ESPN's Peter Burns ranks pressure on SEC Coaches

#27
#27
that's fair. i guess.

i don't think there's a chance he winds up on a hot seat, barring a complete and utter collapse this year.

even if there is a difference between pressure and hot seat, how does being on the hot seat not warrant being under more pressure?

which is why Malzahn and Sumlin should be 1a and 1b on this list. i think not having muschamp on there is a mistake too. he's not going to get the typical state of grace other new hires get. he comes with baggage.

and if you want to put Jones and Miles on there after that, fine. i'm good with that. there is pressure on Jones, but at this point with the roster he's got and results to date, it's what i would consider "normal" pressure at TN.

and that's a good thing.

I agree. This is pressure we want, not " we better make a bowl game or else" type bs. We're in it to win it now. This why you finally come to Tennessee. To Win.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#30
#30
Just believe whatever pressure there is, Butch puts it on himself, and the seat he's sitting in is the catbird.

GO VOLS!
 
#32
#32
Peter Burns is beat writer for the SEC Network. If you are a member of Linkedin you can access Peters full profile. Can't make this stuff up folks. It's funny on it's own..

https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-burns-314a9922

Join LinkedIn and access Peter’s full profile. It’s free!

Contact Peter directly
View Peter’s Full Profile

:lolabove:
 
#33
#33
Last edited:
#34
#34
There is absolutely a difference between pressure and "being on the hot seat". With respect to "hot seat" he is probably in the bottom half as it is unlikely he will be let go barring a major set back, but relative to pressure I have no problem with a #2 positioning.

He was under much less pressure last year, but the team should have won at least 2 of the 4 close games (and many could argue 3 of the 4) last year, and if that would have happened then he would also be under less pressure this year. His record against top teams is well below average and this year he has the talent to not only compete, but to win... and the pressure is on him to win those games as it should be.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#35
#35
I think Butch is under pressure to beat Florida. Intense pressure. There's a real sense of exasperation among Volunteer nation in that regard.

The pressure to break the Bama streak exists, too, but it's a bit less intense because of their back-to-back-to-back #1 recruiting classes and frequent NCs. They are rightly seen as "the bigger mountain" to climb. Which just increases the pressure on winning the Florida game all the more, by comparison.

There's also pressure to get back to Atlanta, particularly since it's very clear we have the talent to be there.

And, as with every team in America, there's pressure to improve, to show progress. For us this year, that means 10+ wins.

Finally, there's pressure related to the Title IX case. Mostly media-induced pressure, as I think Butch feels pretty good inside his skin with how he and the football program have handled issues. And I think most fans and boosters and UT leadership feel pretty solid about his performance in that regard, as well. But the media keep hounding him and the school anyway, and that drives pressure in spite of self-assurance.

Those are the pressure points, in detail. Do they add up to a hot seat? Absolutely not. Do they add up to more than average pressure among SEC head coaches? I'm not sure. It feels intense to us, because we're inside it. But it may not truly be exceptional.

If we took the time to understand in detail the pressures on the other SEC coaches, we might find that many are just as intense, taken as a whole.

I'd guess the pressure Butch feels is probably somewhere in the #5-#8 range. That's just a guess.

It's not all fun and glory, being an SEC coach...though the pay is certainly good.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#36
#36
I think Butch is under pressure to beat Florida. Intense pressure. There's a real sense of exasperation among Volunteer nation in that regard.

The pressure to break the Bama streak exists, too, but it's a bit less intense because of their back-to-back-to-back #1 recruiting classes and frequent NCs. They are rightly seen as "the bigger mountain" to climb. Which just increases the pressure on winning the Florida game all the more, by comparison.

There's also pressure to get back to Atlanta, particularly since it's very clear we have the talent to be there.

And, as with every team in America, there's pressure to improve, to show progress. For us this year, that means 10+ wins.

Finally, there's pressure related to the Title IX case. Mostly media-induced pressure, as I think Butch feels pretty good inside his skin with how he and the football program have handled issues. And I think most fans and boosters and UT leadership feel pretty solid about his performance in that regard, as well. But the media keep hounding him and the school anyway, and that drives pressure in spite of self-assurance.

Those are the pressure points, in detail. Do they add up to a hot seat? Absolutely not. Do they add up to more than average pressure among SEC head coaches? I'm not sure. It feels intense to us, because we're inside it. But it may not truly be exceptional.

If we took the time to understand in detail the pressures on the other SEC coaches, we might find that many are just as intense, taken as a whole.

I'd guess the pressure Butch feels is probably somewhere in the #5-#8 range. That's just a guess.

It's not all fun and glory, being an SEC coach...though the pay is certainly good.

100% agree on the Florida game pressure. And man, is there going to be one big Orange sigh of relief if it happens this year.
 
#37
#37
Malzan
Sumlin
Miles
Jones
Freeze

This is the order id go with as well. Only if replace freeze with stoops. Freeze is only under pressure based on violations...not lack of on the field production. Any of the top 3 (jones included) could be under intense scrutiny (or get an extension) based on what happens this year. Butch is a little different than the others though in that he's had monumental colapses that caused the entire college football world to question him. He absolutely cannot do that again. He has to know, if he's going to lose at least go out swinging. There's no doubt he heard all that criticism loud and clear last year
 
#38
#38
Of course CBJ is under pressure. Big pressure. He and other UT coaches have put it out there that 11 wins are the expectation this year. Lose to UF... fail to win the SECE... or drop more than two games, and negativity will soar. Should more players get arrested, additional plaintiffs join the Title IX suit or other detrimental info come to light... well, things could get very uncomfortable. CBJ is at a critical juncture. His stock could soar, like we all hope... or it could plunge.

Sumlin, Malzahn, Miles and CBJ are Top 4, IMO, and things could go bad quickly for any one of them. I think it would take malfeasance to put CBJ's job in jeopardy this year, though. Stoops just received a lucrative extension that buys him another few years, and Vandy will probably give Mason more time. OM seems superglued to Freeze.
 
#39
#39
1. Gus Malzahn (He's got to prove making it to the Championship game wasn't a fluke.

2. Les Miles (He's got to prove why fans wanted him to stay.)

3. Butch Jones (Got to prove now that he has talent, depth, and returning starters on both sides of the ball - he can close out big games. UT is many people's pick to win the east. Jones has to prove his chart can get the job done.
Florida especially

4. Mark Stoops
(I put him here before Sumlin just because he has the Stoops name, and has talent at Kentucky, but can he make something of it. I mean winning 5 games at Kentucky is great, but you need 6 to make it to a bowl. I really think he's going to have pressure on him.

5. Will Muschamp
(I know like Kirby Smart it'll be Muschamps first year coaching at USCjr. I just think Muschamp has to prove he is more than a defensive coordinator, and can actually Coach. He didn't do terrible while at Florida, but he didn't prove a whole lot either.

Kirby Smart is in a similar situation, but I think Smart will have a little more time before people start putting pressure on him. I give him 3 year's at UGA before he's tagged as a bust or not.
 
#40
#40
If by pressure you mean that he won't sleep the night before the Florida game, then you're right he is under pressure! Would be interesting to know how he really feels the night before the Florida game. There will be pressure against Appy State, and pressure against VT, but then against Florida its going to be insane! And undefeated top ten Tennessee Team at home against a lesser ranked Florida team. Boy, sure wouldn't want to be the coach that loses that one, not with this team! Biggest game in more than 10 years in Neyland! by far, no close second in my opinion!
 
#41
#41
Here's a handy little score card we can use to try to figure out who has the most pressure:

Scorecards R Us: said:
  • Get Your Stuff Together! -- +1 to your score if you had significant off-field issues in the past six months (players admitting they were paid on national TV, players beating the crap out of fighting women on video, lawsuits, coaches fired for cheating, QBs transferring out by the carload, etc.).
  • Beat Those Guys For Once! -- +1 for each losing streak of three or more years to a rival team (+2 if six or more years).
  • Earn Your Damn Pay! -- +1 for each $1M you earn above the (roughly) SEC average of $4M.
  • We Expect More! -- +1 if your team has a winning SEC tradition (Vandy, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Miss State need not apply; Arkansas gets +0.5; A&M and Mizzou get a pass).
  • Fans are Rabid -- +5 if your school is in the SEC.

Anyone whose score is 4 or higher, is under a lot of pressure.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#43
#43
ESPN's Peter Burns ranks pressure on SEC Coaches

Stewpidd article. Pressure is immense on every SEC coach
 
#44
#44
Jones is in no risk of being fired yet, but if he doesn't make a leap this season with this talent against this weak a division, then the fans are going to turn on him, and once that happens you almost never get them back. The pressure on him this year is enormous.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
Advertisement



Back
Top