Though things haven’t been right in Knoxville for several years, the shadows of Butch Jones’ tenure on Rocky Top have now grown longer as the Volunteer losses have mounted.
A coach who made his name upon a physical style of spread offense, Jones always skewed decidedly towards the offensive side of the ball. And though the offense has suffered during his tenure, it is the Tennessee defense that has seen the most regression, even after Jones elected to bring longtime defensive guru Bob Shoop to Tennessee to resurrect the once-proud unit.
For several years, the Vols just haven’t been themselves.