Butch Jones' Tennessee Contract Extension Intensifies Pressure to Succeed

The Tennessee athletic department did the right thing by lengthening Butch Jones' contract and giving him a raise on Monday. Now, the Volunteers' second-year head coach must make the administration look smart.

He's got to start winning the way Tennessee expects to win.

Make no mistake: He hasn't been expected to win like that yet with the talent gulf and roster deficiencies he inherited from the failed Derek Dooley regime. But now that he has many of the pieces in place, he's being paid to produce.

And paid handsomely, indeed. UT athletic director Dave Hart announced Monday he'd reached an agreement with Jones that extends the contract two years through 2020 and gives him a pay increase of more than $600,000 annually.

Jones new contract is worth $3.6 million per year, up from the $2.95 million previously, according to VolQuest.com's John Brice and Grant Ramey (subscription required). Assistants also received raises.

Given the way Jones has recruited—finishing with a class that ranked seventh nationally last year and fourth in the current cycle—the way he's galvanized the fanbase and improved academics (as noted by UTSports.com), all the external elements have been strengthened.

The final bit of important evidence that likely cemented the new deal was UT finishing this season 6-6 and heading to the TaxSlayer Bowl, marking the program's first trip to the postseason since 2010.

Add to that the rumors that Jones would have a "strong interest" in returning to his home state of Michigan to fill the vacant Wolverines head coaching position, according to 247Sports' Ryan Bartow, and extending the contract was a no-brainer.

For what it's worth, Hart told the media that Michigan nor any other school had contacted UT to speak with Jones. Regardless, UT's head coach earned this raise with the rebuilding job he's done.

Hart reiterated that Monday:

"It has always been my philosophy to reward people for performance and the job that they are doing and not reward for them because you think somebody else might come and get them. This is about that."

With the raise, Jones is on par with his peers and should have no reason to bolt for a place where the pastures are greener simply because they're lined with greenbacks.

But now that the Vols have locked up who they deem as their long-term coach and are paying him like you'd expect a program like UT to pay, Jones has to perform.

As ousted coaches Brady Hoke and Will Muschamp can attest, lofty recruiting rankings don't always equal wins. And while taking a tangible step forward to bowl eligibility is a respectable step, expectations only grow from here.

USA TODAY Sports

The Vols are a .500 football team, but $3.6 million isn't 6-6 money. Hart knows it. Jones knows it. Every single Tennessee fan knows it.

So, now, Jones has to build off this strong start and return the program to the form it hasn't been in for nearly a decade.

If Tennessee's administration believed in Jones the way it said, UT had to pony up. That's today's climate in college football, where it's more of a business than it's ever been. Look no further than Florida's coaching search that ended in Jim McElwain, who came all the way from Colorado State at an exorbitant price, as evidence of that.

Many want to coach in the SEC where every game is magnified, every single week the frenzy borders on a religious experience and the rewards are great when you succeed. But high demands come at a high cost, and the bottom line is Jones was toward the bottom of the league in salaries prior to Monday.

UT more than got its money's worth since it hired Jones in December 2012 at the previous price. Now, it expects to do the same with the significant bump.

There are still some roster holes, thanks to the immense failures of Dooley, but they're fewer and farther between. Jones seized the opportunity for a significant roster turnover that could produce back-to-back recruiting classes of more than 30 commitments.

Once that happens, any issues with personnel are his own.

The Vols played 24 freshmen this year and lost to three SEC East opponents by a combined 12 points. The way the division shook out this year, the future appears there for the taking.

This is truly the perfect time for the Vols to rise back to the top of the East, if not the league. With the young talent in place and the way Jones is recruiting, the expectations are not only high among fans starving for success, but nationally as well.

Jones and the Vols appear poised to do big things with quarterback Joshua Dobbs leading a group of talented youngsters into 2015 and beyond. But UT has to transition from taking steps to making leaps now that it isn't sneaking up on anybody.

This year's quest to get bowl-eligible with the schedule the Vols had was excellent pressure practice for what's coming for Jones and his staff now that the honeymoon's officially over.

UT passed the test by overcoming major obstacles, and that's an encouraging sign for the future.

But the future is here.

The Vols are expected to beat Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl on Jan. 2, and they'll be a much discussed dark-horse candidate in a wide-open SEC East in 2015 and beyond. Why shouldn't they be?

Tennessee's recruiting prowess under Jones announced to the world that the Vols are back on the minds of the nation's elite players. The 2014 team announced it wasn't to be taken lightly by turning in a competitive performance that will end in a bowl.

Monday's newly-inked deal announces that UT's football program expects to win big, and Hart believes Jones is the one to take the Vols there.

Now comes the most difficult part: Actually doing it.

All stats gathered from UTSports.com unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.