Vol AD Hart Says Bowl Talks Have "Accelerated"

Jones Believes A Coach Must Continue To Evolve

  • Tuesday, December 1, 2015
  • Special to Chattanoogan.com
Dave Hart, Tennessee athletic director, addresses media representatives Tuesday in Knoxville. The No. 1 immediate goal for Hart and football coach Butch Jones is landing the best possible bowl game for the 8-4 Vols.
Dave Hart, Tennessee athletic director, addresses media representatives Tuesday in Knoxville. The No. 1 immediate goal for Hart and football coach Butch Jones is landing the best possible bowl game for the 8-4 Vols.
photo by Tennessee Athletics

 Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart, football coach Butch Jones and men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes took part in a press conference on Tuesday.

Athletic director Dave Hart, football coach Butch Jones and men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes took part in the question and answer session.

Here are the edited highlights involving Hart and Jones.

Athletic director Dave Hart

“(Senior Associate Athletics Director for Communications Ryan Robinson) has done a great job of putting in motion a concept where prior to Butch (Jones’) press conferences during the season we can have other coaches come in and talk about their programs and let you all be exposed to some of the things and priorities that are on their mind.

I’d like to do the same thing here: I’d like to periodically just have a non-agenda opportunity for you to ask whatever’s on your mind about any aspect of our athletics program.  

“So this is the opportunity for you to do that. I’d be happy to answer any and all questions that might be on your mind.”

(On Tennessee football narrowly missing a chance to play in the SEC title game)
“I’ve said this many times, I’m competitive to a fault. That’s how I’ve always been. It’s nothing to be proud of, probably. But I’m very competitive: I was raised by a football coach, I’ve been around athletics all my life, a lot of my own values have been formed by those experiences. So sure, I’m no different than anyone else. I think everyone in our organization would (have) liked to have been in Atlanta. 

“We’ll be in Atlanta. This was a good step this year. I think winning eight games this year was a positive step for our football program. I go back to the Georgia game where we were down 24-3 coming off some gut-wrenching, heartbreaking losses and without question, that’s when this team took a giant step forward. Let’s be honest, if the culture wasn’t what it is – what Butch has developed – that would not have occurred. We haven’t looked back since that comeback against Georgia. This is a different football team. This is a confident football team.”

(On talks of a raise or contract extension for Butch Jones)
“Butch and I communicate – as we do with all of our coaches – on a very regular basis. So we’ve already opened those conversations and we’ll continue to have those conversations.”

(On the state of the playing surface at Neyland Stadium)
“Let me give you a little bit of history on that. There are several factors at play here and we’re not alone in that battle in taking care of practice and game fields. I know you all have minimal time, but I’m sure in the press box you watch other games and there’s been a lot of that in the region we live in. There have been a lot of torn up fields, without mentioning any names. If you watch football in late October on into November, you see a lot of that. That’s not specific just to the University of Tennessee. 

“We have an iconic stadium and we’re all on the same page: we want a first-class surface to play on. We meet regularly with our facilities people, who do a terrific job. We collaborate on a very regular basis. Rarely is there a meeting on this campus where expertise from the Ag School isn’t present to assist us in assessing what we can do. But our people who manage the fields, the people who have turf expertise have been extraordinarily helpful and have worked very hard to continue to try to improve that. 

“I will say to the best of my memory is we’re undefeated since we got past the middle of October, so it hasn’t really impacted how we’ve performed. I know there’s a couple people with field fetishes in the room and I understand that, but that’s the explanation. We want a really good looking field and we’ll continue to work to make sure that that takes place.”

(On evaluating the market when considering raises or extensions for coaches)
“We’re in a market-driven industry. Like it or not, fair or not, that’s the reality. We are driven by the marketplace and in this conference, certainly this conference has set the pace relative to what that marketplace looks like. Butch is well aware of where I stand and well aware of how appreciative I am that he’s our football coach. We have ongoing conversations and he knows we’ll address that at the appropriate time and do what is right and fair as it relates to that.”

(On promoting Tennessee football for an attractive bowl game)
“That’s ongoing in nature. As you expect, there have been conversations for a little more than a week now, but they’ve accelerated, obviously, this week. The season’s officially over, we know that we’re 8-4, we know what the records are in the regular season and what’s coming ahead this weekend. So those conversations with the conference and with the appropriate bowl officials have taken place and will continue to take place until we get to the call from the SEC on late Sunday afternoon or early Sunday evening.”

(On potential use of field turf)
“We would not consider field turf, there has been no discussion of that nature. We want to continue to move forward with natural grass. We do have obviously an artificial surface in our indoor which we utilize quite a bit and that has been a godsend, the indoor facility and the proximity of that indoor facility.”
 
(On reserve funds)
“We’ve built the reserve up, largely due to the first allocation of the SEC Network revenues, Jimmy. We now have about 10 million dollars. We went three years right under two million dollars, and that was a very tenuous position to be in. We are still 14th out of 14 schools relative to that fund balance, but we have breathing room due to the generosity of our donors and through the hard work of people in our Tennessee Fund. We have not missed a beat in our facility needs because all of those are private dollars. So we’ve been able to address our facilities, we have not been delayed in that process. I am very, very excited about where we are in that process, but there have been decisions that had to be made based on a very meager reserve over the last two or three years.”
 
(On benefits of having stability in football program relative to SEC East)
“It’s so critical for us to have stability as you all know even better than I. We went through a period of time with far too much transition. Whether it was seven presidents since 2000, presidents and chancellors, four football coaches in six years, or three basketball coaches in three years. No program can get traction with that kind of transition taking place. I am very pleased now, very comfortable, that we are in for the first time in a long time, a stable environment, which is absolutely essential for progress to take place. We live in a whitewater world that is just the fact of the matter. We live in a very open environment, relative to social media. That’s another fact that we understand and deal with daily. But it doesn’t change the basic, fundamental principle that you have to have good leadership, you have to have stability. Our football program is healthy and you heard me say for many, many weeks and months and years when I got here that was our number one priority. Because of what Butch Jones has created through his leadership and his energy and his ability to recruit, our football program is healthy. There are very, very exciting and bright days ahead with our football program. I am blessed to see it every day.”

(On message when talking to bowls)
“I think first of all, the first point that I make and will always make with bowl directors is our fan base. We are going to fill stadiums and that’s really their first priority. Because we are blessed to have such a great fan base we are going to take people. It looked like a home game in Jacksonville a year ago, that’s because of the passion of our fan base. Then, many of the things we have discussed today; the growth of our program, where we are headed. We lost to three teams that a week ago were 30-3 between them. Two of those teams, most likely, will be among the four people to play for the national championship. Like I said, we were not only competitive, but those were games we could have won. So that’s a point that doesn’t escape the conference office, doesn’t escape the executive directors of the various bowl games. Ryan [Robinson] has done a great job of putting together a sheet that won’t be redundant there, that I think he has already gotten to you or will about some points of that nature that have occurred as we have gone through the football season. As I mentioned a minute ago how long it’s been. You start playing the how long it’s been game, there are a lot of positive things to talk about at the end of the regular season because it’s been since 2005, ‘06, ‘07 sometimes ‘08 since we’ve had discussions we are having about the progress of our football program.”

(On why he wanted the Battle at Bristol to come to fruition)
"I just thought that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for however many people that Jerry Caldwell and the two teams can get into the track. I really, really want to complement Jerry and his staff, Logan [McCabe] and others, Mary Beth and the people who have worked so hard so we were able to formally bring that to fruition. Again, some of it was driven by what I said earlier, Jimmy, and we need to get into that marketplace but from a recruiting standpoint, and Butch [Jones] has done a terrific job of utilizing with this game, the past two recruiting cycles to sell to young men that you're going to play in front of the biggest crowd to ever watch a football game at any level. Professional, collegiate or any level. Now that it's getting close, inside of one year, I hear our players talking about that a lot which is a great sign. They're excited about having that special opportunity to play in that environment in a best-case scenario of 150,000 people-plus. And to be honest, when we first went up there and we met many, many times before we got to the point where we were going to make it happen, it was on the edge of the cliff a few times. I told Jerry that I can now understand why this has taken 20 years but we were finally able to get it done. In going up there for the site visit, I was really surprised - except for the one end zone that will be removed somewhat from the track - that's where a lot of the student section will be and that type of thing, the sight lines were not bad at all.”

Football coach Butch Jones

(On how the staff has evolved, and this season’s hardest challenge)
"I think you're always evolving, not just as a football coach. It's anybody in their profession. If you want to be the best at what you do you're constantly evolving. You're trying to get better. That's why I went to the Cleveland Browns game last night, to sit and try to take something in, and be on the sideline and walk around. You're constantly evolving. I think one of the big things you have to do is step back from an emotional attachment stand point and review everything in your football program form A-to-Z and that's what I'm doing right now. I'm trying to juggle that with bowl schedules and recruiting. It starts with me first and foremost. I believe that way you improve is to start with yourself. We will review everything in our football program, and how to continue to move forward and get better.

"When you're building a football program there are four stages that you go through. The first stage is the culture. You have to make sure your locker room is right. You have to make sure your standards and your expectations are aligned. There can be no compromising in your culture. It's what you stand for. The next thing is being competitive, and working to be competitive on the field of play. The third phase is winning games. The fourth phase is how you handle winning because, the more you win, the more is a stake. When you start to win, everybody is going to play their 'A' game against you. As I said week in and week out, there are very few uncontested victories in the Southeastern Conference.”

(On talking with Cam Sutton, Curt Maggitt, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin on their future)
"We still have time. We'll provide the necessary means. That's the thing with the resources and the NFL personnel that we have on our staff, and the relationships we have on the next level. It's about educating your players on how to make the best possible decisions for them and their careers, the longevity of their careers, and their families. Tennessee is a very special place to be. We'll have ongoing discussions. We talk all the time, but nothing significant yet. We'll sit down as it progresses."

(On getting NFL Draft answers before the bowl game)
"There are no time tables. Whenever they feel comfortable, and sometimes it takes a while. I do wish the process was faster. Again, we have all of the facts for them, and it's about educating individuals on making great decisions, but I respect them. I respect all of our players and their decisions. I love everything they stand for and what they're all about.”

(On if they’ll be in good shape academically for the bowl game)
“I do believe we’ll be in good shape for the bow game. Obviously we have to finish very, very strong in the classroom and we emphasize that in our football program each and every day. Being champions on the field and champions in the classroom and in the community. So we’ve given them a few days off, they’ll have a few days off next week too to make sure that they’re ready to go for their final examinations and we treat it just like getting ready for a game. You have to do your homework, you have to make sure you do your studying.”

(On if he would consider another head coaching job for more money at this point)
“I’ve stated it very clearly, Tennessee is a place I want to be. My family loves it here. Our fan base has been extremely loyal, all you have to do is look at our fan attendance. I believe we averaged over 100,000 fans for the first time since 2008 I think. Our attendance has been up over 11,000 each season. I’m a big believer in loyalty and right now Tennessee is where I’m extremely happy. This is home to me and this is home to my family.”

(On if Curt Maggitt will be available to play in the bowl game or if any other player will be limited or miss the bowl game)
"As of right now, no, there's really nobody that is out. Jauan Jennings should be back. He tried to go last week. It was a thigh bruise. He suffered that on the one kickoff where he had the hit and, to his credit, he tried and he tried and he tried to the point where on Friday we made the decision that he just couldn't go after Friday's practice. Marquez North, we'll see. He has been, obviously as we all know, very limited. But with the extended period of time now, I would fully anticipate him playing in the bowl game. But you never know with the body. In terms of Curt Maggitt - still don't know yet. I know he is going to go back to Nashville and reconvene with the doctors there I believe in about 10 days, so we will know a little bit more. That has continued to evolve day by day."

(On if he thinks the Vols "own" running counter after running it 25 times vs. Vanderbilt and if the team is establishing itself as a power, physical offense)
"I still have not forgotten what I promised everyone last year which is I still do want to have a media football clinic with our coaches and go through schemes and all that. That will be something that I would like to do in the winter months. But you are exactly right when you talk about 'What do you own?' We don't want to dibble and dabble in things. We don't want a designer offense. We want to own something and each game is a game of matchups. Is this a better team to run zone against? Is this a better team to gap schemes against. Do you need a double-team at the point of attack? All of those things are matchups and so the counter game obviously was very effective for us and our players did a great job of really executing it at the point of attack, our pullers and then our backs getting the ball north and south and our quarterback getting the ball north and south as well. That was a defense that was only giving up 18 points a game. We felt we needed to get the ball north and south on them."

(On his mindset when assistant coaches receive calls about other jobs)
"First of all, when they get phone calls, to me that's a compliment to the program. Everyone around the country understands what we're building here, the progress that we've made so far. So to me, I take that as a compliment. If a coach has an opportunity to better himself, better his family, something that really fits his career goals, I'm always going to be supportive. Obviously, I'll speak my opinion. We've been together for a very long time. I'll point out the plusses and minuses. But again, when they come after your coaches, I think that's an overall compliment to your football program. We have some very good football coaches here and even better people."

(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)

 

 

 

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