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Butch Jones’ rise should be applauded

By Andrew Stover on December 17, 2009 12:01 pm in Football / 32 comments

 
Butch Jones’ rise should be applauded

He is Brian Kelly’s shadow, his critics will say.

Butch Jones followed in Kelly’s footsteps when Kelly departed the CMU football program three years ago to go to Cincinnati. Now, Jones made a similar maneuver and got the attention of the Bearcat brass after Kelly headed to South Bend.

And while many pundits will call him B.K.-lite, it is difficult to find a single reason why a sane person would not make this move.

Money matters in the world we live in. And contrary to the warm thoughts in the hearts of fans across the nation, college football is more of a business than a game.

It would be fiscally irresponsible for Jones to stay at CMU. His base salary last year was less than $300,000. If he chose to sign the extension Athletics Director Dave Heeke laid out for him, he’d earn a raise to $425,000 base salary.

But at Cincinnati, he will be paid more than $1 million per season to take a more attractive position.

Cincinnati is the two-time defending Big East champion. The Big East is one of six conferences with an automatic tie-in to a BCS bowl and the Bearcats’ success has earned them the No. 3 ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the No. 4 ranking in the Associated Press Poll.

Overnight, Butch Jones has risen from a coach in the Mid-American Conference to a highly-compensated coach who’s team has already attained national prominence.

That’s the goal of any great coach, right? If Jones turned down the opportunity to advance his position, his pay and his opportunity to succeed, it would be tough to find what inspires him to coach.

Cincinnati perspective

This was the right move for Cincinnati as well. Now, the Bearcats will be able to employ a similar high-octane, spread offense that was so successful under Kelly.

The same would not be said if rumored candidate Al Golden of Temple, who runs more of a power running offense, took the helm.

Jones’ system had a smooth transition when he took the CMU job after Kelly left in 2006. He will be able to do more with the talent Cincinnati brings to the table.

But what Jones has done at CMU should put Bearcat fans at ease.

Recruiting is the name of the game in college football, and Jones has morphed Central Michigan into a stabilized mid-major power.

Kelly might have started the process, but it was Jones’ recruiting that secured the foundation. Taking a look at CMU’s depth chart for the coming years, it has depth the MAC is not accustomed to at nearly every position.

And before it is presumed that Jones was blessed with a multi-talented freak of a quarterback, the record should be set straight: he was, but only because he recruited Dan LeFevour when the quarterback was a junior at Benet Academy. Jones was the first coach LeFevour met.

In a sense, LeFevour came to CMU because of Jones. Albeit not the head coach at the time, Jones was the selling point.

Big East ties

And of course, Jones’ two-year apprenticeship under Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia has allowed him to establish some conference ties and connections.

He has already shown at CMU the ability to recruit in areas far from the program, developing a pipeline in Florida and, most recently, Maryland. Having familiarity in the conference will only strengthen recruiting.

And what might be overlooked is the similarity between Jones’ offensive philosophy and Rich Rodriguez’s philosophy at West Virginia and Michigan.

Jones may shade closer to Rich Rod than Kelly in the sense that he finds innovative ways to run the ball.

CMU running backs didn’t have gaudy rushing numbers. But when adding the rushing totals of LeFevour and junior wide receiver Antonio Brown, CMU’s rushing offense was near the top of the MAC — every year.

But it’s time to set aside what may or may not be the “right” fit.

Jones had the chance to better himself by moving on with his coaching career. He should not be criticized for that, nor should Kelly.

Many felt the way Kelly left CMU was done poorly and, because of that, he was chastised when leaving Cincinnati. But it doesn’t make any sense.

Because he handled a situation poorly, he is not supposed to better himself in the future?

Instead of being angered by CMU coaches setting sights on greener pastures, maybe it’s time to realize what that means for CMU.

It means CMU has become a legitimate mid-major program and coaching hotbed.

If you were offered triple your salary and notoriety to move to another company, would you stay?

Jones didn’t. Kelly didn’t. And they should be applauded for their rise.

 

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  • 80/90 Alum

    Just one thing in the story: CMU is not “mid-major”.

    It shouldn’t even be an option in describing the program. Its Div1A (or FBS now). The same teams that play each other during the regular season are all FBS.

    Lets get rid of the “mid-major program” line from the vocabulary.

    Anyways, time for a new coach. In all honesty, I don’t miss Kelly or Jones at all already. Time to move on and move CMU forward and up to greater things.

  • http://audiencewww.developmentgroup.com Tim Moore

    Its unfortunate CMU’s own journalism staff uses a term like “mid major.” I wonder if that’s how they describe CM Life?

    And note the inference to Butch making 300,000, with $425,000 next year. Since this appears diminutive to our columnist, I’ll look forward to hearing of his $300,000 comp package.

    As for all the talk about “well, the MAC is just a stepping stone,” interesting to note that arguably the best coach in the conference, Al Golden at Temple, isn’t going anywhere and its not because he’s unknown.

    Until our own self-esteem and school chauvinism see the program for what it is, another potential Boise State, we’ll get columns like this. As for Butch, we’ll see how much like Kelly he is. That’s the great thing about meritocracy.

  • William Caldwell

    Hello Andrew,
    Your and idot! Their is a right way and a wrong way to do things. It’s irrsponsible for a coach to leave before the season is over. Can anyone tell me why coaches leave before the season is over? Coaches always want their kids to play 60min of Football. Don’t you think the players need a coach that will coach a whole season. And not leave before the last game!! I want to hear from you Andrew.
    Bill Caldwell 84
    Marching Chip 81-83

  • Rob Hayes

    “And contrary to the warm thoughts in the hearts of fans across the nation, college football is more of a business than a game.”

    College football is treated like a business because we as fans allow it to be treated as such. You wonder what a coach’s inspiration is if not money and notoriety? How about the opportunity to prove that he or she is not going to allow the “business of college athletics” take hold of their life and actually represent the values of commitment and loyalty–the same values that is preached to young athletes.

    CMU has a lot of potential, and the next coach of the football program has a great opportunity to advance the unviersity to even greater heights. Unfortunately, greed will probably cause him to eventually leave for “greener” pastures as well.

  • Dustin

    Way to cut down your one team in one of the only media outlets they get. Good job Andrew

  • Hothead

    Everybody needs to get rid of this “mid-major” B.S. If we are “mid-major” why aren’t we playing teams like Montana and Appalachain State? We ARE a major program. Top 25, four consecutive bowl games, and three conference titles in the past 4 years. Whats “mid-major” about that?

  • Fired Up Chip

    First off, Bill Caldwell, don’t start by calling the writer an idiot when YOU’RE 25 years removed from college and don’t get that THERE is something called grammar. You lost credibility in the third word of your post. To answer your question, coaches leave before the season is over because this is the most crucial recruiting period in the year, and they need to do catch-up work on recruiting players they haven’t had contact with yet. Like it or not, that’s why.

    For everyone else, what is CMU if not a mid-major? It’s not a derogatory term. We don’t get an automatic BCS bid, which qualifies us as a mid-major.

    And if you can’t see that it’s a business, you’re blind right now. Butch or BK shouldn’t be blamed for the culture they didn’t create. It’s not their fault that coaches are subject to a weird set of double standards, it’s a flaw in the college football system. Players can’t transfer to a bigger program without sitting out, schools can’t fire coaches without a payout, but most of the time coaches can leave with little to no penalty. That’s a flaw in the system, not with the coaches. If you had an offer to triple your salary to go to a higher-rated employer with more incentives, would you not take the opportunity? It’s the nature of the business (or the ‘game’ if ‘business’ offends you). Who is responsible for fixing it? Not Butch Jones. How much more was he going to accomplish here? Top 25, beat a Big Ten in-state rival, top 25 ranking, developed potentially multiple future NFL players and won the MAC, consistent bowl appearances, top program in the conference this half of the decade… maybe it was time for the next level/ challenge.

    Coaches jump around, and look to move quickly up the ladder. No different than any other job. And it is that- a job. Many people today work at their jobs for less time than Butch was at CMU before moving to somewhere else. Don’t expect a JoePa or Bobby Bowden to stay at CMU for 40 years anytime soon.

    Good column Andrew. This is the 5th college I have been at as either a student or staff member, and I continue to be impressed by CM Life.

  • Derrick

    They are a mid major conference. Look at their records when they play the big conferences. The MAC is not a major conference when it comes to being able to win, recruit, finances, etc.

  • allan

    good article…. they are a mid major

  • CMU Alum

    Let’s just hope that our next coach follows in the same footsteps as far as being successful at CMU.

    I understand that coaches want bigger and better things, but that does not make it any less disappointing.

    Good luck at Cincinnati Butch!

    Fire up Chips in the GMAC Bowl!!!

  • Ed, 85′

    Right on “FIRED UP CHIP”. No person in their right mind would turn down tripling their salary. Hey Caldwell, imaginge if you had a son/daughter who is at least a year away from graduating college and said “Dad, Microsoft wants to hire me immediately for $100,000 per year!” By your logic it would be irresponsible for the kid to leave before they graduated.

    Don’t be a player hater, hate the system. The BCS has effectively created a cartel of conferences that control the money of college football. Since the MAC is shut out from participating in the huge pool of dollars, it will never be able to provide the money to its member schools so that they can fund the big contracts needed to keep coaches and staff in place long term. CMU will be forever be in this situation. The goal should be to keep CMU in this situation on top of the MAC, top 25-30 program, and attractive enough to get television interest and three star high school players. If Heeke is able to do that, we shouldn’t be surprised when his alma mater, MSU comes a calling to run their athletic department. For Caldwell’s sake, we’ll make him stay on the job until the end of the school year.

  • John Redding

    Until we pay big time salaries and have at least 50,000 at every game we are not major. we are a mid major playing a few top schools for the money we can make.

  • http://audiencewww.developmentgroup.com Tim Moore

    Ed 85

    Prey share: how do you classify TCU and Boise State? The world wonders. I love statements like “will never” ___________.

  • Dave Chip

    It’s more like double the salary and he’ll be cut loose by Cincy within three years. He can sit around then and count his money, I suppose.

  • Kelly

    Wow it would be irresponsible for him not to go because he was only making a poor 300,000 a year and next year he would have a raise to 425,000. Gee I went to school got a degree and am working now. I am NO WHERE NEAR even 100,000 for my paycheck and I even know better money talks but loyalty shows character. Clearly Jones and Kelly dont have that. If you get towards the end of a season and your thinking that you might leave finish out the freakin season with your TEAM before you leave high and dry. Some people would stay for that amount of money, a mil is nice but do you really NEED all of that money?? Pretty sure you could survive just fine on the 425,000 that you would be making. I make way less but I am a CMU alum, I bleed maroon and gold…and I would not leave the job just to be a sellout. I would rather have a team that is a “stepping stone” as everyone refers us as than be a team with completely overpaid people that dont care about the TEAM and the school that they are representing. I hope the team has enough anger in them to just roll over Troy in the next few weeks, I know that I’m pissed off enough that I would focus my anger on that. FIRE UP CHIPS!!!

  • Tim

    Well! A sagacious observation, Kelly. Where Jones differs from BK (aside from possessing rare instinctual talent and managerial skill), is that Butch has no place to go but down at UC.

    Butch wil make a million and frankly having been fortunate to earn large amounts, one thing becomes clear with tax laws being what they are: ITS NEVER AS MUCH AS YOU THINK IT IS. Hopefully he’ll find a good fund manager and keep dry powder because if UC goes badly, that’s the old ball game. Consider erstwhile Boise coach Dan Hawkins move to Colorado. He’ll be lucky to end up a coordinator.

    Moving up is fine and the basis of capitalism. Knowing which wave to catch and which to let go by is the secret sauce. Butch had a great returning team, a class university and a rising program–about where Boise was in 2002-3. When you look at all the factors, this looks like a “ready-fire-aim” decision.

    In the end, facts govern, aka won/loss records. CMU will be just fine and keep building.

  • ChiTownChip

    Kelly… Obviously you’ve simply never been presented with an incredible job offer to progress that’s extremely hard to turn down. In your post you also assume that Jones was happy here at Central. Who knows? It’s not like he’d express otherwise on camera. Obviously CMU wasn’t a true fit for him- if it was he might have stayed regardless of other offers. Don’t pretend to know exactly what it feels like to be in his shoes and perform his job. Bitterness won’t help out our program. His actions last season (entertaining job options elsewhere) should tell us a lot about where his heart was, and I don’t really care to keep a coach around who isn’t 100% happy with us. Let’s just hope we score big with the new staff and keep it at that. Fire up chips

  • Pablo

    Stover, Fired Up Chip and those who agree with Fired Up Chip are the only ones who seem to get the way college sports work. Any one who is complaining about him leaving or upset that CMU can’t get a coach to stay long term doesn’t understand the way things work.

  • Chief4LIfe

    College football is a business. Like it or not, with the money it makes and we, the fans, pay (tickets, merchandise, ect), it is a business. Do I wish coaches would stay through the season, sure, but in order to be successful at their next job, they have to get started early. And that means leaving now. Would a competing firm that offered you a new job say, “Hey, stay there, finish up your last project that could hurt our company, but when you get done, come on over, when you’re ready.”? Nope. It’s a job. You go where you have the best situation for your family.

    College football coaches are not guaranteed anything. They could be let go at any time. So Kelly, Butch doesn’t need all that money for this year, or even next year, but his career may not last as long as your, and he will need money to support him and his family for years to come if he is let go within 3 years as Dave Chip says.

    And as for the amount of money he gets paid, I don’t make that kind of money, I have a doctoral degree from CMU, but 30,000+ plus don’t come watch me work once a week, and at a bigger school 75-100,000+ don’t come to watch me work. (Yes I know you watch the players, but they do what the coach tells them to)

    Tim Moore, Hothead, and so on, CMU is a mid-major. That does not mean they can’t beat a major program, but they are a mid-major. They can’t offer major salaries to their staff. CMU’s stadium doesn’t hold major people like say the Big House (I hate Michigan, by the way). The MAC doesn’t have exclusive TV contracts like the major programs do, they have to play on Wednesday nights just to get on TV. They don’t play major schedules, they play one or two major schools, and then play other mid-majors like MAC schools. App. St. and Montana are not mid-majors, they are Div. 1AA (FCS if you prefer). In order to be a “major” you need to be Div. 1A (FBS) and the mid-majors are conferences outside of the BCS conferences (or cartel if you will – playoff now).

    TCU, Boise St., still mid-majors. Yes I think TCU could play with anyone in the country this year. But how many of their games could you watch on TV without a premium package or some obscure channle in the 300′s? 1 or 2, and it was probably on a weeknight. Same with Boise St. Yes Boise St. is good year in and year out and I would love for them to get a shot at the big boys, but mid-major is what they are. And even if there is a playoff, they will still be mid-major because of the size, revenue, ect. Now if Mizzou goes to the Big Ten and the Big 12 absorbs TCU or Boise St. they will be classified as a major conference. Just like Cincy used to be a mid-major when they were in Conference USA, but now they are a major program, in a major conference (Big East) with major TV money. Could the same happen to CMU? Sure, but it will take some time and some improvements in other sports, not just football.

    So until then, be proud of what we are. A darn good mid-major college football program.

    Long live the Chief.

  • http://none! Bill Caldwell

    Fire Up Chip,
    You have the nerve to say, “I lost credibility”! You are too scared to even put your name! You got my point, and that is what matters. Don’t hide behind your pen!
    You say, “I’m removed 25yrs from campus!” Don’t you know the difference between right and wrong! I don’t think that has changed in 50yrs! If you are a coach of any team. It is your responsibility as coach to set an example. That starts when you are a kid and goes all the way to the Pro’s. THE COACH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS TEAM!! Good or bad, they get blamed, and fired for what happens.
    I still say, “Their is a good way and bad way to do things”. UCF had a coach that left the team. But he left after the bowl game last night! That is the way you should do it. The kids know you are leaving. And they want to play their best! I’m not saying that Butch shouldn’t have left. Heck! If someone offered me 1 million. I would leave too. But you should do it after the bowl. And if that team really wants you. Waiting one or two weeks isn’t going to make a difference.
    Hey Ed 85′!! You should finish what you started!! Any person should do that! You and Fire Up Chip seem to be the type to sue McDonalds over hot coffee!

    Bill Caldwell 84′
    Fire Up Chips!!

  • Vic

    Not saying I disagree totally with you Bill but let’s get real. If these young men playing on our football team need to be led by the example of some father figure than they’re headed for a world of hurt when they get into the real world. Money talks. End of story. It’s not like BJ is doing something out of the ordinary. All coaches do it. But anyway what really wanted to talk about was your use of exclamation points! Way too many! And the woman that sued mcdonalds because of hot coffee was going through a drive through, was handed a cup of burning hot coffee that ended with the woman going through two years of medical therapy and third degree burns on some 6 percent of her body. I would sue too.

  • Bill Caldwell

    Hey Vic,
    Thanks for the English lesson. I really appreciate it. McDonalds should have been capitalized too. I’m done with this! Everyone have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! At least Andrew got us all talking.
    See you guys at Homecoming next year.

    Fire Up Chips!

  • You wish you were a…

    I realize this is not a great analogy, being that wrestling is not a “big money sport” like football is, but it is great to see that there are some people out there who actually like being at CMU, like Tom Borelli, our wrestling coach.

    Despite being at a “mid-major” school, Borelli has made CMU a national powerhouse in wrestling. Has CMU ALWAYS been a powerhouse like Notre Dame? Are we a trendy team like a Cincinnati that a coach latches onto to raise his stock? No. Borelli made us what we are and it’s nice to see that someone out there doesn’t look down on little Mount Pleasant. Someone out there (unlike the Butch Joneses, the Brian Kellys and the Michael Raos) who isn’t just looking for a stepping stone.

    Now if we could support wrestling the way we do our mercurial football team…

  • Dan

    Later Butch, have fun losing at Cincinatti and GOOD LUCK recruiting. You are walking into a mess down there; the players are not happy with Kelly and certainly won’t like you.

    I hope they don’t egg your house like they egged Kelly’s!

    CYA! FIRE UP CHIPS!

    P.S. I read most of the slams towards the writer of this arcticle. You shouldn’t read the “CM-Life” for literary genuis, you simply won’t find it. Just us it to catch up on whats happening in Mt. P.

  • Kelly

    I understand how college sports work…believe me I do but I still have the right to complain about my alma mater getting screwed by ANOTHER coach. Everyone else on here that is saying well oh well, my guess is you probably weren’t at every football game to support the TEAM. Good Luck to Butch he is going to have a tough time in Cincy after Brian Kelly was able to take them 12-0. I hope he can do well, I just think the way that all of the coachs that leave like this need to at least do it classy. It’s the TEAM that got the coach to a place where he could move and make millions, it is the TEAM that everyone on here should be talking about. They are the ones that executed the plays and made the wins. I hope you guys remember that when they play the Trojans next week without a head coach that has been with them the whole season. Thats what I’m complaining about, get it right before you talk about what I said.

  • allan

    If you can all sit here and honestly say you would pass up a salary 3 times what your making now or even double what your making now well then congrats to you but unless your already a millionaire I don’t believe you would pass it up for the team. There comes a point in life where you have to put your families well being in front of how everyone is going to feel about it. He is making the right decision for HIS family and you can’t honestly sit there and say you wouldn’t make the same decision for yours. Congrats to Butch and BK and there is why we all should be proud to be Chippewas! They got the same opportunity when I left CMU a chance to better them selves in the world.. Something I thank CMU for everyday and I bet they thank CMU everyday as well

  • Kelly

    well yeah making the right decision for HIS family…hmmm i hope kids like moving around a lot…I’m sure as a kid growing up thats exactly what you wanted to do. Move around leave friends that you had made every few years because, “sorry daddy got a better offer”. I’m sure his kids are just SOOOOO thankful for that.

  • cmu

    Kelly, quit whining on every single post. In case you didn’t know, this is a discussion on sports, not the Dr. Phil fan board. Your points on every post are so irrelevant and show that you have no knowledge of college football. I’d like to see you not “sell-out” when someone threw more money in your face. Whether you like it or not that is what everything in this country is about…money. So quit trying to be a sports analyst, got bake some cookies and cry to Oprah.

  • Kelly

    Seriously CMU??? At least I’m defending MY school when the troy kids are bashing us on our site. Maybe you should look around a litle bit more before you start pointing fingers. Anyone can be an analyst last time I checked at least I was talking as I have a right to, have you made your voice heard?? Probably not. If you dont like what I’m saying then just by pass my comments, you don’t have to read them and then complain about my own personal opnions.

  • cmu

    not complaining, just informing you that you sound like an idiot :)

  • Kelly

    yeah sure then….so what are you doing with your life if your rambling on about me??

  • cmu

    not sound dumb.