What Butch Jones said during his preseason press conference
By Jason Hall
Published:
Tennessee coach Butch Jones met with the media Monday to discuss the upcoming college football season. Here are some of the highlights from Jones’ press conference.
Butch philosophizing: The season is a marathon and not a sprint. "We're looking forward to starting our journey today."
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
. @UTCoachJones: Only turned ball over 12x last year, 4th in country. Our goal is to be #1.
— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) August 1, 2016
Butch says every player will be on the field for the first practice, but some players will be more limited than others.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
Butch brags on his freshman class, which had a 3.09 GPA this summer.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
. @UTCoachJones: We always expect to compete for championships. #Vols
— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) August 1, 2016
Second question is about Josh Dobbs improving as a passer, and Butch points to the need for the Vols to stay healthy at receiver.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
Butch: Dobbs has worked "exceptionally" hard over the summer & throughout his career. "It's bigger than him. It's the people around him."
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
If you guessed that Butch would name drop Antonio Brown prior to the 10 minute mark of his PC, pick up your door prize. Congrats.
— Rob Lewis (@Volquest_Rob) August 1, 2016
Butch: The time you spend talking about expectations is time you waste not thinking about how you win. "We're worried about ourselves."
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
Butch asked to rehash reviewing his decisions against OU/UF 11 months ago. "It's all about learning from your previous experiences."
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
Butch says Shy Tuttle will be "very, very limited" to open camp, and they'll "work their way up" with Jauan Jennings.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
Butch declines to name any true freshman who could earn roles. Says it's too early. Does say he 'really likes this freshman class.'
— Rob Lewis (@Volquest_Rob) August 1, 2016
Butch says they won't change the approach with the newcomers even though Tennessee won't need 12-15 of them to play big roles right away.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
Butch Jones said there is no status change with #Vols defensive tackle signee Alexis Johnson from Fort Scott CC.https://t.co/enAD2DzWfv
— Danny Parker (@TheDannyParker) August 1, 2016
Butch says linebacker will be "extremely competitive" this month. Beyond JRM and Darrin Kirkland it's more or less a free-for-all.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
Safety will be "one of the most competitive positions we have," Butch says. Vols have a lot of talent there.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
Butch warns about there being too much pressure on Jonathan Kongbo right away. "He wants to do well."
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
More Butch on Kongbo: "We have to be patient with his growth and development."
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) August 1, 2016
Jones said Kahil McKenzie is a "slim" 315 pounds.
— Tennessee Beat (@TennesseeBeat) August 1, 2016
Jason covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
