Didn't feel like starting a new thread, here's Malone on Butch. He Gets It.
A few years ago, Josh Malone, a top wide receiver from Gallatin, Tenn., had fleeting interest in playing for Tennessee. The Vols were in a free fall under Lane Kiffin and then Derek Dooley, who was fired in November 2012 going 15-21 in three seasons. "There was no appeal," Malone says. "Dooley wasn't active. It just felt like he was going through the motions and settling for average."
That changed when Butch Jones was hired and immediately made recruiting in state a priority again, something Dooley and Kiffin neglected. The philosophy has paid off. Despite not making a bowl last season, the Volunteers have a recruiting class is ranked as high as No. 2 nationally. The group is headlined by the 6-3, 195-pound Malone, the state's top player, and running back Jalen Hurd of Hendersonville, Tenn., the state's No. 2 player. Both Malone and Hurd enrolled early last month.
"They made us a priority and they stressed that from the beginning," Malone says of Jones and his staff. "Most of the time in-state guys really didn't get recruited hard. They actually recruited us hard and didn't want anybody to leave in-state. They wanted to lock down the border. They really want to build Tennessee back up with Tennessee kids and then go out of state to bring in more talent to build on."
Many head coaches aren't the primary recruiters for recruits, but Jones was for several in this class, including Malone. "It's that personal to him," Malone says. "He puts in a lot of focus."
Read More:
Behind Nick Saban-Lane Kiffin union at Alabama, signing day notes - College Football - SI.com
