Well for now that's prob bout right.
Truth is no A-list coaches wanted this job. It was depleted of talent, had ruined most relationships with high schools in our recruiting footprint, run off alot of past players and supporters, the view outsiders had was the UT national brand had lost a lot of its value.
A coach knew they would have to come in with all the negative weight of these things going against them and they would have to recruit and play against the likes of Saban/Bama, Lsu, Georgia, Florida, etc and take a huge amount of round the clock work and effort and a hit to their win/loss record for at least a couple years while working their fool head off to mend these fences and with competing in the SEC it would be a long road to turn it around so no big name coach would even touch it.
They had to find a B-list coach. Some up and comer that would give it a try. That's what Butch was. He had only proven that he could take a school that's already built and sustain success. Never had to do a total rebuild and never coached at this level so you figure a B list coach most likely would do a B list job.
Only thing is it turned out Butch is an A list marketing coach and turned around the view of UT, he is a A list fence mender and fixed all those relationships with high schools, ex players, donors, etc. Butch proved to be an A list recruiter and has got the most talent this university has seen in a decade. He is an A list coach at getting players to play for him, preparing them for games and game planning. So much that he has actually over achieved his B list status. In fact he has over achieved at everything but gameday coaching where as of this moment he is still a B list in game coach. He's not underperformed, he has over performed at everything but one and has performed to his level at that.
Instead of being furious about that I'm tickled at how he has been far and above better than the no name coach he was when he was hired at everything else he has done and I know he is a smart guy and can learn so I know he stands a pretty good chance at being able to up his shortcomings as a gameday coach.
With the mess UT was in and hiring some under the radar coach to fix it, 9 outa 10 chances for him to be a total failure. We are freaking lucky he has succeeded at all that he has. We haven't won any champ's yet but just to be a top 10 team preseason is miles from where that B list coach took over the program. I think we are blessed to have him.
