Former Tennessee coach Butch Jones hasn’t been with the Vols since he was fired late in the 2017 season, but the end of his tenure still leaves a sour taste in the mouths of many Vol fans.

Now, Jones is a part of Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama as an off-field assistant to the head coach. In his 2-plus seasons in Tuscaloosa, he’s helped the Tide win both matchups against the Vols.

As the Tide and Vols prepare to square off again, Saban was asked about Jones’s role during the weekly SEC teleconference (via 247Sports):

“He’s an off-the-field coach for us. He does a lot of things for me personally as a special assistant in terms of evaluating certain things on practice film and evaluating a lot of organizational things internally here. He’s done a really good job for me, and I really like having him be a part of our staff. He’s done a really good job.”

So, why hasn’t Jones left for a better job elsewhere like many Saban assistants eventually do? Saban didn’t want to speculate on that:

“I think that’s something you probably should ask him. We’re happy to have him here. He seems to be pleased to be here. We’re excited to have him be a part of our staff. But I think you’d have to ask him why he chooses to do what he does professionally.”