UT Vols: Al Wilson replaces Butch Jones on Neyland Stadium video board

Al Wilson now keeps watch over Neyland Stadium's south end zone. 

Workers from Sycamore Sign Service removed the image of former Tennessee coach Butch Jones from the back of the stadium's video board on Monday and replaced it with an image of Wilson, the former UT linebacker.

All three images on the video board will be replaced, but Jones' was the only one swapped out Monday. The project will continue throughout the week. The images are visible from outside the stadium.

Three workers from Sycamore Sign Service, attached to safety lines, ascended a lift and removed Jones' image in the morning. Wilson was installed in the afternoon.

Jones, former coach Gen. Robert Neyland and former defensive end Reggie White had been on the video board since Oct. 2, 2014.

Neyland will remain on the board, only with a fresh image, athletic director Phillip Fulmer told USA TODAY Network - Tennessee last week. White will be replaced on the board by former UT tight end Jason Witten, a source confirmed to USA TODAY Network - Tennessee.

Jones hovered above the stadium for nearly four months after he was fired Nov. 12. His lingering presence on the video board became a point of frustration for some fans. Fulmer acknowledged last week that the process of replacing Jones' image took "longer than we would’ve liked.”

Wilson, a Jackson native, should be a popular choice to replace Jones. He starred on the Vols' 1998 national championship team that Fulmer coached. Wilson was a senior captain that season and made 77 tackles despite missing three games because of injury. He was a consensus All-America selection. Wilson forced three fumbles in the Vols' 20-17 overtime win over Florida that year.

Wilson made 272 tackles in his career. 

The Denver Broncos selected Wilson in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft. He played eight NFL seasons, all with the Broncos.

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Witten, an Elizabethton native, played three seasons for the Vols before forgoing his senior season for the NFL. He made 68 catches for 797 yards during his UT career.

The Dallas Cowboys selected him in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft. He's played 15 NFL seasons, all with the Cowboys.

Before the triumvirate of Jones, Neyland and White, the spots were occupied by former quarterback Condredge Holloway, Neyland again in the center, and Fulmer holding the national championship trophy that the Vols won at the conclusion of the 1998 season with Fulmer as the coach.

Jones was fired amid his fifth season at UT. He went 34-27 during his tenure. The Vols won nine games in 2015 and 2016 – their best two-year stretch since 2006-07 – but suffered their most single-season losses in program history last fall, when they went 4-8.

More:5 reasons why former Vols coach Butch Jones would make sense as an analyst for Nick Saban

AL.com reported last week that Jones has met with Nick Saban about the possibility of joining Alabama's staff as an offensive analyst, which is an off-the-field role.

Tennessee owed Jones an $8.26 million buyout, paid in monthly installments throughout the duration of his contract, which was set to expire Feb. 28, 2021. He has a duty to try to mitigate the damages.