Arkansas State hires Butch Jones as new HC

Arkansas State hired Alabama assistant Butch Jones as its new head coach Saturday, the school announced.

"Butch Jones' outstanding record of success at both the G5 and P5 levels is evident, and we're excited to having him leading our football program into the future," Arkansas State athletic director Terry Mohajir said in a statement.

"Our candidate pool was fantastic, but following extensive and positive conversations with Butch, while also looking at his winning history, coaching and leadership abilities and vision for our program, we became confident he was the clear choice to be our next head coach."

The Red Wolves' head coaching job was vacant after Blake Anderson resigned to become the coach at Utah State earlier this week.

Jones owns an 84-54 record as a head coach after previously coaching Central Michigan (2007-09), Cincinnati (2010-12), and Tennessee (2013-17). The 52-year-old has been an assistant on Nick Saban's coaching staff at Alabama since 2018.

The 52-year-old will be Arkansas State's 31st all-time head coach.

"It is truly an honor and privilege to be the head football coach at Arkansas State University," Jones said. "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."

The Red Wolves posted a 4-7 record this season, marking the school's first losing campaign since 2010.