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Just look at the similarities:

Both Hoke and Jones were hired to replace complete train wrecks — Rich Rodriguez and Derek Dooley, respectively — and hailed as saviors that would return the two programs to past glory, exhibiting passion, positivity and recruiting prowess.

Hoke’s first year in Ann Arbor was like a dream season, as he famously declared, “This is Michigan, for God’s sakes!” when asked if it was still an elite job, won the 2012 Sugar Bowl and had back-to-back Top 10 recruiting classes in 2012 and ’13.

But then the wheels, which became really wobbly during a 7-6 season in 2013, came completely off last fall, showing a comical and even dangerous level of incompetence best exemplified by the mishandling of Shane Morris’ concussion and indecipherable game plans. Only adding to the dysfunction, Hoke just watched the dumpster fire from the sidelines and infamously continued to clap his hands and slap players on the butts no matter how bad things got.

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Like Hoke, Jones immediately won over his new fan base with a video that circulated before his first game in wich he declared: “They said this job isn’t what it used to be. They saw adversity. I saw tradition. They saw weakness. I saw promise. They said we need to put this program back on top. I said, when can I start?”

Jones didn’t have the immediate success Hoke did because Jones didn’t inherit nearly as many talented players, but his eternal optimism, top-notch recruiting classes and progress had Tennessee fans believing they finally had their man to return UT back to glory.

The hype train hit full speed late last season as Tennessee won four of its last five games – including a thrashing of Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl — that set expectations for this fall through the roof with a roster full of young talent.

Hell, even I was drinking the Butch Jones Kool-Aid before this season.

But in just one month, what was supposed to be Tennessee’s return to glory has instead been just more infuriating heartbreak that UT fans know all too well.

The first sign of trouble was Jones hiring former Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord to be his new OC in Knoxville. Words can’t explain how bizarre this decision was. Debord, who Jones knew from his days at Central Michigan, hadn’t called a play in a college football game since 2007 and most recently held an administrative role for Olympic sports in the Michigan athletic department.

The move was similar to how Hoke kept sticking by his embattled offensive coordinator Al Borges as the Michigan offense continued to flounder, until as many speculated, Hoke was forced to fire him.

TL/DR:

1) Both had mild, decent success in lower tier conferences.

2) Both immediately won over the fanbase through rhetoric and stellar recruiting. Both rhetorically proved that they "got it".

3) Both established early confidence on the field, only to get worse over time as loyalty to bad assistants did (are doing) them in. Al borges and Debord.

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