College football rivalries never take a break — not in the fall, not during recruiting season, and certainly not in the middle of summer workouts. The Alabama Crimson Tide made that crystal clear on Friday with a not-so-subtle dig at a longtime SEC rival, the Tennessee Volunteers, and a former head coach whose infamous catchphrase lives on in college football lore.
Alabama’s official football social media account posted a high-energy video highlighting the team’s summer training sessions, designed to get fans hyped for the 2025 season. But it wasn’t just the intense workouts or electric editing that caught the internet’s attention. It was the caption — a sharp, tongue-in-cheek jab that read: “Brick by brick.”
To the casual fan, it might seem like a motivational tagline. But to SEC faithful and especially fans of Tennessee football, that phrase brings back very specific — and for many, cringeworthy — memories. “Brick by brick” was the mantra of Butch Jones, Tennessee’s head coach from 2013 to 2017. During his tenure in Knoxville, Jones used the phrase to symbolize the slow and steady rebuilding of the Volunteers football program. Unfortunately for Jones, the catchphrase became a running joke as the rebuild never quite reached its full potential. Instead, Tennessee struggled with inconsistency and unmet expectations throughout his time at the helm.
So when Alabama — the gold standard of consistency and dominance in college football — used that same slogan in its summer workout post, it wasn’t an accident. It was trolling at its finest.
While Butch Jones is no longer at Tennessee (he’s currently the head coach at Arkansas State), his legacy — and particularly that infamous slogan — remains a sore spot for many Vols fans. Alabama, ever the instigator when it comes to SEC rivalries, took full advantage of the moment to remind fans which program still holds the upper hand.
It’s worth noting that Alabama has had a long history of owning the Tennessee rivalry. The Crimson Tide’s win streak against the Vols reached 15 straight before being broken in 2022. Though Tennessee has shown signs of improvement under current head coach Josh Heupel, the edge — and the swagger — still firmly belongs to Alabama.
This kind of offseason banter is exactly what makes college football special. Even when there are no games being played, the rivalries are alive and well. The trash talk doesn’t stop in the offseason — it simply shifts to new platforms, with social media becoming the battleground of choice.
For Alabama fans, the “brick by brick” post was another reminder of their program’s elite culture and attention to detail — both on the field and online. For Tennessee fans, it was a stinging but clever reminder of a chapter they’d rather forget.
As the 2025 season draws closer, one thing’s for sure: the SEC never sleeps. And neither does the art of the troll.