Tennessee Fires Head Coach Butch Jones After 0–6 SEC Start
After losing to Missouri and dropping to 0–6 in SEC play, Tennessee has fired head coach Butch Jones, according to SI.com's Bruce Feldman.
The school later made the move official.
Jones, the Vols’ coach for five seasons, exits with a 34–27 record at the school. He will be owed a $8.125 million buyout.
Defensive line coach Brady Hoke will take over the team on an interim basis for the rest of the season.
"Unfortunately, we are not where we need to be competitively. For that reason, I have asked Coach Jones to step down as head football coach," Tennessee athletic director John Currie said. "I know Coach Jones will be successful moving forward, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
Tennessee has lost all six of its conference games this season, including five in a row.
On Saturday, Tennessee lost to Missouri 50–17 giving up 433 yards rushing and 659 yards of total offense. The Volunteers also turned the ball over four times.
Earlier this season, the Vols also lost to Kentucky for the first time in five seasons when their Hail Mary attempt was completed short of the goal line as time expired.
Jones led the Volunteers to back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2015 and 2016 but his team is off to a 4–6 start this year and has a 14–24 SEC record in his tenure at the school.
The wins are a one-point victory against Georgia Tech, a blowout over FCS Indiana State, a 17–13 win over bottom feeder UMass and a 24-10 victory over Southern Miss.
Tennessee completes their regular season with two home games against LSU on Saturday and Vanderbilt on Nov. 25.
