Tennessee Vols: Jack Jones Will No Longer Play Football
By Zach Ragan
Tennessee Vols head coach Butch Jones had some unfortunate news regarding offensive lineman Jack Jones on Monday.
Tennessee Vols head coach Butch Jones announced on Monday that offensive lineman Jack Jones will no longer play football.
Butch told the media that Jones has had recurring neck injuries. After meeting with doctors, the decision was made that Jones should no longer play football.
Jack Jones will still be a member of Tennessee’s football moving forward, so it sounds like his scholarship will be honored.
Jones says Jack Jones' career in football is over. Says Jack Jones has dealt with a recurring neck injury.
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) October 23, 2017
Jones, a junior from Murfreesboro, has played in 23 games during his career at Tennessee. He started one game as a freshman and six games as a sophomore. He started at left guard in the Vols’ season opening win against Georgia Tech.
It’s an unfortunate end to Jones’ football career. You always hate to see injuries derail a career, but the important thing is that Jones recognized the risks before it was too late.
The loss of Jones will obviously hurt Tennessee’s depth (something that Butch Jones loves to point out, as if no other program in the country deals with injuries), but the Vols’ offensive line problems go way beyond depth and talent.
During Butch Jones’ time at Tennessee, the offensive line has consistently underperformed and failed to show improvement. The Volunteers hired a new offensive line coach this past off-season, but it would appear the problem has more to do with the head coach than the position coach.
Next: Butch Jones' Final Game Could Be Against Kentucky
Fortunately for Vol fans, the Butch Jones era at Tennessee should be ending relatively soon.