Report: Butch Jones to remain with Alabama next season
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Butch Jones is set to stay at Alabama. According to a report form FootballScoop, Jones plans to remain with Nick Saban’s coaching staff after spending the past season as an offensive analyst.
Jones was previously rumored to be joining Mike Lockley’s staff at Maryland. At this time, it is unclear whether he will return to Alabama as an analyst or take an on-field position next season. The Crimson Tide currently has openings at offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach and offensive line coach.
Jones, 51, joined Alabama last year after he was fired as the head coach at Tennessee. He went 34-27 over five seasons with the Volunteers. Jones was previously the head coach at Cincinnati (2010-12) and Central Michigan (2007-09). He also has experience coaching wide receivers, running backs and tight ends.
Jones has been the butt of many jokes since he was famously labeled as an “intern” by Alabama head coach Nick Saban after taking the analyst job with the Crimson Tide. However, as an analyst last season, he helped Alabama set school records for total offensive yards (7,830), passing yards (4,854) and points scored (684).
“Butch is a very bright guy, and he’s done a really good job of that,” Saban said last season. “Basically what he does is assist (offensive coordinator) Mike (Locksley) as much as possible. He always gives me a little summary of things that he thinks we need to work on on offense just from an overall view from a thousand feet type of thing which has been very helpful.”
Jones’ return is coupled with reports that Steve Sarkisian will be named Alabama’s next offensive coordinator. Like Jones, Sarkisian was previously hired by Saban as an off-the-field coach to help resurrect his career. The two would also continue a recent trend of former head coaches turned assistants at Alabama.
Sarkisian originally came to Alabama in 2016 after serving as the head coach at Washington and Southern California. He was later promoted to offensive coordinator before the 2017 national championship game. Alabama also hired Lane Kiffin as its offensive coordinator after previous head coaching stops with the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee and Southern California. Locksley, who also served as an analyst for Alabama before being promoted to wide receivers coach and the often coordinator, previously served as the head coach at New Mexico and Illinois.
“I think that guys who have been head coaches obviously have done a good job along the way as assistant coaches in whatever their expertise is as well as, in most of these cases, some success as head coaches,” Saban said last season. “So they’re knowledge and experience is something that can be beneficial in trying to help us improve our program.”