Tennessee

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/ESPN_SEC/status/748577235649519616

Sept. 24 to Oct. 15 will define the Vols' season. SEC Eastern Division favorites will have to get through games against Florida, Georgia, A&M and Alabama relatively unscathed if they want to make it back to Atlanta for the first time since 2007. Gators have beaten Tennessee 11 straight times, Georgia and Texas A&M are both on the road, and Alabama is, well, Alabama. The fact that Florida -- Tennessee's real life Achilles' heel -- and Georgia are back-to-back puts a ton of pressure on the Vols when it comes to staying ahead in the East. Those are must-wins for this team. A&M is very much a mystery this season, but everyone knows how desperate it is so watch out. Alabama could be the best team in the country, so, good luck.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/751778236452003840

"We have a nice blend of talent and maturity in the program, speaking from my (defensive) side of the building," said Shoop...

Shoop, hired in January with a $1.15 million annual salary, said he saw what he was looking for in the Tennessee's limited workouts last month.

"The four skill development sessions we had in June, I was very impressed with our efforts and recall," Shoop said. "That was my first real opportunity to work with the whole group.

"This is a group of guys that are confident, but at the same time, they have remained humble and taking it a day at the time."

Tennessee fans, meanwhile, are having a hard time not to getting ahead of themselves. The Vols are a preseason top 10 fixture and clear-cut SEC East Division favorite.

The so-called "Orange Swarm" defense returns eight starters from a unit that allowed 20 points and 362 yards per game last season.

"I'll be honest, a lot of the heavy lifting here has already been done," Shoop said, crediting former defensive coordinator John Jancek. "This transition has been really different; I'm not inheriting a defense or staff that did not have success.

"You as leader want to put your stamp on things, but you check your ego and say they did some things really well."

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/751155564764356608

Tennessee hasn't beaten a top 10 team since 2006, and the Vols haven't played in the SEC championship game since 2007...

Tennessee won its final six games of the 2015 season [Kentucky, South Carolina, North Texas, Mizzou, Vandy, and Northwestern].

[jbcarol]

Adam Sparks ‏@AdamSparks

.@BovadaLV odds to win SEC East
Tennessee 4/5
Georgia 2/1
Florida 9/2
Missouri 16/1
Kentucky 25/1
South Carolina 25/1
Vanderbilt 25/1

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/750856117819932672

TENNESSEE

It's a successful season if and only if: The Vols win at least 10 games – ending that atrocious, 11-game losing streak against Florida in the process – and the SEC East. Remember when that was a reasonable annual expectation on Rocky Top? From 1995 to 2007, under Phil Fulmer...

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 33m33 minutes ago

Tennessee favored over Alabama and Florida in Golden Nugget's early betting lines http://sec.news/29qZaoV

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/751901418005622784

Athlon (1st in SEC East — No. 7, 10-3, Sugar Bowl): "Tennessee fans can all say it together: This is the year. This is the season the Volunteers retake their rightful place among the SEC elite ... 11 wins probably means the Volunteers' first trip to the SEC championship game since 2007 and their first win over Florida since 2004."

Phil Steele (1st in SEC East — No. 7, Sugar Bowl): "Even if they slip up in a game, they would just need to win the SEC title game and they would make the playoffs. The Vols have gone from 5 to 7 to 9 wins. Can they take the next step?"

ESPN (1st in SEC East — No. 11, 10.2 projected wins, Sugar Bowl): "Anything but double-digit W's — and an SEC title-game berth — would be a disappointment in 2016. The Vols face consistency worries, but with 19 starters back, they enter the season as trendy East favorites again."

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/752624739739439104

Driving this desire even further is the offseason attention being widely paid to Tennessee and Georgia — programs some are predicting will supplant the Gators as SEC East champions this fall — and, of course, the unceremonious collapse UF experienced on offense in the season's final few games.

Florida LB Jarrad Davis on Tennessee: 'It's always one of the funnest games of the year. Because we win'

https://www.seccountry.com/florida/florida-lb-on-tennessee-its-always-one-of-the-funnest-games-of-the-year-because-we-win

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Ldelrio12/status/752854107153637377

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/ESPN_SEC/status/752876305251651584

[jbcarol]

Tennessee expected to be riding in style to SEC media day, but A&M coach Kevin Sumlin ruined the day

Even though Tennessee was scheduled to go before Texas A&M, Sumlin took the lone air-conditioned bus from the airport. That left Jones and his team with a bus without air conditioning in the 90-degree Alabama heat.

When asked about the incident, Sumlin responded in jest: "Just setting the tone." We'll see whether taking an air conditioned bus becomes unique bulletin board material when the Volunteers travel to Kyle Field on Oct. 8.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/wesrucker247/status/753673755059191808

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/ESPN_SEC/status/753938102310154240

The media has picked the correct SEC champion five times since 1992.

Tennessee fans probably like that, as their Volunteers took the East with 225 first-place votes over reigning East champ Florida (57) but just 29 champion points. Again, not a shocker, but frontrunner status has doomed a Tennessee team that hasn't won the East since 2007.

But things do feel different in Knoxville. Nearly 20 starters are back, and it seems like the Vols have the fewest Eastern questions. On paper, Tennessee is the sure bet, but players aren't rushing to crown themselves much of anything.

"I would say Tennessee is back [to being] relevant," Tennessee cornerback Cam Sutton said.

"I'll let everyone else say if we're back or not, but we're still climbing," linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin said. "We're still trying to progress and we still have to get better. We haven't really won anything, yet. We haven't won a SEC championship, we haven't played in the playoff, we haven't played in a New Years six bowl. We still have a lot to do."

All true, but the target is still firmly on your Creamsicle backs.

Florida's Jarrad Davis, David Sharpe and Marcus Maye shook their heads at Tennessee being a media darling, but they get it. After an abysmal 0-3 finish that saw blowouts to Florida State, Alabama and Michigan, the Gators weren't boasting about much ... except that 11-game winning streak over Tennessee.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/753973658964619264

As we all know, the Tigers were picked to win the SEC at Media Days last year (but not the West, but never mind that). Instead, they finished 7-6 and in last place in their division.

Like Auburn a year ago, Tennessee is viewed as an up-and-comer, a team with lots of experience returning. And as with the Tigers in 2014, the Volunteers last season lost a number of winnable games by close scores.

Another similarity is the two teams' schedules. Like Auburn a year, Tennessee's 2016 season will more or less be decided how it performs in a potentially brutal four-game stretch. The Volunteers should be able to survive Appalachian State, Virginia Tech and Ohio to begin the year, but it's after that that things get serious.

In four consecutive weeks from Sept. 24-Oct. 15, the Volunteers host Florida, play at Georgia and Texas A&M and then host Alabama. Should Tennessee win all four, they'd almost certainly win the East and probably be ranked in the Top 10 nationally.

A 3-1 record in that stretch would also likely put the Vols in Atlanta. However, a 2-2, 1-3 or (horrors) 0-4 mark in those four games would effectively end Tennessee's season before the calendar even turned to November.

After the Alabama game, Tennessee finishes the year at South Carolina, then at home for three straight games against Tennessee Tech, Kentucky and Missouri before winding up the regular season at Vanderbilt. There's nothing there to really get all that excited about, particularly if the team is merely playing out the string.

Auburn went 4-2 in its first six games last year, albeit with both losses to SEC West opponents (LSU and Mississippi State). Still, a solid run against Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Georgia could have put the Tigers back into the SEC West race.

However, Auburn went 1-3 in those games (beating only Texas A&M) and was rendered to the role of spoiler against Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Tennessee certainly hopes it won't be an afterthought in the SEC by the time it gets to the Vanderbilt game.

Discounts the SEC-W v. SEC-E schedule.

[ALLVOL]

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/753973658964619264

Discounts the SEC-W v. SEC-E schedule.

There's a lot more differences in UT 16 than AUB 15 than similarities.

Also if UT is unbeaten after the Alabama game they will not just be in the top aw0 but most likely will be #1 in the country.
But running that gauntlet unbeaten is a very tall task.

[str8volfan]

This is not the year. I am a Dobbs fan, but he isnt the qb to lead this team to the championship. Also, Hurd being on the 2nd team offense is ridiculous.

[ALLVOL]

This is not the year. I am a Dobbs fan, but he isnt the qb to lead this team to the championship. Also, Hurd being on the 2nd team offense is ridiculous.

What's ridiculous is Berry 2nd team return man.

[str8volfan]

What's ridiculous is Berry 2nd team return man.

exactly. As far as what I was saying about Dobbs, unless his accuracy improves by leaps and bounds, hes just not the one. My opinion.

[ALLVOL]

exactly. As far as what I was saying about Dobbs, unless his accuracy improves by leaps and bounds, hes just not the one. My opinion.

I think that's over played. His #'s are better than most realize. He's no Manning for sure but he doesn't have to be. His completion % is better than Tee Martins and you know how we did with him. So I'm fine with Josh for this style of offense.

[str8volfan]

I think that's over played. His #'s are better than most realize. He's no Manning for sure but he doesn't have to be. His completion % is better than Tee Martins and you know how we did with him. So I'm fine with Josh for this style of offense.

Im currently watching the replay of the UT/Florida game from last year. there is 4 minutes left to go in the 4th quarter and he is 6-15 for 35 yards. That wont cut it. Still cant believe Butch lost that game. Wow.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/754509121794310144

[jbcarol]

Matt Brockett
‏@matty_b30

@AdamSparks how is Towles not the 2nd team QB?? Dobbs gets to [sic] much praise in my opinion.


Adam Sparks ‏@AdamSparks Jul 15

Adam Sparks Retweeted Matt Brockett

Patrick Towles? He lost his starting job at UK and transferred to Boston College

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/755093833264820225

1. Expectations

Right off the bat, Jones was asked about Tennessee's outlook in the fall, as many prognosticators are picking the Vols to win their first SEC East title since 2007. On SportsCenter, Jones said, "You have to embrace them. ... But focus on the performance end of it. Not the outcome and not the results right now."

Jones smartly refused to take the bait on any specific win-total, though, saying, "You don't ever talk about it in those terms."

What's a successful season for Tennessee?

"Us meeting our potential," Jones said.

"We've talked about searching for the 25 points. Over the last 18 games, Tennessee is 13-5 with those five losses coming by a combined total 25 points. I think it's really learning how to win. How to close games out. Clutch performers and clutch plays. Critical moments in the game. How far we've come in three years is really a tribute to our players and our coaching staff and everyone associated with our football program. We've talked about getting Tennessee football back to relevance. But those are just expectations, it's what we do with those now."

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/wesrucker247/status/755959730699329536

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Josh_Ward/status/756232653699940352

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/756627310669881344

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/GoVolsXtra/status/756992789418741760

Antone Davis has been Tennessee football's Vol For Life coordinator since 2012.

The program began as a crash course of life skills for Tennessee football players. Now it's a three-letter acronym in the everyday language of an entire state, synonymous with checkerboard end zones and "Rocky Top."

Vol For Life was the brainchild of Derek Dooley. Hired to replace Lane Kiffin in 2010, the new Tennessee coach knew his football team needed a program that taught life skills, one that looked after players and helped them prepare for life after football.

"What we were trying to say at that time," Davis said, "was once you're a Vol, you're a Vol For Life. We're not turning our backs on you once you've given us your four years.

"We're going to stick with you, try to help you become a successful young man beyond your time at Tennessee. It's not about the next four years, it's about the next 40 years."

Dooley didn't have a blueprint that he brought from Louisiana Tech.

"The problem ... was that what Derek had in his head, he couldn't convey to Andre [Lott]," Davis said. "Or Andre couldn't pick it up."

Dooley removed Lott from the program in August 2012, saying at the time that Lott "wasn't working out for us, but he's still part of the family." [VFL]

By the end of the month, the job belonged to Davis, the former two-time first-team All-SEC Tennessee offensive tackle. Davis, at UT from 1986-90, was the eighth overall pick in the 1991 NFL draft, the start of a seven-year pro career.

He gained national notoriety in 2011 when he finished runner-up on "The Biggest Loser" reality show, losing 202 pounds. His stay on the show got Dooley's attention and by the next year, he was back in Knoxville as the lead VFL.

Davis quickly took the program outside the Anderson Training Center, adding a presence in the community by putting the Vol For Life tag on players visiting East Tennessee Children's Hospital or helping build houses for Habitat for Humanity projects.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/UTCompliance/status/758023872360935424

https://twitter.com/jack_bombero/status/758027465868582912

[jbcarol]

 Jimmy Hyams ‏@JimmyHyams Jul 26

Jones joked at Rotary Club talk today: `Alabama bases the start of school on how many days they need for training camp.' [Actually practice hours per week in January.]

Jones said DT Shy Tuttle (broken foot) is progressing, will be limited at August camp, has been cleared to run, hopes he's ready for opener

Jones said OLB Jalen Reeves-Maybin talked to team in spring about finding those 25 points as UT went 13-5 in last 18 games, falling by 25.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/759247825582436352

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/UTCompliance/status/759929812974706688

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/760167255258914817

"If Tennessee doesn't win (the SEC East), it will be really tough to swallow for Tennessee. I think they will win the East, but in order to do it, they will have to win a couple of tight games, which is something they had trouble with a year ago. They will probably show up in Atlanta (for the SEC championship game) and be outmanned (by the West Division champ).

    Don't get me wrong. Tennessee is very physical and they are a really good football team. But right now they are the least ready to win the tight games. That includes their fans, their players and their coaching staff. That is a big hurdle. They will have to win more than one of those tight games."

[jbcarol]

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/ESPN_SEC/status/760196886191976448

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/760813646633177088

6-toot-6, 270-pound junior college defensive line transfer, Kongbo looks the part, so far earning praise from defensive coordinator Bob Shoop.

There's probably a simple solution for Tennessee to improve the consistency of play from the receivers — shrink the rotation. There's no excuse for drops.

There's a reason Tennessee had the No. 1 overall special teams units in the nation last season, and the reason is preparation and priority.

Tennessee players fly around the drills, quickly transitioning from one period to another.

[jbcarol]

Patrick Brown ‏@patrickbrownTFP

Latest odds from @BovadaLV set Tennessee's over/under for regular-season wins at 10.

[jbcarol]

Patrick Brown ‏@patrickbrownTFP 2m2 minutes ago

Patrick Brown Retweeted Bruce Feldman

Bruce ranks Tennessee's backfield fourth in college football.

Patrick Brown added,
Bruce Feldman @BruceFeldmanCFB
Most interesting comp for Christian McCaffrey I've heard comes from a guy w/i #Stanford program: LaDainianTomlinson: http://foxs.pt/2aCORiJ

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 21m21 minutes ago

Butch on #Vols being No. 10 in preseason coaches' poll, abridged version: "Lalalalalalalala I can't hear you lalalalalala."

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 3h3 hours ago

The Vols, who were 10th in preseason coaches poll, were last ranked in the top 10 in the season on Oct. 29, 2006.

[jbcarol]

http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/friday-five-most-overrated-teams-in-the-2016-preseason-coaches-poll/?ref=yfp

Many on this site have mentioned #1!

Thankfully, polls like the Coaches Poll -- did I mention Indiana received a vote in the poll and that Indiana coach Kevin Wilson is a voter? -- no longer matters when it comes to determining a national champion.

1. Tennessee: We all knew this was coming. The moment the 2015 season ended, the Vols were destined to be the team ranked too high to start 2016. Well, here we are.

Not only do the Vols start the season ranked No. 10, but they actually received a first-place vote! I looked up the coaches voting in the poll, and since Butch Jones is not one of them, I have no idea who put the Vols that high -- but I'd bet it's an SEC coach looking to pump up his own schedule strength.

Anyway, I believe Tennessee is going to be good this year. In fact, I think they have a really good shot at winning the SEC East, and should they do that, I've no doubt that they'll be ranked in the top 10. Where we run into problems is that, since coming to Tennessee, Jones has gone 3-13 against top 25 teams and 0-9 against teams ranked in the top 10. There have been some close calls, sure, but shouldn't Tennessee actually beat a team ranked in the top 10 before we put it there? Last season was the first time Tennessee had a winning SEC record since 2007.

Again, I believe Tennessee is going to be good in 2016, I'd just like to seem them actually be good before we just hand them that top 10 spot.

[jbcarol]

George Schroeder Verified account
‏@GeorgeSchroeder

Once more re: Tennessee's first-place vote: Butch Jones is not on the voting panel.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/wesrucker247/status/762071189535789056

Expectations are higher now at Tennessee, though. The 10th-ranked Vols have a challenging early-season schedule, and fourth-year coach Butch Jones wasn't happy with his passing game or his offense's general sloppiness in red-zone drills.

"First day in pads, (we were) challenged by the elements, which is a good thing; tests your mental toughness, tests your fundamentals," Jones said. "We've talked about closing games out, and that's why we did what we did at the end of practice today, scrimmaging and a lot of situational football and really thinking strategically when you're tired, understanding situational football when you're tired at the end of the game.

"And we've got a long ways to go. We're not anywhere where we need to be, but there were a lot of valuable teaching opportunities tonight. A lot of youngsters have to grow up in a hurry. I think they are competing, which we want to see, but it's just taking care of the fundamentals, the penalties. Too many pre-snap penalties today, especially at the end of practice when the mental fatigue started to set in a little bit. That's part of being a mentally tough football team.

"But that's what training camp's about."

Jones, a wide receivers coach by trade, said he's been pleased in general with the progress of Tennessee's previously erratic passing game the past few months, but he said no less than three times Saturday that it didn't play up to par during the team's first camp practice in full pads.

"We've really invested in it, but today we had too balls on the ground," Jones said. "We chart everything in terms of balls on the ground, from warm-ups to pat-and-go to individual periods. And, again, a dropped football, a dropped pass in our offense is equivalent to a turnover. It stifles your momentum. We have to do a better job of catching the ball as an entire offensive unit, and putting the ball where it needs to be, as well.

"But I do see progress, and we've worked very, very hard on it all summer, and we've worked very hard on it at this point at this stage of the game in terms of training camp through five practices."

Jones said he fully expects the passing game — including senior Joshua Dobbs and the rest of the team's quarterbacks, the pass catchers and the pass protectors — to improve in the coming days.

[jbcarol]

Butch Jones has proven he can win titles, but Tennessee players have not

Jones has won four conference titles in his nine years as a head coach, winning the MAC two of his three years at Central Michigan, and capturing a share of the Big East crown two of his three years at Cincinnati.

Tennessee has represented more of a project on account of the competitive and shark-filled (code for teams breaking rules) waters of the SEC.

Fallout from Lane Kiffin's ruinous one year tenure at Tennessee can still be felt when one recalls the damage done to the program's image, and the recruiting classes that were effected.

Derek Dooley took over a program that faced the uncertainty of a two-year NCAA investigation triggered by Kiffin's reckless tenure, and then there was also two years worth of probation that the school self-imposed.

Dooley was unable to right the ship, and so with four different head football coaches on Rocky Top over a period of six years, heavy player attrition ensued.

Jones looks at his roster entering the 2016 season and sees 11 seniors, and yet, he hears the clamor from his excited fan base that nothing less than an SEC championship will satisfy.

Consider, four SEC programs have won eight or more games over the past four years, Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M.

Georgia fired it's coach, LSU was rumored to be on the verge of firing its coach, and Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin is on the proverbial "hot seat" according to some.

This is the world Jones wakes up in every day.

[jbcarol]

Tennessee will win the SEC East (but won't beat Florida)

Volunteers haven't won an SEC championship since 1998 and haven't won 10 games in a season since 2007. After limping through four seasons under Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley, the Vols have slowly showed progress under Butch Jones, who is 21-17 in three seasons.

But Jones says he believes he might finally have an SEC contender, and the Volunteers look loaded on both lines of scrimmage. With quarterback Joshua Dobbs and tailbacks Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara coming back, the Vols might be the team to beat in the SEC East. They'll win at Georgia and South Carolina, but they'll lose to Florida for the 12th season in a row. Even worse, Steve Spurrier will be there to watch it.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/763402820913623040

Chris Spognardi, the Vols director of football operations, was placed on paid administrative leave on Tuesday night, Tennessee Senior Athletics Director for Communications Ryan Robinson confirmed to SEC Country.

Spognardi was one of Jones' initial hires at Tennessee, as the two have worked together for the last eight years at UT, Cincinnati and Central Michigan.

Jimmy Hyams ‏@JimmyHyams 1h1 hour ago

UT FB operations Chris Spagnardi was placed on paid administrative leave Tuesday night per Ryan Robinson. Length of time unknown.

[jbcarol]

Here's how we think things will play out for the Volunteers in 2016

Projected record: 11-1, 7-1 SEC

A&M – Oct. 8 in College Station, Texas

Of course, the one thing that could get the Aggies off track is the fact that this game will be at home. Texas A&M is a paltry 1-7 against ranked opponents at Kyle Field since Sumlin arrived in College Station.

Prediction: Tennessee loss (5-1, 2-1 SEC)

[jbcarol]

Thomas Goldkamp ‏@ThomasGoldkamp Aug 8

This Tennessee loses to Florida but wins the SEC East scenario I keep seeing? How?

Where does UF pick up 2-3 SEC losses if it beats UT?

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/ThomasGoldkamp/status/763859219791478785

Feels like the whole offseason has been Florida-Tennessee week.

If there's one thing you can always count on from Florida All-American cornerback Jalen Tabor, it's his consistency. Given the chance to talk, Tabor will do so. And generally when he gets talking, Florida's history with Tennessee comes up.

It did again Thursday when Tabor went on the Paul Finebaum Show. Tabor was in rare form.

"There's just certain things that happen every year, every day," Tabor said. "Just like you have your show on SEC Network at a certain time every day, just like the fourth weekend in the fall when the Gators play the University of Tennessee. It's been the same thing happening for 11 years. I mean, the greatest indication of the future is the past."

Florida cornerback hasn't backed down an inch from comments he's made this offseason that the Gators simply expect to beat the Volunteers. Finebaum dug into his reasoning a bit more on Thursday, poking and prodding to get the full story.

Basically, Tabor was an open book.

"It's really all you guys that are picking them to win the East," he said. "You guys pick 'em, and I mean, I don't see it. I mean I know I'm a player but I just really don't see it. I know we have a lot of talent and we have a lot of great coaches here.

"I feel like to get to the East and the SEC Championship, you've got to come through the Swamp and the Florida Gators, and it's been that way since the beginning of the SEC, the beginning of time. You've got to come through it this year too."

He wasn't done there.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/GrantRamey/status/764260892573851648

"Own It" is plastered all over T-shirts, wrist bands and the Anderson Training Center. It's painted on a mat at the entrance to the practice field, where players have to walk over it each time they step outside for a workout. It's on a signage board just beyond the north end zone of the practice field, too.

"What did this team need?" Jones asked. "I think 'Own It' is very fitting for this football team. When you really think about it, it's owning everything. It's owning the expectations, owning your style of play, owning your conditioning, owning your fundamentals, owning your attitude, owning your academics, owning your personal life.

"There's so much that goes into it. When you look at it, when you own something, you're going to take greater care of it than if you rent it or borrow it. We talk about it all the time. Just own it."

Tennessee was picked to win the SEC's Eastern Division at media days last month. That hype has to be owned too.

"Own everything that's being put out there," running backs coach Robert Gillespie said. "Own expectations, own how hard you have to work, own what the doubters say.

"It's just owning everything. Don't make an excuse for it. Whatever is out there, if you have to do it, own it. If it's being said about you, own it. If that's the belief that we believe, own it."

Jones came up with the slogan in the spring —

https://twitter.com/GrantRamey/status/764190495409135619

@GrantRamey ‏@GrantRamey 19h19 hours ago

Butch Jones on the 'Own It' slogan: You're going to take better care of something when you own it, opposed to renting it.

https://twitter.com/GrantRamey/status/763898398638501888

#OwnIt

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/KyleTucker_AJC/status/765327465048862722

1. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Butch Jones' hardware: 2 MAC, 2 Big East titles; 2011 Big East Coach of the Year

Last 3 recruiting classes (Rivals): No. 15, No. 5, No. 5

Grading the coordinators: A (OC Mike DeBord, DC Bob Shoop)

Jones is objectively the most accomplished head coach in this division.