New president weighs in on Kelly, Jones

Greg Williams knows the importance of athletics at the University of Cincinnati.

The president of UC also insists that academics come first, which is why he is enthusiastic about new head football coach Butch Jones.

“Before we hired Butch Jones, he and I sat down and we talked about what his goals were for the team,” Williams said. “[He understands] that we are an academic institution and academics are important.”

Williams, more than two months into his presidency, wanted to make sure the players know how important hitting the books is at Cincinnati.

“I had a chance to talk to the recruits that they brought in and [Jones] was up there making the same statement to the recruits and their families about the importance of academics,” Williams said. “I think sometimes you lose sight of that when you talk about athletic programs.”

Jones’ best asset may be his commitment to UC, Williams said.

In a conversation with Williams, Jones said he wants to be a Bearcat for the long haul.

“He sees this as a destination school, not a school on the way to somewhere else and so I expect him to be here for a long time,” Williams said.

Jones reiterated those same thoughts, saying Cincinnati is a great place to raise his three young boys.

Jones has been in this situation before, when he replaced former UC head coach Brian Kelly at Central Michigan when Kelly came to Cincinnati.

Although Williams was displeased with how the situation surrounding Kelly’s departure was handled, he expressed his gratitude for the progress Kelly made at UC and said he heard of Kelly’s decision shortly before it was announced.

“You have to deal with situations as they occur,” Williams said. “It was a situation that I was sorry that it happened like it happened. I think the reality is that our athletes dealt with it very well.”

As unfortunate as the situation was, Jones and his new staff have been through it before and it will help them with the transition process. Jones also said the time of his hiring was important in keeping recruits committed to UC.

“Every situation is unique in itself, but I’m really excited about our players,” Jones said. “I don’t think it’s about one individual, it’s about a program. We’ve been through it and we went 22-3 at Central Michigan in Mid American Conference play and that doesn’t happen by chance.”

As well as his first few weeks with the new job have gone, Jones realizes a lot of work has to be done. But when asked if he saw Cincinnati as a destination school, Jones responded, “No question.”