Just over 48 hours after Blake Anderson resigned, Arkansas State University secured its next head football coach.
Butch Jones -- the former Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Tennessee head coach -- was named the 31st head coach in program history Saturday night. The 52-year-old takes over the Red Wolves after three seasons as an assistant at Alabama. Across 11 seasons as a head coach, Jones carries a career record of 84-54 with four conference titles.
Jones, who most recently led Tennessee from 2013-17, replaces Anderson, who resigned Thursday
after seven seasons at ASU to take the same job at Utah State, which formally announced his hiring Saturday evening.
"This is a place that I've really watched, and I wanted to be a head coach but I was going to be selective," Jones told the Democrat-Gazette on Saturday night. "Arkansas State was one of those jobs and places that I've followed quite closely. So when the job opened up, Terry [Mohajir] and I touched based and everything kind of moved quite rapidly."
Afer Anderson's resignation, ASU Athletic Director Terry Mohajir expressed his desire to make a hire quickly.
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"I'd like to have something done by next week if at all possible," he said Thursday.
It was on Thursday that Mohajir first contacted Jones before a series of conversations and formal interviews unfolded Friday and Saturday, culminating with Jones' hiring Saturday night.
Jones was on the sidelines in Fayetteville on Saturday afternoon as the top-ranked Crimson Tide rolled Arkansas 52-3. After the game, Jones met with Mohajir, Chancellor Kelly Damphousse and System President Charles Welch. Then he was offered the position.
By 6 p.m., he was in Jonesboro to be introduced to players and staff in a team meeting.
"[The meeting] felt natural; it felt great," Jones said. "It was a chance to first really feel the culture, feel the players. Everyone was locked in. There was a lot of energy. It was great to just kind of start that process of learning that trust with them."
Jones' coaching career began in 1990 as graduate assistant at Rutgers, and the Michigan native made stops at Wilkes University and his alma mater Ferris State before arriving at Central Michigan in 1998. With the Chippewas, Jones served as a position coach, and later offensive coordinator before leaving for West Virginia in 2005.
His first head coaching role arrived when Jones returned to Central Michigan in 2007, replacing current Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly. The Chippewas won a Mid-American Conference title in his debut season in 2007, and did it again in 2009. Jones led Central Michigan to a 21-3 conference record over three seasons.
Jones' next stop was Cincinnati, where he once again replaced Kelly and led the Bearcats to back-to-back Big East titles in 2011 and 2012.
His 23 wins at Cincinnati brought Jones to Tennessee in 2013. In five seasons with the Volunteers, he went 34-27 but held only a 36% winning percentage in the SEC. Jones tenure in Knoxville, Tenn. came to an end when he was fired with two games remaining in 2017.
In 2018, Jones joined Nick Saban's staff at Alabama, where he spent three years as an assistant.
Jones now takes over a Red Wolves team that finished 4-7 in Blake Anderson's final season.
"I'm very passionate, and I love being a head football coach," Jones said. "Being able to have this opportunity present itself, especially at a great place like Arkansas State and working for a great boss in Terry [Mohajir], it's a great opportunity."