UT Vols need more than crane to make transition from Butch Jones to Jeremy Pruitt

As you might have heard, football is a tough sport. And it’s even tougher during a coaching transition.

Tennessee players will find out as much next month when they begin spring practice under new coach Jeremy Pruitt. Not only will they have to learn a new offense and defense, but they also must adjust to Pruitt’s way of doing things, just as players had to adjust to Butch Jones’ way of doing things five years ago.

I wonder what they thought the first time Jones shouted, “Snap and clear.”

“Snap and clear what?” they must have wondered.

The transition from Jones to Pruitt might be more difficult than the transition from Derek Dooley to Jones in 2013. After all, players can’t walk past Neyland Stadium without being reminded of their former coach, whose image is prominently displayed on the backside of the stadium’s video board.

UT officials keep assuring fans that Jones’ photo eventually will be removed. First, a crane has to be repaired. And apparently you can't just borrow a crane from Alabama or Georgia.

Sounds as though fixing the football program could be easier than removing the picture of the man who left it in ill repair. But that could depend on how the transition goes.

My guess is Pruitt has no interest in how things were done under his predecessor. However, I see no harm in trying to ease the angst of the transition. That way, players might be more capable of focusing on their new challenges.

More:UT Vols spring football: Offensive line will be a position to monitor

So why not create a “Transition Committee” during the spring? It could be composed of anyone educated in “Butch Speak.”

The committee members could patrol the field during spring practice, ever ready to re-enforce the new staff’s message. When a coach singles out a player for lack of effort, a Transition Committee member could shout “63 Strain,” which, as any holdovers from Jones’ program could tell you, means “three great efforts in a six-second period.”

Or, when a coach tells a cornerback that he must have a short memory after a touchdown pass just flew over his head, a member of the Transition Committee member could scream, “Snap and clear.”

Also, it might be a good idea if the committee would make sure several initials were posted prominently above the practice field – but not so high that a crane would be required. The initials wouldn’t have to stand for anything, but they would serve as comfort viewing for Tennessee veterans, who couldn’t take part in a 2017 practice without noticing “D.A.T.” towering over the field (after a 4-8 season, what it stands for is no longer important).

Something else that could ease the transition: At the end of spring practice, Pruitt could tell his players to return for preseason camp with their suggestions for a 2018 team slogan written on a slip of paper.

More:Will UT Vols regret losing Quinten Dormady?

On the opening day of camp, a graduate assistant could take the suggestions, throw them into the garbage can once used for game-day turnovers, and Pruitt could set them on fire.

“We don’t talk about what we’re going to do,” he might say. “We just do it.”

Then the transition would be complete.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.