Arizona football: 5 candidates to replace Rich Rodriguez
2. Butch Jones – Former Tennessee head coach
Jones entered the season on the hot seat at Tennessee, and after a 3-1 start dissolved into a 4-6 record through the teeth of SEC play he was fired with two games to go. But his overall track record as a head coach is solid (84-54, .609 winning percentage), and he has a significant tie to Arizona.
One name to keep an eye on as possible replacement at Arizona: Butch Jones. Arizona AD Dave Heeke hired him at Central Michigan, where Jones coached from 2007-09.
— Aaron McMann (@AaronMcMann) January 3, 2018
As Aaron McMann of MLive points out, Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke hired Jones at Central Michigan back in 2007. Jones led the Chippewas to a 27-13 record over his three seasons there, including a stellar 21-3 mark in the MAC and a top-25 finish in his final season (2009). A 23-14 record at Cincinnati from 2010-2012, with 19 wins over his final two seasons, led to Jones landing a bigger job at Tennessee.
At first glance, Jones does not seem like a great fit for a Pac-12 job. But he was the victim of some unrealistic expectations at Tennessee, where back-to-back nine-win seasons (2015 and 2016) with top-25 finishes did not even give him a full season mulligan. He’s also only approaching his 50th birthday (Jan. 17), with plenty of time left in coaching, and Arizona would be a comfortable landing spot with a familiar boss.