The Butch Jones era has come to a close at Alabama. Arkansas State announced Saturday night that it hired Jones to become the 31st head coach in its program’s history.
“It is truly an honor and privilege to be the head football coach at Arkansas State University,” said Jones in a release. “It is a position that I take great pride in, and I look forward to connecting with our student-athletes to build upon the strong tradition of excellence both on and off the field of play. I am extremely grateful to Terry Mohajir, Dr. (Kelly) Damphousse and Dr. (Chuck) Welch for trusting me to be the caretaker of Arkansas State football.”
Jones was hired by Alabama as an offensive analyst in 2018. This past February, he was promoted to special assistant to the head coach while still holding an off-the-field role. This year he’s helped Alabama’s staff lead a Crimson Tide offense that has averaged 49.5 points and 537.8 yards per game.
Before coming to Alabama, Jones spent five years at Tennessee where he led the Volunteers to 34-27 record. He also served as the head coach at Cincinnati (2010-12) and Central Michigan (2007-09). Jones is 84-54 as a college head coach.
After firing Jones on Nov. 12, 2017, Tennessee owed him an $8.26 million buyout which was paid out at a rate of $2.5 million per year for the remainder of his contract. That contract ends on Feb. 28, 2021.
