to continue coaching. An announced crowd of 98,104 attended Tennessee's most recent home game, a 15-9 loss to South Carolina on Oct. 14. Neyland Stadium's capacity is 102,455.
"What you have to do," Jones said, "is you have to continue to go about your business and work to be better from it and learn from it and have that internal drive to win and do everything necessary that it takes to win football games but also do things in the right manner."
Jones was asked how the discussion of his job security has affected his family. Jones and his wife, Barb, have three sons that live in the community.
"In terms of my family and all that, there's been a ton of people that have been supportive," Jones said. "This is a great community and we've got a lot of great friends here and there have been a lot of people that are extremely supportive. I understand everybody being upset. If I was a fan, I would be upset, too. I bleed with them, but also I understand we need to win some football games, and I'm going to do everything in my power for our players, for our university, for our program to get that done."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.