Author Archives: Brad Shepard

Tennessee Football: Why Where We Are Feels Different

With apologies to Peaches & Herb, the theme to Tennessee’s 2019 football season could be sung to the tune of the duo’s “Reunited” song:

“Me-di-oc-re and it feels so gooooooood!”

Indeed, rarely has a season so far below UT’s lofty historical standards felt like such a step forward. The Vols are 7-5 and likely headed either to Jacksonville’s Gator Bowl or Nashville’s Music City Bowl, but the excitement buzzing around the fan base would make you think the Vols leapt to 9-3 in Jeremy Pruitt’s second full season.

Part of the reason, of course, is UT actually SHOULD BE 9-3, had it not been for a debacle of a season-opening loss to Georgia State that was arguably the worst in program history and another sleepwalking fest that ended with Alontae Taylor getting lost against BYU on a prayer pass, sending a game into overtime the Vols ultimately lost and fell to 0-2. (It’s a start that’s keeping a lot of us from jumping 100 percent on board, too…)

Part of the reason is the Vols rallying to win five consecutive games to end the season and six of their final seven, with the only setback being a referee-aided, competitive loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Both of those are good enough reasons to be okay with a Season 2 Step Forward. But here’s the real reason we all should be cautiously optimistic:

The development is real.

Not since the strides in Lane Kiffin’s lone 2009 season looked so much more promising for the future than the growth the Vols have witnessed this year. Not only were there upperclassmen who’ve shown no signs of life blossom into difference-makers as the season matured, the freshman class has produced arguably more impact guys than any since Butch Jones’ 2014 class. That group of players was loaded, though it largely fell apart throughout his tenure, leading to guys leaving, getting injured or failing to develop.

Could those things happen under Pruitt? Sure. We’re not fortune tellers, after all. But the improvement of the upperclassmen this year is an indicator it won’t happen. He was a proven developer of players as a coordinator during successful stops at Alabama, Florida State and Georgia, and he has surrounded himself with expensive assistants who’ve had success at multiple stops, as well. Those who aren’t producing in the coaching ranks or in recruiting are getting demoted or heading elsewhere.

Pruitt seems determined to make this work, and athletic director Phil Fulmer is giving him the resources with which to work.

When you combine the development with the talent Pruitt has been able to compile, that could be a winning formula for the Vols to get “back,” even though it’s certainly premature to say they’re “back” right now. A stellar end to the 2020 recruiting class is necessary, and another step forward next year could go a long way in solidifying Tennessee’s return. All the Vols did, really, this year is re-emerge ahead of several mediocre-to-bad programs they’ve always been better than. So, while that was a necessary step, it does nothing to help you gain ground on the Alabamas, Georgias and Floridas of the world.

That comes later. For now, we have to look at the overall ’19 body of work and try to glean reasons for excitement. Here are a few:

  1. Nigel Warrior’s turnaround: Just how remarkable was the Tennessee senior safety’s season? He went from being a maligned player whose career was written off as late as this year’s Florida game to being named a Pro Football Focus Honorable Mention All-American. Pruitt is known for developing defensive backs, and that’s DC Derrick Ansley’s specialty, too. The light came on in a big way for Warrior, and as we saw positives from other safeties like true freshman Jaylen “Tank” McCullough and Theo Jackson, there’s plenty of reason for excitement moving forward. Toss in Shawn Shamburger going from the doghouse to the penthouse, and it’s obvious the Vols can generate some quality burn out of guys who looked like burned scholarships. Did you ever think a guy like, say, Kenneth George Jr. would blossom into a quality SEC cornerback who shut receivers down at times? Me neither. But he has. That’s coaching and development, folks.
  2. The Best Got Better: Warrior is just the poster child for improvement, but one thing to look at as another positive is how much Tennessee’s top-echelon players carried this year’s team. Does it suck they’ll be gone next year? Yes. But some of the Jones recruits who were big parts of bad teams got to be big parts of better teams this year, and they earned our adoration in the process. Jauan Jennings came back from injuries and even being off the team to become near-immortal, Daniel Bituli was a hard-hitting star all year, Marquez Callaway made big play after big play, Darrell Taylor was among the SEC’s sack leaders, and Trey Smith got a huge assist from UT’s medical staff to return from his blood clots issue and become one of the league’s top offensive linemen. You can say all these guys were recruits of the previous regime and try not to give the Pruitt staff credit for this, but this group went from being on a team full of problems to part of a solution. They got to go out winners.
  3. A Rejuvenated Rush: The numbers aren’t a ton different from a season ago, but the Vols went from 11th in the league with 25 sacks in 2018 to fourth with 30 sacks this year. In scoring defense, UT went from 12th (27.9) a season ago to seventh this year (21.7). But over the last half of the season, those numbers soared. Did the competition worsen? Yes, but Alabama’s competition was awful all year and the Tide don’t have any asterisks by their name, huh? If you can’t get excited about what Tennessee did to generate a pass rush this year, you don’t know football. It’s still not good enough, but it got much, much better. Besides Taylor, Pruitt seemed to dial up that Shamburger corner blitz at opportune times all season. Then, you’ve got guys like Kivon Bennett and Deandre Johnson, who blossomed into excellent situational players for UT. When you add elite freshmen like Quavaris Crouch and Roman Harrison and their potential to get after the quarterback, you’ve got reasons to be excited about the future. Beyond those guys, there appear to be quality players across the DL with the development of players such as Darel Middleton, Matthew Butler, Kurott Garland, John Mincey, and LaTrell Bumphus. If Greg Emerson and Elijah Simmons can develop, along with perhaps Kingston Harris, Tennessee could have the makings of a deep, versatile defensive line that can get after QBs from all angles.
  4. A Trench We Can All Dig: A year ago, I wanted to fire offensive line coach Will Friend. There. I said it. This year, the unit showed signs of life, improving in run blocking throughout the season despite lacking consistency. The group was pretty strong pass-blocking for the majority of the season, despite nearly getting Brian Maurer killed. Darnell Wright and Wanya Morris had growing pains, but they also showed flashes of the cornerstones they’re expected to be. Smith likely won’t return, but if he does, Tennessee could have one of the SEC’s top three lines next year. Brandon Kennedy getting a sixth year of eligibility would be massive, too. K’Rojhn Calbert was a stalwart at times this year, and the freshman duo of Chris Akporghene and Jackson Lampley have bright futures, too. UT has a bunch of potential road-grading maulers on the line, and this was a nice step-forward year. The group still has a ways to go.
  5. Help is on the Way: It’s easy to forget Tennessee’s best defensive lineman (Emmit Gooden) was lost for the year before the season started and Aubrey Solomon battled injuries all year but has another season of eligibility. There also are reports DeAngelo Gibbs (a Georgia transfer) was a terror to guard as a receiver this year playing against the scout team. With Jennings and Calloway gone, Gibbs should have a huge role as a redshirt junior. Speaking of redshirts, Brandon Johnson has another season after redshirting and delaying his senior year until next season when he can be a big factor. Could Pruitt be recruiting a bit better from a stars standpoint? Yeah, and I wish he’d do a little better instate. But you can’t fault the guy’s identification of quality players. Another Pruitt class will go a long way in getting “his” players in there, guys with attributes and skill sets he believes he can develop.
  6. So Many Potential Stars: How long has it been since Tennessee had a freshman linebacker as elite as Henry To’oto’o? Is he the best first-year ‘backer ever? Better than A.J. Johnson and Curt Maggitt? Better than Jerod Mayo? He may be. There’s no doubt he’ll be calling the defense next year, and he looks like a three-year player early on. Throw in Crouch and Harrison, and that’s a trio of difference-makers on the second level. Eric Gray showed everybody what he can do against Vanderbilt, and he has the type of speed and field vision you cannot teach. All he needs is an opportunity and an offensive line, and there are reasons to believe he’s going to have both. Wright and Morris are going to be special along the offensive front, even if both had freshman blunders. McCullough and Warren Burrell are going to be dynamic defensive backs. Maurer was going to be the future and the present at quarterback until he wasn’t, but there are certainly some moldable traits for the first-year signal-caller, and the future is bright, especially when the competition improves. There are others with plenty of potential, too.

When you look at Tennessee’s roster, there are still holes. But there are also bright spots of players who showed glimpses of potential. Are they role players, or can Pruitt and Co. build them into SEC players capable of helping Tennessee get back to the top of the SEC East? Only time will tell, but that’s the reason you should be excited about 7-5.

This is a mediocre team, but there are plenty of players on it who have the ability to be much better than that.

A Senior Moment for Tennessee Football

Way back in 2009, I sat in the pressbox for Tennessee’s 31-16 win over a 2-10 Vanderbilt team that was largely in question late in the fourth quarter. But senior defensive tackle Wes Brown — his knees by then a painful mess of linguine — picked off an errant pass and rumbled 25 yards for the game-clinching touchdown. He dragged a Commodores offensive player the final 10 yards of his rumble, failing to be denied his moment.

I spoke with Wes’s parents and wrote a story about the play that turned into a story about his love affair with the Vols. Sure, we talked about the play, but that was secondary.

Here’s the thing about Wes: It wasn’t about “his” moment. It was never about him. I’ve struck up sort of an e-friendship with him in the years following the completion of his career, and we’ve spoken from time to time about his love for Tennessee, his passion about the Vols.

We have a lot in common to say the least.

Well, other than the fact he’s a former 4-star defender wanted by virtually every team in the SEC, and I am a short, fat dude who tries to string together words into coherent sentences. We both grew up on the Tennessee-Alabama line, had family who shaped our beliefs in the importance of Vols football, live and die with every play and absolutely despise Alabama. I like to think if I was ever talented enough to put on the orange and white (not even close) my career would have mirrored Wes’s.

He wanted to win more than anybody. Tennessee meant — means — so much to him. Wes impacted plenty of plays throughout a pain-filled career where, many times, he had to get days of treatment to even go out there and play at all, but he still went down in Tennessee lore. It’s impressive the things he accomplished, and he battled through some frustrating years to be a big part of Lane Kiffin’s ’09 rejuvenated UT team.

Is it sad that’s probably the last time I felt about a player the way I feel about this year’s group of seniors? Yes, it is. After all, that was unbelievably a decade ago. And there have been plenty of excellent UT players, heroes and even a legend or two sprinkled in, but this year’s group of seniors are different. They’ve bought into Jeremy Pruitt’s mentality, persevered through perhaps the most disappointing start to a Tennessee team in my lifetime, and they’ve got the potential to truly have a turnaround season.

No, they aren’t ever going to be part of something special in Knoxville, but it’s possible they’ve built the ground floor. (And, no, we’re not going to go into the bricks and foundation talk that were recited by me and others through the first couple of Butch Jones years.) Those senior classes fell apart, transferred, began to realize the carny barker’s slogans were shams. Whether you want to buy into what Pruitt is selling or not, there’s no question he knows football. There are some huge learning curves, and we’re still seeing that with his time-management struggles and some personnel decisions, but Pruitt is a known developer of talent, and that is shining through.

Look no further than the senior class. That’s why we’re here. Some of them have always been contributors who’ve blossomed into stars. For others, the light has only recently come on. But many of these guys are worthy of your attendance and your high-volume cheers on Senior Day tomorrow in Neyland Stadium.

It’s just a matter of which one — or ones — are going to have their Wes Brown moment. Even though the Vols are more than three-touchdown favorites, Vanderbilt has beaten UT three times in a row, and the game can be ugly, rugged and in need of a gamebreaker. It’s a good thing several of the guys playing their final game in Neyland Stadium are capable.

For Jauan Jennings, it will be the last time running through that Neyland Stadium tunnel and through the T to the roar of approving fans who have anointed him among their top all-time players. He’s certainly worthy. There hasn’t been a player will Tennessee to more wins other than perhaps Joshua Dobbs in the past decade. But, more than Dobbs, Jennings connects with fans; he walks the walk and plays with a “dog” mentality. When the pressure turns up, Jennings is right in the thick of it, and he rises to the occasion.

Like Wes Brown, Jauan gets it. Case in point when asked about UT fans and what they mean to him his week, he chirped:

“Everything,” he told Ben McKee. “Without them, it could be the complete opposite. I could not be here right now if the fans did not have my back. That’s why, every down, I give my all. It means more than just me.”

Through the coaching changes, him getting booted off the team for a tirade under interim coach Brady Hoke, the reVOLt, Pruitt’s first two years and more, Jennings has emerged as a player we all love because he plays with the defiance we feel. Again, he is worthy of our admiration and adoration.

Then there’s Daniel Bituli. This is a guy whose family fled the Congo in a life-or-death situation and settled in Nashville, Tennessee. So the ebbs and flows of his Tennessee career paled in comparison to the things that really matter. Still, he has emerged as a special player who has helped UT turn a corner on defense and become one of the stingiest units in the SEC over the last half of the season. Want a signature moment? How about his goal-line stop of Lynn Bowden that gave the Vols a win? He’s the leading tackler, the emotional leader and should play a long time on the next level.

Jennings’ wideout mate Marquez Callaway has always been a deep threat, one of the best in the nation at high-pointing a ball and coming down with 50-50 throws. It’s remarkable the number of times Jarrett Guarantano has asked him to make a play with his pass, and Callaway obliged. Just think of what he could have been without so many quarterback issues throughout his career. If there’s one player I feel like should have another year of eligibility it would be Quez. It just doesn’t seem like he should be a senior, and he’s going to be missed next year. He’s just another player Butch Jones should be ashamed of burning a year of eligibility when he had one catch for 13 yards back in 2016.

Darrell Taylor has come a long way from WGWTFA to now. As a lanky-but-talented 4-star recruit, we all had high hopes for the pass-rusher. He was a smack-talker early in his career (see the acronym), but he never really lived up to his potential until last season. Now, as a senior, he led the league in sacks much of the year but now is fourth, a half sack behind a three-way tie in first place.

That brings us to Nigel Warrior, a player we’ve all probably ripped more than anybody besides Guarantano over his career. The safety made us wait until National Signing Day to see whether he was going to follow in the footsteps of father and Vol legend Dale Carter or go to Georgia, Auburn or Ohio State. Once he chose UT, we had high hopes, but the light simply never came on. A few games into this season, it did, and Warrior has begun to play at a high level. His NFL potential is obvious, and he’s making plays all over the field. It’s just a shame we don’t have another year of it. Things started to materialize late for Warrior, but it’s just in time to help save this season.

Though Dominick Wood-Anderson‘s two years in Knoxville probably haven’t gone the way we all thought they would, the tight end was one of Pruitt’s first big signees, and he has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his couple of seasons. Yes, we’re all going to wonder what might have been with DWA’s career, but he has caught some passes and could have a big career on the next level.

Then there’s Tyler Byrd, and you shouldn’t forget about him. Like the others, he had his hero moment this year when he took a short pass and raced 39 yards for a clinching fourth-quarter touchdown in a 20-10 win over Mississippi State that turned the season. For a player who had so much expected of him but was jerked around from offense to defense back to offense and had issues with his hands and with finding a home, it was satisfying to see him be a part of a big win. He stuck around, and it paid off.

“Just got to keep hard working, and things don’t go your way all the time,” he told GoVols247’s Ryan Callahan. “But you just keep fighting, and hopefully the plays will come your way sometimes.”

That quote personifies the entire Vols senior class. All they’ve done is give us reasons to be excited heading into tomorrow’s game with Vanderbilt, made us hope, and it’ll be up to the classes behind them to show if they’ve spread the table for the feast. The way the past decade of UT football has gone, there’s no telling either way.

But they’ve done their part. They’ve given their all.

Tennessee Vols Early Signing Day: Defensive Player Capsules

AARON BEASLEY, 6’1″, 210 SAFETY/ATHLETE, FRANKLIN, GA (HEARD COUNTY HS) 

Tennessee needs secondary help, and the Vols got it in a big way during early signing period, starting with Georgia hard-hitting safety Aaron Beasley. The versatile athlete also could play running back for the Vols, but he’s expected to stick on the back level of the defense. 

Beasley looks like an ideal Pruitt defender, blessed with excellent size and athleticism. His game isn’t speed, but he has good ball skills and a nose for the ball. He also arrives with violence when he gets there. Beasley had offers from teams such as Florida, Florida State, Miami, Auburn, Nebraska and others but built a strong relationship with safeties coach Charles Kelly and winds up in orange.

Tennessee is glad he did. With Nigel Warrior entering his final season, the Vols need to re-load on the back end, and Beasley will be a good pickup to go along with Jaylen McCollough. UT will have a couple of Georgia boys anchoring that level.

WARREN BURRELL, 6’0″, 170 CORNERBACK, SUWANEE, GA (NORTH GWINNETT HS)

Speaking of the Peach State, it was very good to UT in this cycle, and there’s no place that’s more evident than in the defensive backfield. The Vols won a big recruiting battle against SEC East foes when Warren Burrell chose to come to Knoxville rather than go to Florida or South Carolina. That’s a big deal considering both schools beat UT on the field and in good DBs’ living rooms the past year (Jaydon Hill to UF and Jaycee Horn to USCe). 

Burrell is blessed with long arms and looks great going after the football. He is a glider who intercepted a lot of balls as a senior at a quality high school program at North Gwinnett. It’s not out of the realm of possibility he could wind up a safety, but Burrell’s instincts will help him start his career at cornerback, and he could be a player who slides into the rotation rather quickly if he picks things up. 

He’s a smart guy who will mesh well with the current guys and learn under Pruitt’s tutelage.

QUAVARIS CROUCH, 6’2″, 230 OUTSIDE LINEBACKER/RUNNING BACK, CHARLOTTE, NC (HARDING UNIVERSITY SCHOOL)

Wanya Morris was a huge pickup. Darnell Wright would be massive if he comes to Knoxville. Eric Gray is going to have a lot of flash moments for UT. But it’s hard not to be excited about the star the Vols added on Friday in elite athlete Quavaris Crouch.

You’ve got to remember that the North Carolina product was the top-ranked overall player in the nation according to Rivals.com early in the summer before a hip injury kept him out of his entire senior season. He dropped to a 4-star player, but when he’s healthy, there are few players in the nation who can go beastmode like he can. Crouch was one of the Vols’ top targets from the time Pruitt stepped on campus, and ace recruiter Brian Niedermeyer closed the deal.

For long periods during his recruitment, it looked like Clemson or perhaps Michigan would be his destination, but the Vols stayed relentless and kept building that relationship with him, and it paid off.

Crouch is the kind of player who can help solidify either side of the ball. He’s expressed interest in playing outside linebacker, and the Vols need him there, so he’ll play there for the most part. But he’s also an elite power runner who could get some carries at running back, a spot a lot of teams wanted him to play. Could he play both sides? Who knows? The good news is he’ll be playing for the Vols. He’s just the kind of player UT needs to get “back.”

TYUS FIELDS, 5’10”, 190 CORNERBACK, CORNELIUS, NC (WILLIAM AMOS HOUGH HS)

Though Tyus Fields doesn’t have the long, lanky frame that is typical of a Pruitt-coached defensive back, he has a ton of intangibles that made the Vols go after him hard. They weren’t the only ones, either. UT pulled him over Clemson (where his brother plays), North Carolina, Florida State, North Carolina State and others. 

Pruitt said at his early signing period that Fields is a versatile defender who can play the Star, a cornerback spot or safety. He has great instincts, is a good coverage guy and is a hard-hitter, especially for his size. Fields is one of the highest-rated commitments in UT’s class, and he’s going to be a player who is hard to keep off the field.

With a lot of the tall, lanky DBs the Vols have, Fields is a different kind of player who is going to be a playmaker at a very early stage of UT’s career. He’s a big get for this regime.

ROMAN HARRISON, 6’2″, 235 WEAK-SIDE DEFENSIVE END/OUTSIDE LINEBACKER, BAINBRIDGE, GA (BAINBRIDGE HS)

Harrison is a South Georgia kid who doesn’t play in a heavily recruited area, but that didn’t stop UT from identifying him and signing him early. They may have found one of the biggest steals of the class. Once analysts watched him play, they made him a 4-star player, and he led Bainbridge to the state championship game.

Harrison is a pass-rushing freak who is going to play outside linebacker in Knoxville even though he played nose guard on his high school team. He played there because his coach said he was the biggest kid on the team, and all he did was lead his program to the state title at that position. He’s a guy who is an alpha and a leader, and the Vols are going to benefit from his ability early. A lot of people don’t talk about him, but he’s one of my favorite players in this entire class.

Now with Harrison, Crouch and JJ Peterson at linebacker and with Jeremy Banks moving there full-time, Tennessee is finally going to be athletic enough on the second level to minimize the big plays. It’s about to be an exciting group to watch, and Harrison is going to be right in the thick of things quickly.

JAYLEN MCCOLLOUGH, 6’0″, 194 SAFETY, POWDER SPRINGS, GA (HILLGROVE HS)

Perhaps one of the two most talented prospects on the defensive side of the ball in UT’s class, McCollough was a player the Vols identified early in the cycle. They were thrilled to close the deal on him. Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, South Carolina and others really wanted him, but he decided to come to Knoxville.

It’s said often, but McCollough has the talent and ability to step in and play right away. He’s an athlete who played a lot both ways for a good high school program, and Pruitt had a relationship with him for many years.

McCollough is the perfect blend of coverage skills and physicality that makes a good safety. He reminds me a lot of Stephon Gilmore, who Tennessee tried to sway to Knoxville but who wound up a star at South Carolina and has played a long time in the NFL. He’s that good, and he can play for a UT team that needs difference-makers right away.

It’s going to be a big deal if the Vols can close the deal on commitment Anthony Harris, who chose not to sign in the early period. If he does, McCollough, Harris and Beasley is an awesome trio who can help fortify the safety corps.

DAREL MIDDLETON, 6’7″, 290 DEFENSIVE LINEMAN, SCOOBA, MS/OAK RIDGE, TN (EAST MISSISSIPPI CC)

Tennessee fans who follow the program and especially recruiting will remember Darel Middleton’s name. Also, high school football fans in East Tennessee will, too. 

Middleton was once an Oak Ridge High School star tight end and defensive end who committed to the Vols as an underclassman before immaturity and off-the-field issues led to his downfall. He got his grades and his life together, went to JUCO and recommitted to Tennessee earlier this year. Then, he went out and struggled during his football season for East Mississippi.

So, what kind of player is the Vols getting? 

It’s unclear. He is a massive body at 6’7″, 290 pounds, and Tennessee simply doesn’t have anybody with that size and athleticism on its roster. But if he doesn’t produce, what does it matter? Maybe he will thrive being back home under the tutelage of Pruitt, Tracy Rocker and Co. Maybe the bright lights of Last Chance U didn’t bring out the best in him.

One thing is certain: The Vols need beef, and they desperately need him to at the very least be a rotational player since they’re losing three seniors. He may be one of the most important players in this class. It’s time for him to live up to his ability and potential.

ELIJAH SIMMONS, 6’0″, 350 DEFENSIVE TACKLE, NASHVILLE, TN (PEARL COHN HS)

Speaking of big dudes, it’s hard to get bigger than tree-fiddy. That’s where Pearl Cohn nose tackle Elijah Simmons currently sits, and Pruitt wants him to drop 25 of those pounds before getting to Knoxville. But that’s a nice problem for the Vols to have considering how much beef they need on the defensive front.

What Simmons has in girth, he doesn’t lose in athleticism. There were videos surfacing this week of him dunking a basketball. That’s a big, healthy man to be doing things like that. The Vols desperately need him to be an instant-impact player. When UT saw him at camp, the Vols virtually offered him on the spot.

It’s surprising Simmons didn’t have a lot of high-level offers, but those never came. Maybe it was because he was locked in with UT once he committed, but it’s probably because he is on the smallish size height-wise when it comes to defensive linemen. If he’d been 6’2″, everybody in the nation would have offered. He’s not, and though he isn’t going to be much of a threat batting down balls at the line of scrimmage, he can be the plug and the anchor UT needs in the middle of that 3-4 defense.

Does he need a year in the strength and conditioning program? It’s unclear, but one thing that is easy to see is that he’s a massive mammal, and there was no wavering on either side. Simmons is somebody UT needed and wanted, and he stuck with his pledge. He is a big piece of the defense moving forward.

SAVION WILLIAMS, 6’4″, 300 DEFENSIVE TACKLE, SCRANTON, PA (LACKAWANNA CC)

One of the biggest commitments for the Vols in this cycle was Williams, who needs to be able to step right in and at least be a rotational guy. UT hopes he can be a starter and a difference-maker. Williams has the size and versatility to be able to play inside or out in a 3-4 scheme, but it’s probable he’ll be a 3-4 defensive end. 

Williams has a lot of power at the point of attack and is a developed player who looks tailor-made to come in and get a lot of meaningful reps. His versatility will help considerably, and though he’s 6’4″, he possesses good bend and can have a low center of gravity. This is a player who is probably a little more advanced at this stage than Emmit Gooden, and Tennessee can expect that he’ll be a big part of the defense right away.

Georgia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina State and others really wanted Williams, but he committed to Tennessee fairly quickly after visiting and stayed strong throughout the process. He’s a guy who saw immediate playing time, and the Vols certainly have that to offer. He should be an important player.

Vols football adds a late trio of elites in Quavaris Crouch, Aubrey Solomon, and Eric Gray

Early Signing Day was a pretty good day for the Vols. They secured 20 players who signed on the dotted line to help Jeremy Pruitt flip the roster from the largely forgettable Butch Jones era.

The past two days have been even better.

The Vols brought in three elite prospects over the past two days, players who possess exactly the kind of star potential necessary to pull them back to the top tier of the SEC. Even though there were whispers about Pruitt’s inability to close following the lackluster late signing period last year and some misses on late-swing prospects this cycle, that narrative is now tired.

Quavaris Crouch provided the biggest splash of the bunch tonight when he chose Tennessee over Clemson and Michigan, stunning the college football world that thought he’d choose one of those elite programs over a UT team that is trying to rebound from a 5-7 season. Instead, things started turning in the Vols’ favor when he visited Knoxville on the final weekend before early signing period after a slam-dunk in-home visit by Pruitt, lead recruiter Brian Niedermeyer, and others.

https://twitter.com/Vol_Football/status/1076307204821737472

Crouch joined 4-star Memphis running back Eric Gray, who chose the Vols on Thursday over Michigan, South Carolina, Ole Miss and others. Also, before Crouch’s massive announcement Friday night, the Vols announced former 5-star recruit and Michigan transfer defensive lineman Aubrey Solomon will play his final two years of eligibility in Knoxville. Though he may have to sit a year due to transfer rules, he’s going to seek a hardship waiver, according to several reports.

Those are big, but Crouch may be the biggest of all the news so far.
Crouch is a 6’3″, 230-pound dynamic two-way athlete who projects as a star on either side of the ball. Though he could probably be one of if not the nation’s top running back prospect, he’ll probably start his career at Tennessee at outside linebacker. He can change the entire face of UT’s defense, and that corps all of a sudden looks a ton more athletic with him, JJ Peterson, Jeremy Banks and Roman Harrison. If the Vols can keep Lakia Henry in the fold, that’s an impressive, physically gifted group.
The recruitment for the big man has been weird, to say the least, but credit the Vols for being relentless and never giving up. That didn’t pay off in trying to lure Bill Norton or Zion Logue, but it did with Wanya Morris, and it did with Crouch. Maybe it’ll do the same with Darnell Wright.

Crouch had Tennessee at the top of his wish list for a long time throughout the summer and leading up to the season before UT went out and struggled in his hometown of Charlotte in the season opener against West Virginia. Not really interested in a rebuild, Crouch started favoring Clemson and Michigan while keeping the Vols on the periphery.

Still, he visited UT during the season and then when he came on the final weekend leading up to the early signing period, it seemed things may be trending in the right direction. The Vols closed the deal, and it’s a huge pull to get him in Tennessee orange.

Could we see some future running back packages for the massive man? It’s certainly possible, but the Vols need to fix the defense, and Crouch can go a long way in doing that. He missed his senior season with a hip injury, but he’s expected to be ready and rolling.

Speaking of running backs, Gray brings elite quickness and vision to the position for the Vols. It’s not out of the question that he can be an immediate starter, even with Ty Chandler and Tim Jordan in the backfield. Yes, he’s that good, and he has that “it” factor UT needs. He’ll be a great backfield mate to those two at the very least. Getting Gray also allows the Vols to go after a bigger back or two in the 2020 cycle.

At 5’10”, 195 pounds, Gray proved he can run between the tackles, but he’s at his best as a one-cut runner who can gain the edge and catch passes in space. If the Vols’ offensive line gets a lot bigger, stronger and better this offseason, Gray can do a lot of things with just a little room, and he has the wiggle to get into the open field. Though he isn’t a burner who’ll outrun everybody, he’s got good speed and will be a difference-maker right away.

Then there’s Solomon, who surprisingly chose Tennessee over a ton of interest from other programs just a week after announcing he’d leave Michigan. The Vols were always going to swing there, especially considering virtually everybody on that defensive staff has a relationship with him. Tracy Rocker recruited him when he was at Georgia, and Solomon was once committed to the Dawgs. Pruitt was his main recruiter at Alabama, and Kevin Sherrer had a relationship with him at UGA as well. Charles Kelly was his primary recruiter at Florida State, so there are a lot of relationships that date back a long time there.

Solomon has two years to play, and it would be a big deal if he could get eligible to play in 2019, especially considering UT must replace Kyle Phillips, Shy Tuttle and Alexis Johnson off that defensive line. You never want to anoint somebody a guaranteed starter, but if Solomon is healthy, he’d be a virtual lock to be inserted into the first team.

Even if UT has to wait another year for him, he’s going to be a valuable cog in that rebuilt defensive front.

It’s obvious that this year of losing did not sit well with Pruitt, who didn’t always wear it well. But he’s gone out and is making a splash in recruiting while trying to change it in a hurry. Nobody is saying the Vols are going to go out and beat Alabama and Georgia in 2019, but it’s vital for the program that they get back to the postseason and start winning more conference games. This trio of players gets them closer to the pack in that regard.

It’s been a big couple of days for Pruitt, the Vols and the future of the program. Now, what about that OC?

Tennessee Vols Early Signing Day: Offensive Player Capsules

Gameday on Rocky Top looks at the Tennessee Volunteers’ early signees. First up, the offense…

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CHRIS AKPOROGHENE, 6’4″, 294 OFFENSIVE TACKLE, BRADENTON, FL (IMG ACADEMY)

Akporoghene is one of the most intriguing prospects in Tennessee’s entire class. He is a native of Africa whose family moved to Tennessee, and he played his final year of high school at prestigious IMG Academy. Though he is blessed with excellent size and strength, the offensive lineman is very raw and was a bit of a polarizing prospect among the major recruiting services.

Akporoghene is a 4-star prospect according to Rivals, but 247Sports thinks he is a major project and rated him as the nation’s 2,169-ranked player. To be fair, ESPN ranks him somewhere in the middle as the nation’s. No. 61 offensive tackle. He’s only played three years of organized football, so his best days are in front of him. 

The discrepancy of ratings didn’t stop some of the nation’s premiere programs from coming after him. He chose the “home state” Vols over Oregon, Michigan, Mississippi State and others. It will be interesting to see if he can step right in and get reps for a line that needs him, or if he is a developmental guy who will need some time.

SEAN BROWN, 6’5″, 250 TIGHT END, ROME, GA (COOSA HS)

The North Georgia product is an intriguing athlete with a big frame who looks like a quality in-line tight end who can be an asset in the running game. Brown could grow into a number of positions including offensive tackle or defensive end, but he’ll start out at tight end, where several programs came after him.

Brown ultimately chose Tennessee over Auburn among his several offers, and he will be a nice complement in this class to Jackson Lowe, who is more of a receiving tight end. The Vols need a variety of players in that tight end room with Dominick Wood-Anderson entering his final season in Knoxville and a lack of other proven players.

Brown isn’t going to be an exciting player who can break a big play, but he is the kind of tight end necessary in running situations and in two tight-end sets. If he grows into another position, it would meet a need, too. He’s a high-upside prospect with a future in orange.

ERIC GRAY, 5’10”, 193 RUNNING BACK, MEMPHIS, TN (LAUSANNE COLLEGIATE SCHOOL)

Tennessee got a major boost to the class on the day after early signing period began when Gray chose UT over South Carolina, Texas A&M, Michigan and others earlier today.

The former Wolverines commitment canceled multiple visits to Ann Arbor this season and instead visited Knoxville several times, growing his relationship with lead recruiter David Johnson, coach Jeremy Pruitt and the rest of the staff. With the Vols desperately needing a true runner in this class, Gray fits a major need. He is an explosive player who is a terrific one-cut runner with elusiveness to get into space.

Gray isn’t going to be a blazer in the open field, but he is the type of runner around which you can build an offense and reminds me a lot of the Tennessee Titans’ Dion Lewis. If Gray develops the way he should, he could be an NFL player. I like his ability to run between the tackles and outside as well as catching the ball out of the backfield. He’ll be a nice teammate to Ty Chandler.

RAMEL KEYTON, 6’3″, 185 WIDE RECEIVER, MARIETTA, GA (MARIETTA HS)

Tennessee didn’t load up on elite receivers in this class, but a big, physical target who has the potential to step right in and play also just happened to open up an important pipeline to a hotbed of talent. 

Keyton hails from Marietta High School, and UT already got a head start on the 2020 class by securing its quarterback of the future from that school in Harrison Bailey. There are several other high-caliber Division I players who can help from there, too. Keyton is by no means the least of the bunch. He had a huge year for the program and, like several other targets on Tennessee’s board, chose UT over Auburn. Others such as Alabama, Clemson, Florida and more powerhouses were among his 26 claimed offers.

Keyton isn’t a blazer, but he has great hands, can go up and get the ball and is physical. He has a nice skill set that is comparable to current Vol Jauan Jennings, and it’s not ridiculous to think he’ll be able to slide right into the rotation, especially considering UT needs all the playmakers on offense it can get.

He was one of the biggest coups of the class.

JACKSON LAMPLEY, 6’4″, 300 OFFENSIVE GUARD, NASHVILLE, TN (MONTGOMERY BELL ACADEMY)

One of the first pledges for Pruitt also may wind up as one of the most important. Jackson Lampley is the son of VFL Brad Lampley, so orange is in his blood. He possesses good size and played high school ball for one of the best programs in the state.

I like his violent hands at the point of attack, and he is a strong run blocker who has a nasty streak. Though you always like to see linemen get a year in the strength and conditioning program to get stronger before they’re thrown into the fray, Lampley has the skill set, hands and footwork to step into the rotation. The Vols obviously need players along the offensive front who can make an impact, and Lampley may.

He chose his father’s alma mater over 19 other programs including Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Penn State, Texas A&M and others. 

JACKSON LOWE, 6’5″, 235 TIGHT END, CARTERSVILLE, GA (CARTERSVILLE HS)

Lowe committed to the Vols and lead recruiter Brian Niedermeyer early in the process and never wavered, and he was one of the top targets at the position early and stayed that way despite a lot of interest from other top programs, including Alabama, Clemson and Auburn.

He may be just a 3-star player, but he’s an elite prospect who can really stretch the field and provide a spark in the passing game. He is physically developed and ready to step right in and play in an offense needing to do a better job of utilizing the pass-catching tight end. Lowe played for Cartersville High School, where he was a deep playoff participant every year, so he’s used to winning.

Lowe is another win in the Peach State, and the Vols really need for him to make an impact, especially after DWA leaves after the 2019 season. Is Lowe going to be able to give UT some important reps right away? Don’t rule it out.

BRIAN MAURER, 6’3″, 199 PRO-STYLE QUARTERBACK, OCALA, FL (WEST PORT HS)

Tennessee’s search for a quarterback went a while back in the spring, but the Vols ultimately rested on Maurer, the Sunshine State signal-caller who came along a little late in the recruiting cycle but wound up being an Elite 11 player.

The Vols are fortunate to have him.

Maurer is blessed with good arm strength and is also an athletic type who is not statuesque in the pocket. He had a strong senior season and could benefit from a year in the weight room to bulk up. But Maurer looks like a high-upside signal-caller who can do a lot of things with the ball in his hands. Ironically, he visited Ohio State and Tennessee in the same swing, and the Buckeyes chose to take a commitment from Dwan Mathis instead of Maurer. Mathis flipped from OSU to Georgia on early signing day, prompting Maurer to tweet about it and talk about how happy he is with UT.

With Will McBride and Keller Chryst gone, the Vols need quality competition behind center. Jarrett Guarantano did not have a bad redshirt sophomore season, but UT needs better play at that position. If Maurer or rising redshirt freshman JT Shrout can pressure him, it will benefit all parties. It’s also possible the Vols add a transfer at the position. But the door is at least cracked for Maurer to come in and compete. We’ll see if he can take advantage.

MELVIN MCBRIDE, 6’3″, 312 OFFENSIVE GUARD, MEMPHIS, TN (WHITEHAVEN HS)

One of the prospects who had little fanfare before committing to Tennessee is Memphis offensive trenchman McBride. He’s an interesting, massive prospect who could have projected on either side of the line of scrimmage. It appears he’ll start his career in Knoxville on the offensive side where there are mammoth needs for quality players.

He’s a developmental guy who is a great athlete for his size and played just one year of football. Pruitt and Co. love that type of athleticism, and McBride is a former basketball player who has good knee bend, which helps him in pass-blocking leverage. Though he probably needs at least a year to get acclimated to the college game, he is a guy who could be a nice pickup.

McBride didn’t have a slew of major offers, ultimately choosing UT over Arkansas, Memphis, Louisville, Cincinnati and others. This probably isn’t a guy who is going to come in and play right away, but with some time in the S&C program and some coaching, he could be an important asset down the road.

JERROD MEANS, 6’2″, 212 WIDE RECEIVER, HAMPTON, GA (LOVEJOY HS)

The last time Tennessee went into Lovejoy High School – a program several past Vols have hailed from – for a wide receiver, he wound up pretty strong. Unfortunately for UT, it just wasn’t in orange and white. That was Preston Williams, who was a high-profile recruit and Alabama legacy who stuck with Tennessee and earned important reps before transferring out of the program. He wound up at Colorado State, where he was one of the most prolific receivers in the country this season, and he’ll bypass his senior season and head to the NFL.

The Vols passed on JUCO receiver Javonta Payton in favor of Means, who visited Knoxville the final weekend before signing day and signed with the Vols on Wednesday. UT kept that one quiet, unlike last year’s late find as a Georgia receiver (Jordan Young) who committed to the Vols and flipped to Florida State just before signing day. 

Pruitt bragged Means can probably play multiple positions on either side of the ball, but the 6’3″, 213-pound prospect who ran a 4.4 40-yard dash at camp is a player the Vols like as a receiver, so that’s where he’ll start. You can’t teach that kind of speed, and hopefully, he’ll be a weapon quickly.

WANYA MORRIS, 6’6″ 312 OFFENSIVE TACKLE, LOGANVILLE, GA (GRAYSON HS)

Alphabetically, Morris may be the last name on this list, but he’s arguably the offensive cornerstone of the Pruitt era in Knoxville. Morris is a 5-star offensive tackle who had offers from virtually everybody in the country and was the No. 1 draft pick in the Under Armour All-American Game.

The Vols are getting an elite blocker who will probably start out trying to help the Vols solidify the exterior of the offensive line. He chose UT over Auburn, where his buddy Owen Pappoe signed, but Morris could have gone anywhere, really. If Tennessee can team him with Darnell Wright, it will be a heck of a duo to build the offense around for years to come.

When Gray committed, he mentioned a couple of good linemen the Vols have coming in next year – alluding to Morris and (the still-uncommitted) Wright, so if the Vols can close the deal, it’s a couple of players who make other prospects stand up and take notice.

Morris is big and strong and smart, and he’s got the kind of attributes and skill set that translate into early playing time. Obviously, that will have to be earned, but with Tennessee’s O-line situation he has a massive opportunity to fill a major void right away.

Tennessee Vols Early Signing Day: An Uneventful Ending for a Solid Start

Note: Check back in the coming days for offensive and defensive capsules from UT’s early signing period signees.

If you were hoping for a massive bang to end Jeremy Pruitt’s first full recruiting cycle’s early signing period, Wednesday left you flat.

If you hoped the Vols would gain ground in the arms race that is the rough-and-tumble SEC, Wednesday left you frustrated.

But there’s no real reason to feel anything but optimistic as Pruitt and Tennessee enter the next phase of this recruiting cycle leading up to February’s final signing day of the cycle. The Vols currently have the nation’s 17th-ranked recruiting class with 20 pledges, according to the 247Sports Composite ratings. That’s only good for seventh in the SEC behind Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU, Auburn and Florida.

While that’s not good enough for the Vols to close the gap, there are plenty of monstrous fish left in this Big Orange ocean. It all starts tomorrow as all eyes on Rocky Top rest on the decision of 4-star Memphis running back Eric Gray, who likely favors UT and is a big piece of the puzzle for a Vols team needing help at offensive skill positions. Gray’s pledge on Thursday would put the Vols ahead of Florida with the same number of commits and vault them into second in the SEC East in the recruiting rankings.

That’s not an awful step forward, especially for a 5-7 program.

Throw in 5-star offensive tackle Darnell Wright — whom the Vols currently sit in a steady lead — and high 4-star linebacker Quavarius Crouch, who UT must battle Clemson for until his announcement on January 5, and there are a few needle-movers who can help the aesthetics of the class. Other vitally important needs can be met if 4-star safety Anthony Harris and 4-star JUCO linebacker Lakia Henry remain Vols and Tennessee can convince another couple of marquee players to jump onboard.

If those things happen, a class that will rank between 10-15 is possible, and that’s a big deal — even if there were at times over the past few weeks hope that Pruitt would close stronger, much the way he helped Alabama, Florida State and Georgia do during his time as a defensive coordinator at those programs.

There is plenty of good and bad for the Vols about this signing cycle, and we’d be remiss not to cover it all. So, here we go…

The Good

Tennessee met major, vital needs at offensive line and in the defensive backfield during this recruiting cycle, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility a lot of the guys coming in will find their way into the rotation — if not the starting lineup — right away.

The class’s bell cow is 5-star offensive tackle Wanya Morris, who UT beat out Auburn and others for. He’s an athletic big man who’ll start out at tackle for a team desperately needing to shore up a unit that’s been historically horrible the past two years. If you want to pinpoint the biggest reason for this two-year debacle (and really for the decade of futility) look no further than the offensive front and the lack of development at that area.

Morris is a future star-in-the-making, and the Vols may need him to start in 2019 and take his lumps, depending on the health of Trey Smith.

Jackson Lampley is a Tennessee legacy and a 4-star offensive guard, and he could potentially help right away; Melvin McBride is a 3-star offensive lineman from Memphis who fills a need even if he’s a developmental player; and Chris Akporoghene is a player some sites [such as Rivals] rates as a 4-star talent. Those guys are vitally important to Pruitt turning around the program.

Another area where the Vols desperately needed help and got it was a defensive backfield that lacked athleticism in 2018. Yes, the emergence of true freshmen Alontae Taylor, Bryce Thompson and Trevon Flowers was encouraging, but there was little depth behind them. Between the unsigned Harris and 4-stars Jaylen McCullough and Tyus Fields, 3-star cornerback Warren Burrell and safety Aaron Beasley [both of which are 4-star prospects on other sites] the Vols got a whole lot longer, deeper and more athletic on the back end.

That’s two major wins for the Vols in areas of great need, and if Wright adds his name to the list of pledges and UT goes and perhaps gets another DB, it’s a great year in two areas. It was always going to be more than just a one-year rebuild, anyway.

The Bad

When you consider just how many high-profile kids Tennessee brought on visits the past few weeks, none of those guys ultimately chose to come to Knoxville. It was eerily reminiscent of last year’s late cycle, when Pruitt brought in all those 5-star defensive backs, only to watch them fall off the board to rivals and programs out West.

Wednesday saw Norton and Logue head to Georgia, Anderson stick with South Carolina, JUCO defensive end Nick Figueroa stay out west and play for USC, Justin Eboigbe choosing not to flip from Alabama to UT, Jaylen Ellis committing to Baylor despite a last-week visit, and so on.

There’s nothing wrong with Pruitt swinging for some fences. But the Vols simply aren’t Georgia and Alabama right now, and there comes a point in time where you back off and settle for ground-rule doubles rather than hope for slap singles and stolen bases later.

That make sense? If you catch my drift, Pruitt needs to remain his relentless self on the recruiting trail, but the Vols can’t afford to round out the class with fallback plans, and if you have to back off the elite players to sign more “very good” players, you identify that need in enough time to get the job done. It’s a hard balance, and, quite frankly, it’s one Pruitt hasn’t been great at lately.

Tennessee probably knows it can’t compete with Alabama and Georgia on Saturdays if it doesn’t compete with them in prospects’ living rooms. But the bottom line is, while Pruitt has won a few of those battles, he’s getting his butt whipped for the most part against the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs.

Join the club. So is everybody else, after all. But it’s disappointing to UT fans who want to get back to elite status and thought it would by hiring an elite recruiter. Pruitt is learning some tough lessons, and the Vols need to show some improvement on the field first.

The Ugly

If you’re like me and love Tennessee getting Tennessee boys to play for the Vols, this year wasn’t for you. It’s going to be hard for me to forgive Pruitt for that one, especially considering some of the “settles” that happened late in the class.

UT flat-out missed on Bill Norton and Zion Logue — two Volunteer State prospects who followed Cade Mays’ lead from a year ago and decided they wanted to play for the rival Georgia Bulldogs instead of Tennessee despite Pruitt trying hard to flip them. Logue seemed to have a sour demeanor toward the Vols from the jump, and Norton never could quite overcome the fact he was smitten with the Dawgs, even though UT’s head coach made him a pet project throughout the cycle.

In the Vols’ undying love for those two prospects, they let an excellent player who would have loved to be a Vol early in the cycle in Murfreesboro’s Joseph Anderson go elsewhere. Now, UT gets to face him in a Gamecocks uniform for the next four years, and a late push wasn’t enough to sway him back. That one’s going to sting.

Receiver Trey Knox wasn’t a priority at times during the cycle, and he chose Arkansas. Meanwhile, the Vols settled for Jerrod Means on Wednesday — the only “new” player who signed with UT on Wednesday who wasn’t previously committed. That’s not a knock on Means who is a 6’2″ pass-catcher who possesses quality speed — something Knox doesn’t have — but you have to wonder if UT deciding against pursuing those guys and others like Woodi Washington (Oklahoma) and Lance Wilhoite (Oregon) won’t sting later.

The Wrap

It’s important to note a few things about Wednesday.

First, the most important victory for Pruitt’s program came when strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald elected not to return to his alma mater of Maryland to join Mike Locksley’s staff with the Terrapins when it looked like he would just a day before. 

The revolving door of UT’s program and strength and conditioning in particular has led to uneven results, weak players and inconsistency. Fitzgerald is a huge part of what Pruitt wants to achieve, and he’s being paid handsomely. For him to stick around is vital to the players already on the roster and for the Vols getting bigger and stronger and turning things around in 2019. So, that’s the biggest recruiting win of the early signing period.

Wrapping things up, it’s easy for Tennessee fans to talk about Alabama and Georgia because they sit at the pinnacle of the conference — and all of college football, really — right now. It sucks to see LSU and Texas A&M have such massive years on the recruiting trail while the Vols middle around with a good — but not great — class (at least on paper).

But it’s important to remember where UT is as a program. It’s not OK to lose to Vanderbilt and Missouri, and that’s what the Vols are doing lately. Tennessee has to get where they’re beating those programs first.

Then, South Carolina, Florida and others like them come next.

Then, maybe you can set your sights on Alabama and Georgia.

It’s sobering, but it’s the reality. Getting a class with more strength, size,  bulk and athleticism perhaps gets UT closer to that first and second steps, though the Vols are nowhere near that other tier. Ultimately getting to any of those next tiers and out of the SEC cellar will rely on Pruitt’s ability to develop players, Fitzgerald’s ability to transform these dudes into SEC players and, ultimately, UT’s ability to identify those next-level players who can help teams win games.

Mizzou had one in Drew Lock, and Vanderbilt had one in Kyle Shurmur, and even though those guys didn’t elevate those programs to championship-caliber, they got them past Tennessee. It’s Pruitt’s charge to find the guys who can make the same impact for the Vols in those games and in others on the plain above.

Are those guys in this class?

We’ll see soon enough.

Why Harrison Bailey Could Finally Be the Key For Tennessee

It’s ridiculous to anoint a high school junior as the savior of a long-dormant program. But, for Tennessee fans needing a future on which to cling with no present to speak of, Thursday’s commitment from Marietta (Ga.) High School 4-star quarterback Harrison Bailey meant more than just an announcement from a talented high school kid.

Though Bailey could still reclassify as a 2019 recruit [he says he won’t], his pledge for the Vols could be the key that turns Jeremy Pruitt’s already-quality recruiting toward elite status.

Could Bailey change his mind? Yes, any time. But signal-callers normally don’t. Bailey is a 2020 pledge, so there’s still more than a year until he can be on the field for a Tennessee team that desperately needs him now. But the future UT quarterback means a lot to everybody involved — fans, players, and a coaching staff that needed some good news after a 5-7 first year.

Bailey is arguably the best quarterback in the class-after-next, and given the the fact that the Vols haven’t gone out and gotten an elite high school quarterback since Jarrett Guarantano, this was necessary. Bailey committed to UT over Michigan on Thursday at a quick and classy ceremony at his school. When he gave the VFL sign, the Periscope video panned to the crowd where UT ’19 wide receiver commitment Ramel Keyton was visibly excited.  If things go as planned, Keyton will be one of Bailey’s top targets on the Hill, much the way he was at Marietta High.

It’s a testament to Pruitt’s recruiting prowess that Bailey committed to Tennessee despite the Vols’ former offensive coordinator Tyson Helton left to be the head coach at Western Kentucky. It’s a testament to the program Pruitt is trying to build and how he connects to recruits that Bailey chose to go to Knoxville over an established program like Michigan.

Though Guarantano showed signs of development this year, he didn’t have any real coaching until Year 3 in the program, and who knows just how much that stunted his growth? Who knows how good J.T. Shrout and Brian Maurer will be, but neither one was heavily recruited, so it’s not like UT went out and beat a bunch of elite programs for those guys even though one or both could turn out to be quality players.

But Bailey is a next-level recruit, and the last time the Vols went out and got one of those marquee guys who is a pure quarterback who can drop back and throw dimes was Jonathan Crompton. Yes, it’s been that long. Tyler Bray developed into an erratic gunslinger who led a prolific offense on a bad UT team, and Joshua Dobbs was a tremendous player whose athleticism helped UT overcome the limitations of Butch Jones’ offense. Neither was the prospect Bailey is.

He’s a legit 6’4″ and 217 pounds and has a rifle arm. He plays on a loaded Marietta High team [where one of his coaches and a big influence is former UT star Derrick Tinsley] and he is surrounded by stars like Keyton, 2020 5-star tight end/athlete Arik Gilbert, defensive end B.J. Ojulari, and Ohio State commit Jake Wray [brother of OSU OL Max Wray, who committed to the Buckeyes over the Vols when he was a Midstate prospect].

Could Bailey get the Vols’ foot in the door with some of those prospects? Absolutely with Gilbert, though Ojulari [whose brother is at Georgia] and Wray [whose brother is at Ohio State] are long shots. But it’s not just Marietta High prospects who could flock to UT. When you’ve got a stud signal-caller from a hotbed like the Atlanta area, he can bring elite high school prospects from around the region with him.

Think about when Hunter Johnson committed to Tennessee, and his pledge was a big influence on Oak Ridge star receiver Tee Higgins. When Johnson flipped from the Vols to Clemson, it was an ugly sign of things to come for the Butch Jones regime. What happened soon after? Higgins flipped, too. Now, though Johnson has transferred to Northwestern in the wake of Trevor Lawrence’s emergence, Higgins is one of the biggest, brightest stars in the nation.

Speaking of Lawrence, that’s a kid who grew up a Vols fan whose parents were from Johnson City. Tennessee also was in the early mix if not the leaders for Georgia freshman star Justin Fields and Florida freshman Emory Jones. They got none of those guys.

Even though there’s a long way to go until Bailey signs on the dotted line, he’s a massive pledge for the Pruitt era at this point.

There’s still a lot of work to be done by Pruitt and the gang in this year’s class, as players like Owen Pappoe, Khafre Brown, Eric Gray, Darnell Wright and other blue-chip big names are still viable options to pull the trigger for the Vols, but with Bailey and 4-star defensive end Jordan Davis, who UT flipped from Alabama, the ’20 class is off to a bang.

All the recruiting analysts raved today about Bailey’s potential. His upside is as high as anybody’s in this class or next. Perhaps it’s just as good news that Max Johnson [son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson and nephew of Mark Richt] didn’t go to Georgia and committed to LSU instead the day before Bailey. The Vols need not only to close the gap in the recruiting battle but to land some difference-makers.

Bailey will be arriving at a time when reinforcements should be in place for an awful offensive line, and the playmakers he could bring with him could mean big things for the Vols and whoever takes over for Helton as the offensive coordinator.

With Pruitt’s defensive acumen, you have to feel good about that side of the ball once he gets his recruits in there. Now, the offense feels like it’s turning a corner with Bailey in the fold.

So, even though Bailey’s arrival is months and months away, we’re fresh off watching an offense that couldn’t consistently move the football and a quarterback that — while improved — struggled reading blitzes and consistently hitting receivers in the intermediate passing routes, getting a commitment from a quarterback who is a polished prospect at this early juncture is huge.

Bailey’s decision to believe in Pruitt gives us more hope that things can turn around. The Vols have an elite recruiter in the head coaching position, and it feels like momentum is about to be on Tennessee’s side on the trail. They just need to find a way to parlay that good fortune into recruiting into some wins. This is, after all, the time of year when we start looking to the future because the present is one we’d like to move beyond.

It’s the curse of being a Tennessee fan, but the blessing is we still attract elite players, and you can’t be a great team without a great quarterback. The Vols got one of those on Thursday with the potential to grow and develop into a dynamic SEC throwing threat.

 

Why Tyson Helton’s Gain is Tennessee’s Gain, Too

Play-calling is an art.

Some offensive coordinators have the innate talent to keep defenses on their toes, and others struggle within the framework of a game to sustain unpredictability.

For first-year Tennessee offensive coordinator Tyson Helton, it was a big, ol’ screaming dud of a season because of his inability to do so.

To be honest, though, it was a hire that seemed destined to fail from the beginning.

When Jeremy Pruitt was putting together his first staff at Tennessee, he made several hires that were met with universal delight. Then came the all-important offensive coordinator hire for a defensive-minded head coach, and after several exciting names were thrown around, word surfaced he hired USC assistant Tyson Helton.

For $1.2 million.

That’s a lot of cheddar for somebody who’d been around good play callers in the past but who’d never really consistently called an offense, even as Jeff Brohm’s offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky. Tennessee fans were unimpressed, and Helton was a popular scapegoat all year for the SEC’s worst offense.

In fairness to him, it’s impossible to be consistent when you have a historically horrible offensive line. In defense of the haters of the ‘What-the-Helton’ Offense, the man didn’t do himself any favors. There was zero rhythm in the play-calling, a discombobulated run-pass mixture and entire games — heck, entire months — where it seemed we couldn’t convert short-yardage plays or make enough noise on first and second downs to keep defenses honest.

Even the two best offensive performances of the year — against Auburn and South Carolina — were uneven and dissimilar. Were we the downfield-striking aggressors that beat the Tigers with a slew of 50-50 balls? Or, were we the horizontal passing team the Gamecocks failed to stop that allowed us to open up the middle of the field with the run?

It was frustrating to watch on a weekly basis.

Personnel had a lot to do with it, as did a starting quarterback with no internal clock and obvious limitations. But, just once, I’d love for us to look like an offense rather than power-run into the line of scrimmage two downs and then throw a 30-yard jumpball and hope something happens.

That’s not offense, and it killed us more often than it benefitted us.

Helton is to blame, Pruitt and his possible meddling is to blame, and the mediocre personnel and third-rate offensive line are to blame.

All that said, when you fail to get Ty Chandler the ball again after a 75-yard touchdown run to open the second half against Vanderbilt or you have a hoss like Jauan Jennings and struggle to get him balls, that goes on the shoulders of the OC.

At the very least, there have been enough reports about icy run-ins between Helton and Pruitt that you know there was smoke to the duo failing to see eye to eye. That’s never what you want with a young coach who doesn’t trust the side of the ball on which he isn’t an expert.

So when the news surfaced Monday that Helton was leaving Knoxville to take over for fired coach Mike Sanford Jr. at Western Kentucky, Vols fans almost universally rejoiced.

This is a do-over for Pruitt, and — unlike most coaches who’ve departed from UT recently — it won’t cost us any money or negative publicity.

Quarterback commitment Brian Maurer already publicly said he committed to UT and not the offensive coordinator, so he isn’t going anywhere. The Vols are in the mix for 2020 stud signal-caller Harrison Bailey of Marietta (Ga.) HS who is supposed to announce on Thursday between Michigan and Tennessee. Chances are, he already knows where he’s going, and it won’t impact that decision. Even if he chooses the Wolverines, there’s time for the new UT coordinator to get to know Bailey.

So, recruiting shouldn’t be hindered.

Now, the important question is where Pruitt will look next?

Some of the more popular names being thrown around today were former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze, Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, West Virginia offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, Alabama quarterbacks coach Dan Enos, former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury (pipe dream), Georgia co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach James Coley, legendary high school coach Rush Propst, Hoover (Ala.) HS coach Josh Niblett, as well as Tennessee offensive line coach Will Friend, UT graduate assistant Joe Osovet and UT running backs coach Chris Weinke.

Other names could emerge, but obviously, a hire like Lindsey, Freeze, KK, Enos or Spavital would be a coup. Even Coley having SEC experience and play-calling acumen would be a nice hire. But a lot of the others come with major question marks attached, and they won’t sway popular opinion.

The bottom line, however, is this is a big opportunity for Pruitt to make a big move.

As a defensive-minded coach, he has to learn not only to trust what happens on offense but to let the man he hires do his job. Also, Pruitt is going to have to coach up his defensive coaches when it comes to play-calling, too. Head coaches usually don’t succeed for long playing coordinator at the same time. Yes, you like a hands-on coach who wants everything to go his way, but you also want him to be able to believe in the hires he makes to share that common-thread philosophy.

So, if Pruitt is comfortable with Lindsey who is a long-time buddy who has SEC coordinator experience with Auburn and wants to branch out from under the meddling of Gus Malzahn, that needs to be the move. If Pruitt talks to Enos or Spavital and gets on the same page with those guys, what philosophy they’d bring, that needs to be the guy.

I’m not averse to a Friend or Osovet promotion like most quick-triggered Vols fans. I would be disappointed, but I don’t necessarily believe it’s the death knell that it was when Butch Jones promoted Larry Scott to replace Mike DeBord. Yes, we’re jaded right now because of that situation, but we don’t know that Helton’s offense fails to work; we just know it failed in 2018 because of myriad reasons, not the least of which his ability to get into a comfortable groove with his in-game play mix.

It’s not hyperbole to suggest this could be the biggest decision of Pruitt’s Tennessee career.

Yes, he’s only one year in, and you have to believe athletic director Phillip Fulmer is going to give him a pretty long leash to build his program his way. But if Pruitt botches this hire, the questions creep in about whether he is just a really good defensive coordinator that is clueless when it comes to doing what it takes on both sides of the ball to build a championship-caliber program in the SEC.

Not making a bowl game in the first year is a honeymoon-ender for Pruitt, who gets a tiny pass thanks to the mess left by Jones. But while Pruitt doesn’t have to care how the fans feel about who he hires for OC, he’d better know whoever he chooses — from Niblett to Kliff Kingsbury — absolutely must perform.

It will help whoever gets the job that the Vols will have another year to retool its offensive line and get some more recruits in to help boost the offensive talent level. It will help to have another year of strength and conditioning in a stable program. But nothing can help that play-calling acumen; that’s something whoever Pruitt pinpoints must possess.

It was much of the reason Helton was never embraced in his only season on the Hill, and it’s the main reason why we universally are yelling after him not to let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya on his way out.

Opportunity abounds. Now Pruitt must seize it and hit a home run, something that will be judged on Saturdays next fall, not by the name of the hire.

Locks & Keys Week 13: Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt; the Importance of One

Back during Butch Jones’ first year in Knoxville in 2013, the Vols entered the penultimate game of the season against Vanderbilt needing a win out against the Commodores and Kentucky Wildcats to make a bowl game.

UT lost 14-10 in a hapless showing, and as I was walking out of Neyland Stadium, fans grumbled, and I heard the first questions about whether or not the first-year Tennessee coach could get the job done.

As we all know now, he couldn’t. And while I don’t know how fair it is to begin to question at that early juncture of the season, it’s something Jeremy Pruitt will hear a little if the Vols leave Nashville with a loss this season in a winner-take-all (some?) game this weekend.

Personally, I figured this season would be on the brink of 6-6 or 5-7 all year, so I’m going to dial back the criticism. The roster was in terrible shape this year, and though the lack of talent and consistency have killed UT, it’s important to keep things in perspective. Clay Travis reminded us of that this week:

Of course, there’s never an excuse when you’re Tennessee to lose to Vanderbilt. But the harrowing fact is, regardless of how the Vols have beaten the Commodores in recruiting classes, VU has developed better recently. They have a senior starting quarterback in Kyle Shurmur, some playmakers on offense [looking at you, Ke’Shawn Vaughn] and arguably a better defense than Mizzou. This is not a great matchup for Tennessee.

This season has been equal parts hopeful and frustrating. The game to look back on that should sting is the South Carolina second-half collapse. Win that, and this game is virtually meaningless. Instead, this one means a good bit to Pruitt and VU coach Derek Mason.

For Pruitt, though, this is uncharted waters, as he mentioned this week. He’s used to this last game meaning something, and 6-6 — you can just tell when he talks — is not something he’s trumpeting in the least. He probably wants this season to just be over so he can trade 25 players for those of his own, but he knows the value of winning for his young guys is the extra 15 practices.

That’s the most important element of this game for him. For us, it’s not wanting to lose to Vanderbilt again, which has quite frankly owned us recently. Those words taste bitter, but they’re true.

KEYS

Tying things together

I have this vision of Tennessee celebrating at Vanderbilt Stadium and Ty Chandler being hailed as the hero, going home and having one of the biggest games of his two-year college career.

UT needs it to happen, but in order for it to, the offensive line must play better than it has at any point this season. Vanderbilt’s rush defense is 13th in the league, allowing 195 yards per game. The Vols have to run the ball, and they have to get Chandler touches in space, whether that be rushing to the edge or catching passes.

Saturday has to be Ty’s game, and the offensive line needs to make sure he can take it and run with it. If he stars, the Vols win.

Play JG

The reason Tennessee lost against Missouri last week was not that Jarrett Guarantano went out early in the first quarter with a head injury, but it sure didn’t help.

Again, that’s an indictment of an awful offensive line that needs to drastically improve in this offseason, or position coach Will Friend needs to be fired. It’s been that bad, and there’s been very little glimmers of improvement. The O-line finally got JG hurt after all the shots he’s taken this year, and it crushed UT’s offensive hopes.

Hopefully, JG can go this weekend, the line can keep his jersey relatively clean. The Vols need to hit a few of their customary shots downfield, and Guarantano’s health entering the game and sustained throughout are paramount to the Vols making enough offensive plays to win.

Shake Shurmur

Last weekend, Tennessee failed to get any pressure at all on Mizzou veteran quarterback Drew Lock thanks to a sturdy Tigers offensive line, and Lock sat back there in the pocket and shredded UT’s secondary with as much time as he needed. He delivered precision pass after precision pass in a resume game for the NFL. His numbers would have been much better had the Tigers not dropped a pair of deep balls.

Shurmur is no Lock, but he’s a capable veteran quarterback who has thrown a lot of SEC passes and had a ton of success against the Vols. If UT can’t get to him, he will torch Tennessee’s young secondary, and make Alontae Taylor and Bryce Thompson look bad. Darrell Taylor and Co. must find a way to generate a pass rush.

And the young cornerbacks need to play better than they did a week ago, too.

Steal points

Speaking of those young DBs, it’s about time for Alontae Taylor to make his freshman season signature play, isn’t it? He’s had a really strong year, even though he was embarrassed a little a week ago against Missouri. He needs to play for a little pride this week and rebound with a big interception or forced fumble.

Tennessee needs to generate a couple of turnovers deep in Vanderbilt territory and parlay them into extra points. I’m not sure UT can win straight-up without forcing the Commodores into some miscues. This is a very important element of Saturday’s game.

No freebies

On the flip side of that, the margin for error for this team is zero. A week ago, the Vols were driving for what could have been a late first-half touchdown that could have cut the Mizzou lead to 19-17. Instead, Keller Chryst threw a “bad pass” according to his coach, that was picked off, and the Tigers instead turned it into a touchdown and a 26-10 halftime advantage.

That was a soul-crushing, momentum-seizing play.

In the third quarter, Carlin Fils-aime’s fumble was picked up and returned for a scoop-and-score, and the rout was on. That’s essentially a 21- or possibly even 28-point swing. The Vols cannot do that. No team can, but especially not one as slim on talent as Tennessee.

They’ve got to cut out mistakes, or they’ll lose.

Prediction: Tennessee always beats Vanderbilt, right? Well, that’s no longer the case, now, is it? We’ve endured some embarrassing years, and the biggest disappointments in them all are the ownership of UT by South Carolina and the former cupcake in Nashville.

This is not a good Vanderbilt team. It may be better than the Vols, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good team. If UT loses, there needs to be plenty of grumbles, and it will make Pruitt’s job on the recruiting trail a little harder. I don’t know that I fully believe it, but because I can’t bear the thought of losing again, I’m taking the Vols in a close one.

Vols win 27-24

LOCKS

On the way to the Tennessee game last weekend, I was bragging to my dad about how all these big-wig college football reporters’ records ATS this year were like 10 games under .500, and how even though I was beating myself up over being two games in the black, I was pretty strong.

Then last week happened, and I did the equivalent of the Vols defense.

The college football world threw up a 50-burger on me. I went 1-6, easily the worst showing of the season to fall to 37-40 with just one week to go. That’s incredibly disappointing. Much like the Vols, I fell on my face. Now, I’ve got to rally with everybody against me to come up mediocre.

The only game I won was Nebraska +1.5 against Michigan State. Syracuse pooped the bed against Notre Dame, Texas Tech’s worst performance of the season came against Kansas State, we all know what happened with UT, West Virginia lost outright to Oklahoma State, Florida State upset Boston College and Vanderbilt actually beat Ole Miss. There it is – 1-6. *Shudder*.

Here’s hoping for a 5-2 record and a solid season with a push…

  1. Memphis and Houston under 76: It’s normally not smart to bet the under in Memphis games, but I’m not sure the Cougars can hold up their end of the scoreboard without D’Eriq King. I think this one scrapes by.
  2. Syracuse +6.5 over Boston College: I hate picking games during rivalry week because of all the close lines, but this is one of those I can’t believe I’m getting points in. I think the Orange win outright.
  3. Michigan and Ohio State under 57: I’m staying away from the line in the Big Game, but I love Michigan’s defense, and I think this number is way, way too high.
  4. Pittsburgh +4 over Miami: It’s not often Vegas hasn’t caught up to a team at this point in the season, but that’s the case with the Panthers, who are still getting disrespected by the oddsmakers.
  5. LSU +3 over Texas A&M: This is the third game where I’m stunned I’m getting points. LSU is too polished on defense to let this game slip by.
  6. Oklahoma State -5 over TCU: Could this be a letdown game? Sure. The Cowboys have played their best against the best competition this year, and now they’re going up against one of the best defenses in the Big 12. But they’ll do enough to cover this slight number.
  7. Notre Dame -11.5 over USC: Things are going downhill fast in L.A. This will be Clay Helton’s last game; I’ve learned by lesson on the Irish after last week.

Sunday Best: Tennessee vs. Missouri; A Flash Back to Reality

With so much to play for on Saturday, Tennessee’s game against Missouri was a colossal thud.

It should have been the most embarrassed the Volunteers felt all year, and, if they didn’t, something is severely wrong with the program. Mizzou waltzed into Neyland Stadium with former UT head coach Derek Dooley as its offensive coordinator and walked out with a 50-17 annihilation of the Vols.

A team that needed a single win for bowl eligibility will have to wait another week. If they play anything against Vanderbilt like they did against Missouri, they’ll have to wait another year (or more). Yes, with tons of star recruits in town and with so much to play for, the Vols were flatter and forgettable as they’ve been since the Florida loss.

The two setbacks were very similar, too. If anything, the one Saturday was worse. But the true nature of the “Sunday Best” column is to find something positive to talk about. Honestly, we’ll get to a couple of those real good things later, but the best thing I can say about this one is that it’s over.

This was the first time in four trips that my 8-year-old boy has gone to Neyland and come away with a loss, and as he declared afterward, “Well, at least I had fun.”

That makes one of us, kid. But I guess that qualifies for something worth chalking up as a positive for the day; Lord knows I need something good to make me feel better…

But first, the failures…

The offensive line is awful. We all know that, and though we maybe had better vibes after last weekend’s win over Kentucky, it was more of the same against Mizzou. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano was concussed early in the first quarter, yielding to Keller Chryst for the rest of the day. Few running lanes opened up the rest of the day making UT one-dimensional (and even that dimension wasn’t very good), and the Vols failed to sustain drives for the remainder of the game.

On the other side of the ball, this was — far and away, considering the level of competition — the worst UT’s defense has played all season, too, which disappointed me more than anything. I knew the offensive line sucked. I expected coach Jeremy Pruitt to have his boys on the defensive side of the ball ready to play, and that never was the case.

Needing to pressure Drew Lock to have a chance to win, Tennessee failed to do it hardly ever, and the senior Tigers quarterback dissected the Vols like a frog in 8th-grade science class. He was brilliant, and I’m glad he’s gone. You should be, too, because the Vols had no answer for him. Want to know what should make you feel worse? It could have been even more gruesome; the Tigers dropped two guaranteed touchdown passes where they torched UT defensive backs.

Alontae Taylor looked human all day with his worst performance of his freshman year, and the safeties were atrocious, too. Lock made them look like Will Grier did at the beginning of the season.

Well, how about the rush defense? Yeah, it was nonexistent, as well. Missouri completed 50 percent of its third-down conversions, and that had something to do with Lock’s brilliance, sure, but it also didn’t hurt that the Tigers had 227 rushing yards and put itself in manageable second- and third-down situations throughout the game. The Vols didn’t have any answers.

Need a reminder just how small the margin of error is for this UT team? Look no further than two plays that were gargantuan in the final tally. At the end of the first half, Chryst led UT down the field, and the Vols looked like they’d at the very least get a field goal to trail 19-13 at halftime. They may have even made it 19-17 if they could punch it in the end zone. Instead, Chryst and his receiver failed to be on the same page on a pivotal play, and the senior threw a huge interception that was returned deep into UT territory. Mizzou punched it in for a quick score to end the half, and instead of a one-score game, it was a 26-10 halftime advantage.

Tennessee was driving again near midfield in the third quarter when Carlin Fils-aime fumbled, and it was picked up and returned for a Mizzou touchdown that put the game completely out of reach.

Ugliness ensued.

So, all that happened. It was brutal. It was disappointing. And it not only was awful for the present, but it sucked for the future, too. Tennessee had a slew of high-profile recruits in town, the Vols had built some momentum with 5-star linebacker Owen Pappoe and 5-star offensive tackle Darnell Wright [neither of which was present Saturday, thank God] and others, and they were all feeling the vibes and watching the improvement of the Vols.

Then Saturday happened.

I’m not saying one game should — or will — influence any of those guys’ decisions. The Vols will still have a good recruiting class and may even lead for both those kids who’ll be massive playmakers and first-year starters. But Saturday didn’t help the selling process. You put your resume on paper, and UT didn’t have enough to get hired pumping gas against the Tigers.

If you want some positive things from Saturday, you’ve got to look hard. Again, my kid had a good time, so there’s that, right? Right?

Also, it showed me two things that are important for team (and fan) continuity next week. No. 1, Guarantano needs to be man against the Commodores and (hopefully) in a bowl game, whether the Vols win or lose in Nashville. He is the best quarterback on the roster, and Chryst struggled at times on Saturday. He just doesn’t give you what JG does, plain and simple. But…

The positive thing about Chryst is the kid CAN be a salvageable option if JG can’t go. The deep-ball game was strong again, and he was able to get passes up to Marquez Callaway and Jauan Jennings and let those superior talents do the rest. That’s a major positive. Yes, Chryst threw a pair of interceptions and was just 7-of-19 passing, but it wasn’t all his fault. When you’re one-dimensional — and the Vols definitely were on Saturday — defenses don’t have to work as hard.

We, of all teams, should know that. Remember the Kentucky game just last week?

Tennessee can beat Vanderbilt with Chryst at the helm. There’s a better chance for that to happen if Guarantano is healthy. Hopefully, he will be.

But the best thing about Saturday is we don’t have to watch Lock torch us anymore. Man, that got old. Just forget about this one and move on. It’s a one-game season, and if the Vols can’t beat Vanderbilt, they don’t deserve to go to a bowl game, anyway.

Better days are ahead, but this team is imperfect, inconsistent and continues to be about as hot and cold as any in the country. Let’s just hope they’re the former next weekend, or we’ll be watching bowl season from our couches.