Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Jones gets quick start in new job
It was the end of a long day, bittersweet day when Butch Jones picked up the phone Saturday night.
Only hours earlier, the 52-year old coach was on the sidelines in Fayetteville, assisting Ni c k Saban one final time as Alabama thrashed the University of Arkansas to seal a return to the SEC Champ i o n s h i p Game. But on Jones’ mind — even if only in the background — was a school situated 290 miles to the east.
Jones didn’t travel back home with the Crimson Tide after the game. Instead, he headed to Jones boro as Arkansas State University’s next head coach.
Inside a car with ASU Athletic Director Terry Mohajir on Saturday night, just after meeting with his players for the first time, Jones succinctly summarized the three-day journey that brought him to Jonesboro.
“It’s been quite a few days, capped up tonight,” Jones told the Arkansas Democrat- Gazette. “It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s all been well worth it.”
Mohajir made quick work of his first football coaching search since 2013, announcing his next head coach little more than 48 hours after Anderson’s resignation and restoring program stability just days before the early signing period opens on Wednesday.
In Jones, ASU has a head coach who brings experience on the sidelines and a proven track record on the recruiting trail. Across 11 seasons in leading Central Michigan, Cincinnati and
Tennessee, Jones has a career record of 84-54 and four conference titles.
In his most recent head-coaching role with the Volunteers, Jones’ led Tennessee to back-to-back ninewin seasons in 2015 and 2016, and an overall record of 34-27 in five seasons. Jones recruited well, too. His 2014 class was ranked No. 7 in the nation by 247Sports.
Yet, since he was fired with two games remaining in the 2017 season, Jones’ tenure has often been remembered more for his losses, like the one against Vanderbilt in 2016, and statements that drew the ire of the fan base, such as, “They’ve won the biggest championship. That’s the championship of life,” Jones said of the Volunteers just before that defeat.
After leaving Tennessee, the Michigan native served as an assistant with the Crimson Tide beginning in 2018 with an eye on finding his next head coaching role. As he explained Saturday, Jones wasn’t going to jump at the first job that came his way.
“I wanted to be a head coach, but I was going to be selective.” he said.
So why ASU? “Everything in life is about timing; being in the right place at the right time,” Jones said. “Arkansas State is a special, special place. I think first of all, it’s the people. We always talk about how people make a place, and from the administration to the commitment level, and the opportunity to work for Terry — that was an opportunity in and of itself. You look at the opportunity to win, and you look at the success that happened here, too.
“Then you come on campus and you see the facilities,” he continued. “What a great place in terms of developing your current players, but also from a recruiting standpoint, these facilities we have here rival anybody in the country.”
With the early signing period opening this week, Jones had already been working the phones and will have to pick up fast in recruiting, not only a 2020 class, but laying the foundation for 2021. He also plans to meet with each player on the ASU’s current roster before they travel for the holidays.
Jones is also now engrossed in the process of assembling his coaching staff. Neither figures on Jones’ contract, nor the pool of money he’ll have for his staff have been made announced, but with more than 30 years in college football, Jones is expected to compile an impressive staff, with Alabama assistants Major Applewhite and Karl Scott among the possible additions.
“We’ve started working immediately, and we’re going to work around the clock,” Jones said. “It’s going to be non-stop.”