THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS - June Jones will not come to Gainesville this fall after all.
UF hosts Hawaii in its season opener on Aug. 30, but the former Hawaii coach has decided to become the next coach at Southern Methodist, which stumbled to a 1-11 record last season.
Jones became a prime target for grief from UF fans after taking a few stabs at Gators quarterback Tim Tebow in the weeks leading up to the Heisman Trophy presentation on Dec. 8.
Jones called Tebow a "system quarterback" in an attempt to bolster the chances for his former quarterback Colt Brennan.
"My quarterback has been labeled a system quarterback for three years," Jones said at the time. "He is the best passer in college history. He is. There is no question about it. Tim Tebow is in a system."
The introduction of Jones at a booster-packed press conference ended the nation's longest college coaching search this year. It had been 70 days since Phil Bennett was dismissed with four games left in the season.
School officials hope Jones can bring some of Hawaii's run-and-shoot magic, which produced 43 points per game, an undefeated regular season and a BCS bowl berth this year. They were also impressed by Jones' ability to resuscitate Hawaii, which went 0-12 before he arrived in 1999 and won nine games.
Jones' decision to leave Hawaii came after an extraordinary bidding war that even involved the governor of Hawaii.
Leigh Steinberg, Jones' agent, said the coach accepted a five-year deal worth about ,2 million per year. He said Hawaii offered about ,1.6 million per year.
"In 30 years representing athletes, I've never seen the emotional reaction from a state like Hawaii," Steinberg said. "There was a flood of e-mails and calls exhorting him to stay."
Besides more money, Jones will be in the middle of the rich Texas recruiting base, and he'll get better facilities. SMU recently built a new brick-faced stadium and a modern training center.
"There's absolutely no comparison," Jones said. "(At Hawaii,) the office that I sat in was the same office that Dick Tomey used in 1986. The carpet was the same…. You're talking about the NFL and a Pop Warner team."
Jones said that recruiting for SMU will be easier than at Hawaii, where distance made mainland parents reluctant to send their kids. He added that many Texas high schools now run spread offenses featuring the passing game, just like his run-and-shoot.
"It'll be fun to watch, and we'll attract the players to come play in our offense," he said. "I know there are a lot of players within 30 miles of this campus."
Jones, who turns 55 next month, had a record of 75-41 with Hawaii, including 4-2 in bowl games. His teams finished first in the WAC twice and second two other times. He went to Hawaii after 12 years in the NFL, including stints as head coach at Atlanta and San Diego.
SMU got permission to speak with Jones last month. Jones said he watched as many coaching jobs came open and were filled, but the only schools that intrigued him were SMU and Duke.
"Hawaii will always be my home," he said. "The opportunity here surpasses everything…. I just really believe this is the time for me to move on."
Alligator services contributed to this report.
