University of Tennessee Athletics
Jones Sees A Model For Vols
September 08, 2014 | Football
By Brian Rice KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
UTSports.com
The Sooners were among college football's dominant programs in the 1970s and 80s, with a 102-13-3 (.877) winning percentage in the 70s and a 91-26-2 (.773) in the 80s. The program fell off from a variety of circumstances and head coaches in the 90s, with a 61-51-3 (.543) record.
But Bob Stoops resurrected the program upon his hiring in 1999. The former SEC assistant has lead OU to a 162-39 (.806) record in his tenure. Stoops has led his teams to eight Big 12 Championships and the 2000 BCS National Championship.
It's a trajectory that Butch Jones sees as a model of success for Tennessee to follow.
"You look at illustrations throughout the course of the country of programs that have really been built on a foundation, a foundational value and have been around for a very long number of years," Jones said. "You win with consistency and continuity. Consistent messaging, the players know what they're getting every day. There's a comfort level from a recruiting aspect that you know the coaches are going to be in place. It's a whole great big conglomeration of everything that goes into it, and I think Oklahoma's one of the models. Coach Stoops has done a tremendous tremendous job and that was a program that had so much tradition, and it does, but they were down a little bit and he came in and got it back going the right way."
Tennessee was 100-21-2 (.813) in the 90s, with three SEC Championships and the 1998 BCS National Title, but the winning percentage has trailed off since. The Volunteers were 83-44 (.653) in the 2000s, 23-28 (.450) in the 4+ seasons since.
Coaching changes from the lack of on-field success set the roster back through attrition. Since Jones' arrival, the roster-building has been in full swing. He said Monday that the process is still underway.
"We'll get to a point where we have the luxury of redshirting players," said Jones. "You look at an individual in high school that is a freshman and you look at them as a senior. They're two totally different players, mentally and physically. Eventually we'll get to that point. We're in the infant stages of our football program and I'm excited of where we're going because we're jumping the learning curve."
The jump in the learning curve does not always offset the collision with a team with that fully-built roster. Though Tennessee was able to show the progress last season in a tight game with Georgia and a win over South Carolina, both teams then-ranked in the top 10, the process of developing a program is not always a smooth one. A road game against a top-5 foe this week will be another milestone to check in on the progress.
"We are getting there but we are no where where we need to be," Jones said. "I see us making progress and it is extremely hard because you are in an instant gratification society. I want it as fast and right now as much as anybody, it drives me everyday. But there are somethings, it takes time, it is a process.
"I think we also expect to win, I think that is the other thing. I think that is also important too, earning the right to win, not just showing up on Saturday excited for the Vol Walk and hoping to win. It is investing to win, it is expecting to win. Our players expect to win."
