On the defensive side of the ball, Tennessee didn’t have a better player last season than Rashaan Gaulden. Following his big season for the Vols, the redshirt junior decided against a return for one last collegiate season and instead declared early for the 2018 NFL Draft.

While the majority of Vol Nation may not ever want to hear anything positive about Butch Jones, Gaulden had nothing negative to say about the former Tennessee coach. Gaulden even noted he has a “really good relationship with Coach Jones,” during his recent Tuesday appearance on SiriusXM program SEC This Morning.

The defensive back believes the Vols did not give up on Jones last season but mentioned that the adversity of losing so many close games did appear to get to the team. It’s Gaulden’s belief that had a few games gone differently at the end — he noted the Florida, South Carolina, and Kentucky games, Tennessee would have made a bowl game.

Here is a segment of his SiriusXM interview, shared by Frank Fowler, producer of SEC This Morning: