Tennessee Vols: Aside From Winning, How Can Butch Jones Win Back Fans?

Fans of the Tennessee Vols are divided over whether or not Butch Jones is the answer at UT.

Winning cures all, but sometimes there are other avenues you can take in order to get on the right track.

That rings true for Tennessee Vols head coach Butch Jones.

Vol football has performed well under Jones, compiling their first back to back nine win seasons since the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

But despite the recent success, there’s a large contingent of Vol fans that aren’t happy with Jones.

A lot of the distaste can be contributed to Tennessee’s inexplicable losses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt last season.

It’s clear that Jones’ approval rating peaked after Tennessee beat Georgia last season to start the season 5-0, but it’s not just the losses that have irritated fans.

An ESPN article about Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase and the culture he’s created at Miami got me thinking (once again) about how Jones could change his interactions with the media and instantly win over some fans.

Gase recently told the media that he made a mistake sitting defensive end Cameron Wake for five games to start the 2016 season. That’s huge for the culture around Miami for a few reasons. For one, the players appreciate it. Wake told the media “I think that’s part of the reason why guys respect him, why guys relate to him and why guys love him”.

That kind of accountability is also attractive to fans. They know they’re getting a coach who is constantly reevaluating himself.

Now I’m not saying Jones needs to go around and tell us every time he’s been wrong. It’s not about the right or wrong decision he’s made.

Jones just needs to be more candid with the media and the fans.

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The public persona that Jones projects is one that’s calculated and almost robotic like.

Fans need that human element to connect with.

And that’s something that Jones obviously possesses, considering his recruiting success.

Jones needs to make a change to win over the fans. Without the fans, there are no tickets sold and no reason to play the games. Jones absolutely needs the fans.

Which is why he should approach his relationship with fans the way he approaches recruiting. He needs to build the relationship with fans. In order to do that, Jones is going to have to be vulnerable from time time. Be honest about mistakes that have been made (he’s human, they happen).

Can you imagine how much better fans would feel about Vol football if Jones admitted that Alvin Kamara should’ve played more at Tennessee, or that he should’ve went for it on fourth down against Florida in 2015?

They’re just words, but they carry a lot of weight with fans.

If Jones is going to be at Tennessee for a long time, he’s going to have to build a better relationship with fans.

And it’s something we know he’s capable of doing.

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