The 2016-17 season for the Tennessee Volunteers was a rocky one, but it ended on a high note with a bowl victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Still, expectations are high in Knoxville and Butch Jones has to deliver in 2017-18.
The University of Tennessee also hired a new athletic director, John Currie, who didn't hire Jones, so the pressure is certainly on for Jones to show results early. It's been reported for sometime now that Jones' seat is one of the warmest in college football, and that doesn't figure to change anytime soon.
When asked about Jones, Currie opened up in a major, illuminating way.
"The expectations are defined by the history," he said. "Tennessee is a championship-level program and that's where you want to get to. But one of the things I've learned from Coach [Bill] Snyder at K-State is what you have to focus on, and that is, are we getting better today than we were yesterday? If you get away from that principle and think about where you want to get to eventually, you're doing it wrong.
"We've got to focus on where we are today, and will we be better tomorrow, and continue to build through that process. We all know how competitive the conference is, and how competitive college football is. ... I think Coach Jones is on the right trajectory."
It sounds like if Tennessee starts to go backwards next season, especially early in the season, Currie may not be afraid to make a move if he feels the wind isn't blowing in the right direction moving forward.
[h/t Saturday Down South]
