Butch Jones tours the College Football Hall of Fame

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“Eyes on the prize” via @Vol_Photos

Coach Butch Jones, who was in Atlanta today for the Big Orange Caravan, toured the College Football Hall of Fame this afternoon.

FreakNotes: Deemed accurate transcriptions/summaries but not guaranteed to be without user error.

  • I got goosebumps when you look at all the traditions at Tennessee and it’s able to be displayed.
  • Our alumni base is very strong here. We have passionate fans not only in Atlanta but in the entire state of Georgia
  • When asked about Alabama also having its caravan at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta tonight, and if it was symbolic at all that they are both here in Atlanta on the same night: “I did not. That’s for you guys to even talk about, I’m just looking forward to enjoying it with our fans tonight.”
  • We have 15 individuals on our current roster and seven signees coming in from Georgia. We treat Atlanta and Georgia as another home territory. When you look at our proximity and alumni base, it’s very, very big. If you look at the tradition and past history of Tennessee football there have been tremendous players from the entire state of Georgia.
  • Recruits in Georgia now have players now that are from their high schools that have come on and had success at Tennessee.
  • It’s exciting to be a part of something, when you’re building something, when you have that chance to build a legacy of getting the football program back to where it needs to be.
  • When asked about the possibility of a non-campus game in the area at some point in the future: You could see that, maybe in the future. It’s about having that recruiting footprint that Dave Hart speaks about and being able to go to different parts of the country and reward our fans. Neutral site games prepare you for bowl games. They prepare your team in so many ways, and they add to the excitement of training camp as well.
  • On his trip to Memphis for the Grizzlies game last night: I learned more basketball in about three hours with Coach Barnes. It was a great, great trip, being able to watch the Warriors and the Grizzlies. It’s all about competition and being able to be there and really see their faces, see the communication and the coaching that goes on. It’s an opportunity to always improve as a coach and a great opportunity to sit with Coach Barnes and really soak in the game and what each possession they’re thinking about. My son will graduate on Saturday, so to be able to have him with us too, that was a great, great night.
  • When asked about any concerns on Dobbs’ internship: I don’t worry about Josh Dobbs one bit. He does a great job in terms of time management. He’s an individual, when Josh Dobbs is going to do something he’s going to put all effort into it. He understands, you look at his curriculum and workload throughout the course of the season and the entire year, he manages that exceptionally well. He works hard and he loves football.
  • On grades: Right now, every one of our players have done a great job. I don’t foresee any problems, but nothing is completely final because I haven’t seen the final grades from anyone.

Below are some great pictures, tracking Butch’s journey through Atlanta today and the College Football Hall of Fame.

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