Where Does Vols Coach Butch Jones Rank Among Coaches In Wins Over Last 3 Years

How does Tennessee Vols head coach Butch Jones stack up against other coaches from around the country in terms of wins over the last three years?

There aren’t a lot of objective ways to look at the success, or lack of success, of a head coach. That’s why it’s been so hard for fans and media analysts to form a consensus on Tennessee Vols head coach Butch Jones.

But there is one thing, however, that we can look at objectively — wins. More specifically, quantity of wins.

I decided to take a look at how many wins the coaches from Power 5 schools have over the last three years. Obviously this only applies to coaches that have been at a school for at least three years.

Here’s what I found. It’s no surprise which coaches are at the top of the list.

1. Nick Saban (Alabama) — 40

2. Dabo Swinney (Clemson) — 38

3. Urban Meyer (Ohio State) — 37

4. Jimbo Fisher (Florida State) — 33

5. David Shaw (Stanford) — 30

6. Gary Patterson (TCU) — 28

6. Kyle Whittingham (Utah) — 28

7. Kirk Ferentz (Iowa) — 27

7. Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State) — 27

7. Chris Petersen (Washington) — 27

8. Bobby Petrino (Louisville) — 26

8. Mark Dantonio (Michigan State) — 26

9. Butch Jones (Tennessee) — 25

9. Dan Mullen (Mississippi State) — 25

9. James Franklin (Penn State) — 25

9. Larry Fedora (North Carolina) — 25

9. Dane Holgorsen (West Virginia) — 25

10. Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M) — 24

10. Bill Snyder (Kansas State) — 24

11. Gus Malzahn (Auburn) — 23

11. Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech) — 23

12. Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern) — 22

12. Bret Bielema (Arkansas) — 22

12. Dave Doeren (NC State) — 22

12. Jim Mora (UCLA) — 22

13. David Cutcliffe (Duke) — 21

13. Todd Graham (Arizona State) — 21

14. Rich Rodriguez (Arizona) — 20

14. Mike Leach (Washington State) — 20

15. Mark Stoops (Kentucky) — 17

15. Steve Addazio (Boston College) — 17

16. Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech) — 16

16. Mike MacIntyre (Colorado) — 16

17. Derek Mason (Vanderbilt) — 13

17. Dave Clawson (Wake Forest) — 13

So what do we learn from this?

Well I think we learn a couple of things. For one, Jones is pretty much in the middle. Which means, for now, he’s basically average — at least in terms of wins.

But I think Jones has probably been a bit better than I thought. When I look at the names around him, Chris Petersen, Dan Mullen, James Franklin, Mark Dantonio, Larry Fedora, I don’t think of any of those guys as coaches on the hot seat.

I think of those guys as coaches who field pretty solid teams year in and year out. Some years they exceed expectations, and other years they’re down a little bit. I think that’s pretty much where Tennessee is with Jones. The majority of programs in the country are basically in the same situation.

Out of all the coaches on this list, only four or five could be considered elite (I think David Shaw is on cusp of being elite….Jim Harbaugh is in the same territory as Shaw, in my opinion). That tells us that it’s very, very rare to have a coach as successful as Nick Saban or Dabo Swinney. Which is why if you can find consistency, you should probably stick with it, unless you have the opportunity to hire Saban or Swinney.

And speaking of Swinney, if you discard his first (partial) year with Clemson in 2008, he won 25 games his next three seasons (2009-2011), the same as Jones in the same time span with Tennessee.

On the flip side, however, (and there’s always a flip side) Swinney had never been a head coach before he was at Clemson. Jones had been a head coach for six years before he came to Knoxville. Of course on the other, other flip side, Jones and Swinney are close to the same age (if it’s symmetry you crave, we’ll find a way to create it). All of this could mean that Jones will find his groove at Tennessee and lead the Vols to a national championship, or it might mean absolutely nothing.

Next: Final Pre-Season Game By Game Predictions For Vols

I think we need to give Jones some more time, to see if he can truly create something special. He’s finally surrounding himself with the best of the best when it comes to assistant coaches. Running a successful college football program can’t happen without the proper support staff. Now that Jones has that, I’m excited to see what could happen next.