HOOVER, Ala. -- It isn't often that a brand new head coach can point to experience as one of his biggest assets heading into the season. But for Tennessee head coach Butch Jones -- who has plenty of holes to fill before the Aug. 31 home opener against Austin Peay -– the continuity of a coaching staff and an experienced offensive line is making life a little easier.
"It was critical for us to hit the ground running, and a big part of that was the fact that our coaching staff has been intact for a number of years," Jones said. "We didn't have to coach the coaches. They knew the standard and the expectations so they could go out and start earning trust with our current team."
Jones brought his core staff from Cincinnati, including his two coordinators - Mike Bajakian calling the offensive plays and John Jancek running the defense – and his assistant head coach Steve Stripling.
"You win with consistency and continuity," Jones said. "(Those coaches) know what to expect. They know the values that surround out program on a day-to-day basis."
He also will lean heavily on an offensive line that begins the year with a combined 123 starts, second most in the nation behind Texas.
"We're going to lean on (those linemen) heavily and rightfully so," Jones said. "We have a ton of experience there. But the thing we have to do is add depth to that experience on the offensive line. The SEC is a line-of-scrimmage league, but I'm concerned about finding out sixth and seventh offensive lineman. Then the older players have to educate our younger players about how to play offensive line at Tennessee and get them ready to play … We are still teaching our players what it takes to play winning football."
The quarterback job remains open, a first for Jones in his head coaching career. But that isn't the only spot open.
"We have to find out who our playmakers are," he said. "We don't think plays; we think players. If it's fourth-and-three and we're throwing, who are we throwing the football to? Who is going to be under center for us come August 31? Those are all the things that we have to answer as we continue to build our identity."
Identity is still months away for Jones and the Vols. But at least the coach has the right perspective on his new life in college football's most intense conference.
"Every day in the SEC, whether it's academics, recruiting or working on the practice field, everyday is like fourth and one for the national championship," he said.
