Category Archives: Football

Gameday Today: A new record, a new coach, and a new assignment for you

 

Christian Coleman sets a new record, Tennessee baseball hires a new coach, and the football program begins summer workouts and apparently expects you to help. This and more in Gameday Today.

Christian Coleman

Breaking news: Tennessee track and field star Christian Coleman is FAST. Coleman set a collegiate record in the 100 meter with a time of 9.82.

https://twitter.com/Vol_Track/status/872653353385205760

Baseball

Tennessee has hired Tony Vitello as its new head baseball coach. The job offer apparently came shortly after a 1:45 a.m. phone call from John Currie to Vitello, who was consoling himself by watching Tombstone after the Arkansas team of which he was an assistant coach had lost in the NCAA Tournament:

“I don’t know how good I am in a formal interview,” Vitello said, “but at 1:45 in the morning you throw everything out the window. It was just chatting about the job and … that turned into a teleconference the next morning and that turned into meeting some place (Tuesday) night.”

If you’re interested in a 12-click slideshow (or have a subscription), GoVols247 has a list of the MLB players Vitello has coached.

Tennessee Football commences summer workouts

Do you remember that old public service announcement about forest fires? We’re introduced to Smokey the Bear, who somberly says that, “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Okay, hold that in your mind a second.

Now, do you remember comedian Steven Wright and his joke about seeing that Smokey the Bear PSA as a kid? You know, this one:

Yeah, that’s the feeling I had at the tail end of UT Football’s latest video showing the players starting the summer strength and conditioning program:

https://twitter.com/vol_football/status/872585221891268609

It’s my turn? Oh, no. Where does one buy a medicine ball?

Other Football

The SEC Network has a video of Cole Cubelic opining on the SEC’s Top 5 offensive lines. His list is Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Florida, and then a bunch of others grouped together, including Tennessee. I still think the Vols’ o-line is being underrated and undervalued.

Great quote from offensive coordinator Larry Scott:

“I would never sacrifice recruiting. Never,” he said at the Big Orange Caravan stop in Chattanooga on Saturday. “You can be as good a coach as you want to be, but if you ain’t coaching good players and good people, good luck.”

VFLs

This is a great story about how Cam Sutton blew the Pittsburgh Steelers away with his knowledge of the game:

“We hold a dinner for all the NFL head coaches and general managers the night before our NFL Pro Day, when they come to our campus and they test our players,” Jones said. “Mike Tomlin, who’s a great friend of mine, and Kevin Colbert, the GM of the Pittsburgh Steelers, come in and take Cameron Sutton into our defensive back meeting room. Mike Tomlin says to Cam Sutton, ‘OK, pick a game, and I want you to talk about it. You’re gonna tell me your assignment.’ Cam says, ‘I want to watch the App State game, so they put the App State game in, and Cam is telling ‘em the front, the coverage, the defensive line’s responsibilities, the linebackers, the entire secondary.

“Then Kevin Colbert steps in and says, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re playing us. We don’t go for that game. You’ve rehearsed this. Take that game out. I want the second quarter of the Nebraska game.’ So they put the second quarter of the Nebraska game in, and Cam Sutton does the same thing, saying everyone’s assignment.

“Mike Tomlin comes out and says, ‘Butch, I need to see you.’ I said, ‘What’s up?’ He goes, ‘In all my years of coaching, I’ve never been through an interview like that. He could tell us everything.’

Woo for Cam.

Peyton Manning is becoming a strategic advisor to helmet-maker Riddell.

Recruiting

There were a whole bunch of new offers extended by the Vols’ coaching staff over the past couple of days:

 

Post-Spring Projections: Tennessee Linebackers

Let’s continue the series with a look at the Tennessee linebackers depth chart exiting spring with a prediction of what to expect this September.

Spring practice — like most all the springs before of the Butch Jones era — didn’t tell us much. But after what we saw and read, we can make some prognostications about what we may see, or at least expect to see, once fall practice starts. So, over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m going to break down position-by-position what we saw, what we read and what I’ve heard about to project who’s gonna play where come opening weekend against Georgia Tech.

We’ll continue this series with our look at the linebackers.

Tennessee Linebackers

As if you didn’t have enough heartburn after reading about the defensive ends, we now turn our attention to the second level of the defense, where it’s Darrin Kirkland Jr. and a whole lot of unproven players.

All is not lost, however. There is plenty of talent, even if it’s unproven talent. And this is a position where the Vols absolutely must be leaps and bounds better than they were in 2016, which hit the ditch after Jalen Reeves-Maybin was lost for the season following a fluke special-teams injury and Kirkland failed to ever return to form after suffering a high ankle sprain in the Battle at Bristol.

While all the injuries and lack of depth on the defensive interior were a huge factor to UT’s defensive decline, the setbacks at linebacker hurt, too. Those things combined are why Tennessee wound up with the worst rush defense in school history and also ranked No. 95 in the country in total defense (449.2 ypg) and No. 78 in yards per play (5.84).

Those are numbers defensive coordinator Bob Shoop knows must turn around.

“I think I might have built some unrealistic expectations, and when we got guys injured, maybe the guy calling the shots was a little bit stubborn,” Shoop told VolQuest’s Jesse Simonton. “I think I really wanted to force a fit, that, ‘This is my style of defense.’ I probably didn’t do a great job at times of tailoring things.”

That all starts with Kirkland’s progression.

[ess_grid alias=”grt-2017-promo-grid”][/ess_grid]

 

The Veterans

As the defense’s quarterback, his hand prints are going to be all over this unit. The rising junior middle linebacker burst onto the scene with a memorable freshman year that had many UT fans thinking he would be an All-SEC player at the very least. Following the injury last year, he was mediocre at best. But he also struggled to get lined up and line up others in Shoop’s defense. After a season learning the system and a full offseason of health and weight-room training, the Indianapolis native should return to form. It’s vital that he flies all around the field making tackles, especially now that tackle gobbler JRM is out of the equation.

Kirkland’s expected mate in what generally is a nickel defense with just two ‘backers on the field at once is senior Cortez McDowell, who had an up-and-down year in ’16 but may well have wound up Tennessee’s best linebacker throughout the year, at least from a consistency standpoint. The 6’0″, 235-pound linebacker from Locust Grove, Georgia, needs to have a big year teaming with Kirkland to give UT a formidable duo.

After those two, the Vols still have a bunch of depth and talent. Thanks to the injuries, there are a few guys with experience, too. Former walk-on Colton Jumper isn’t going to thrill a lot of Vols fans with his athleticism, but he’s a steady player who is rarely out of position, even if he isn’t the best guy to have on the field in passing situations. The 6’2″, 224-pound redshirt junior led all second-level players with 61 tackles and added an interception in ’16. Whether you like him or not, he’s a good player who is going to be a great guy to have on the team for the next two years, providing depth, stability and defensive knowledge.

On the Cusp [And Others]

At outside linebacker, there are two talented Georgia boys who are returning from injury and could be depended on heavily. That would be speedy Quart’e Sapp, who suffered a knee injury a season ago that cost him the year. After showing out on special teams as a freshman, the Vols are happy to have him back for three years, and if he can return at full-speed (which he should) he has the chance to be a dynamic player who can get sideline-to-sideline and get after the quarterback from the edge, too.

The other guy is Austin Smith, a 6’3″, 236-pound versatile linebacker who can line up at strong-side in traditional 4-3 sets or even put his hand down at defensive end with the Vols short on depth there. Smith is a guy who was wanted by teams like Florida and Georgia out of high school, and he’s never truly been completely healthy. It’ll be fun to see him now that he is.

An exciting player with a lot of upside is 6’3″, 235-pound sophomore Daniel Bituli, who looked terrific this spring, is really in shape and should provide a lot of depth and talent behind Kirkland in the middle of the defense. If he emerges, he could enable Jumper to shift outside and help out there. Bituli is too talented to keep off the field for a Vols team needing difference-makers on the second level. He’s one of the players I’m most excited to see in 2017.

Though senior Elliott Berry wasn’t expected to make much of an impact in his career as the less-heralded of the two Berry twins, he helped a ton in ’16, lending an able body and playing 13 games while starting four, finishing with 34 tackles and 3.5 for a loss. He’s not an explosive player, but at 5’11”, 222 pounds and with three years under his belt, he can provide much-needed experienced depth and quality snaps.

Still, despite the experience brought by Jumper and Berry, the Vols can put more talented guys on the field. That’s not a knock on those two, but the guys who shone a season ago were on a bad unit that was often shredded by the opponent, even Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Missouri. It also remains to be seen if UT is ever going to get anything out of former 4-star recruit, legacy and heavily recruited outside linebacker Dillon Bates. Also, redshirt freshman Ja’Quain Blakely could wind up being in the equation somewhere, but he’s yet to carve out a firm position in the depth chart.

That’s why the Vols brought in three talented linebackers, and it isn’t out of the question that one or more of them could see the field. 

Youngsters

It starts with mid-term enrollee Shanon Reid of South Florida, who was coveted by LSU, Florida and others. He chose the Vols, and after going through a spring practice, he may be able to provide some help at least on special teams and maybe on the outside in a pinch. He’s 6’0″, 205 pounds, but while he isn’t the biggest guy, he is fast and makes plays.

Tennessee also won a battle with LSU, Auburn and others to sign New Market, Alabama, linebacker Will Ignont, who, at one time, was one of the most heavily recruited ‘backers in the country. That was during his junior year, but he put on some bad weight, left for IMG Academy in Florida and then came back home to Buckhorn High School, where he played for a mediocre team. However, after shedding the bad weight and getting back to his old self, several schools turned up the heat recruiting him again. The Vols stayed on him through all that, and he developed a great relationship with position coach Tommy Thigpen which ultimately helped UT land him. Now, the Vols think they’ve got a steal, and he projects to play in the middle with Kirkland and Bituli.

Finally, nobody heard much about Solon Page III during the recruiting process. He was one of UT’s earliest commitments, was firm the whole way and never was heavily recruited by major schools because of it. Though he was a low 3-star player who didn’t get much love from the services, all he did was go out and win Class AAAAA defensive player of the year and first-team all-state honors in Georgia. He was also a Parade All-American, despite not being ranked highly by any of the services. Though he’s just 6’2″, 205 pounds, UT thinks it got a steal out of Page. He will be able to redshirt this season unless he helps on special teams, and the future is very bright for him.

The Vols have no shortage of bodies at linebacker, and considering they normally only have two on the field at once, you’d think they should be able to find two difference-makers who can make things happen and accumulate the tackles that were missed a season ago. If not, it’s an indictment to their recruiting because on paper it sure looks like they’ve got some players with bright futures.

Prediction

MLB – Darrin Kirkland Jr., Daniel Bituli, Colton Jumper, Will Ignont
WLB – Cortez McDowell, Quart’e Sapp, Colton Jumper, Elliott Berry, Shanon Reid
SLB (when needed) – Austin Smith, Colton Jumper, Elliott Berry

Gameday Today: CBS thinks the Vols are a good (over/under) bet in 2017

All’s fair in love and officials, CBSSports thinks Tennessee is a good bet, and Derek Barnett’s got good bend. This and more in today’s Vols link roundup.

Hoops

Tennessee basketball leads off today because Rick Barnes is apparently a stickler for honesty — except when it comes to officials. So I guess we can trust him when he tells us fans that power forward Derrick Walker arrived on campus in “better shape than we thought he would be.”

Football

CBSSports’ Tom Fornelli thinks that Tennessee is the best over/under value play for 2017.

Class of 2018 3-star cornerback Jaylon Reed has decommitted from the Vols. 247Sports has a list of Tennessee’s best remaining options at the position. Bob Shoop is excited about his new batch of recruits for this year, at least.

Tennessee has offered a scholarship to Class of 2020 defensive end Samuel Anaele, from Miami, Florida.

Saturday Down South asks whether Tennessee’s passing game could be better in 2017. I’m pretty tired this morning — I’m catching #Predneck fever — so I didn’t actually see an answer, but I do like the question.

All for Tennessee waters the seed, saying that Tennessee’s defensive line is better than people think. The best evidence for this opinion is a junior class that includes Shy Tuttle, Jonathan Kongbo, Kahlil McKenzie, and Kyle Phillips.

And John Adams says that Tennessee shouldn’t have to play Alabama every year. He actually makes some valid points, namely that it makes things much more difficult for Tennessee, but you don’t chuck a 100+-year tradition because of one bad decade.

 

VFLs

Eagles defensive coordinator is loving Derek Barnett’s bend. So what you’re saying is that being able to maintain your balance around a tight corner is maybe more important for a defensive end than a 40-time or a vertical leap? Huh. Who knew?

The Detroit Free Press has a nice feature on VFL Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who’s happy to be injury-free and back on the field.

Miscellaneous fun stuff

Breaking: Lane Kiffin speaks non-inflammatory words, saying there was no reason not to let Tennessee coaches come to his camp.

The headline says that former players (plural) are complaining about the way Tennessee treats them, but the article focuses on a single tweet by a single player. Maybe it’s overblown, but if Penn State does something better than Tennessee, we should fix that, stat.

Tennessee golfers Nolan Ray and Hunter Wolcott qualified for the 111th Southern Amateur Championship, while former Vol AJ Newell tied for fourth place by shooting a six-under 207 through three rounds of the Symetra Tour’s Fuccillo Kia Classic this weekend. 

Tennessee track and field is sending 14 athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championship from June 7-10 in Eugene, Oregon.

Gameday Today: Sensible quotes on Rocky Top, but no plans for Dubai

Gameday Today is awestruck at all of the sensible things said on Rocky Top over the weekend and disappointed at news the Vols will not be playing in Dubai anytime soon. This and more in today’s Vols link roundup.

Football

So the Vols hire a public relations expert and suddenly everybody’s saying all of the right things.

Bob Shoop falls on his sword, taking responsibility first:

“[M]aybe [I] was a little bit stubborn right there . . . I really wanted to force-fit, this is my style of defense or whatever. I probably didn’t do a great job at times of tailoring things.”

But ending on a positive note:

“The bowl game was the one game we really put together that looked like my vision for the defense.”

And then he’s making music when talking about the linebacker position as well:

“Kirkland had a good spring,” Shoop said before Saturday’s Big Orange Caravan Stop at Chattanooga’s First Tennessee Pavilion. “He’s hopefully the Derek Barnett, the alpha male of the defense. He’s vocal. He’s a good leader. He’s good high football intelligence. He’s smart, tough, unselfish and he wants it. I think he’s a little bit like Kongbo and myself.

“I mean, I don’t think 2016 went the way Darrin Kirkland, Jonathan Kongbo and Bob Shoop wanted. We talk about that all the time, and Darrin’s got a chip on his shoulder and he’s really determined.”

Offensive coordinator Larry Scott also gets in on the action with this sensible tone-setter for the incoming guys:

“Let’s start by being on time and being where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there, and then making sure that when you’re there, you’re 100 percent locked in and you’ve giving the very best effort you have.”

Even new athletic director John Currie managed to deftly walk the narrow ledge in voicing his opinion about Butch Jones:

“I believe you look at what has been accomplished and where we stand today versus where we were four years ago,” Currie told GoVols247. “We’ve made incredible progress in our program — academically, athletically, talent, engagement. There’s no measure where we’re not better than we were four years ago.

“We want to win every single game. There are going to be some years, eventually, where we do win every single game. But we have to make sure that the fundamentals that are in place to continue to build towards those championships that we all want to win, we have to make sure that those fundamentals continue.

. . . .

“I’m very impressed with recruiting organization. I’m impressed with the energy. I’m impressed with creativity and thought.”

And coach Jones, well, he answered questions about the quarterback battle by saying nothing and keeping his feet far away from his mouth. One interesting note in that article is that Quinten Dormady is practicing with NFL quarterback Jeff Christensen and Jarrett Guarantano is practicing with George Whitfield Jr.

More good news

The defensive line is healing up quite nicely, thank you.

Shoop thinks that the late addition of graduate transfer Shaq Wiggins is going to make a big difference, and he’s excited about all of his options at linebacker.

Tennessee will be getting its new QBs (and its secondary) a little extra practice by allowing some 7-on-7 drills this summer.

Breaking news

The Vols will not be playing in Dubai.

Hoops

Rick Barnes thinks SEC basketball is ” probably in the best shape it’s been since back in the early 2000s.” John Fulkerson, though, is not yet back from injury.

Miscellaneous fun stuff

We’ve already been over oddsmaker Danny Sheridan saying that he thought Kentucky would beat Tennessee this fall, but this article from 247Sports orders the guy’s quotes in a way I found amusing. Paraphrased: “I was wrong last year. I can confidently say what’s going to happen this year.”

Class of 2020 Receiver Leonard Manuel has committed to Tennessee. Yeah, he’ll be a sophomore in high school this year.

There were nearly 1,000 people at the Big Orange Caravan in Chattanooga Saturday.

VFLs  Chad Clifton, Willie Gault, Haskel Stanback, Graham Vowell, and Al Wilson were all enshrined into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Saturday.

Here’s a look at the new-look Big Orange Caravan:

 

Post-Spring Projections: Tennessee Defensive Line

Let’s continue the series with a look at the Tennessee defensive line depth chart exiting spring with a prediction of what to expect this September.

Spring practice — like most all the springs before of the Butch Jones era — didn’t tell us much. But after what we saw and read, we can make some prognostications about what we may see, or at least expect to see, once fall practice starts. So, over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m going to break down position-by-position what we saw, what we read and what I’ve heard about to project who’s gonna play where come opening weekend against Georgia Tech.

We’ll continue this series with our look at the defensive line

Defensive end

Life without Derek Barnett isn’t going to be easy.

Though Tennessee is beginning to recruit to the defensive line very well again with Brady Hoke replacing Steve Stripling coaching the position, there’s going to be a bit of a lull in 2017 along the defensive front as the Vols look to replace generational pass-rusher Barnett — who wound up a first-round pick by the Eagles — and Corey Vereen, who did a nice job coming off the other edge. LaTroy Lewis, who is looking to latch on with the Raiders, was an underrated loss, too.

So, while UT could be in excellent position in the interior if the defensive tackles come back strong and remain healthy, getting to the passer is going to be an issue unless some unknowns emerge and live up to their massive potential.

Staying on the outside, let’s discuss some of those names who must have impact seasons for the Vols to be strong on the defensive front. Jonathan Kongbo, a 6’6″, 270-pound lineman who was moved around and played a lot on the interior of the line a season ago, is going to move back to defensive end where he was the nation’s top-ranked JUCO player a season ago. Though he had just 11 tackles and a sack in 2016, he began to tap into some of that limitless potential at the end of the season. He intercepted a Drew Lock pass and took it back 59 yards for a touchdown to show his athleticism, and after a year in the weight room, he looked strong this spring at defensive end. The Vols need for him to make his presence felt early and often.

The other two guys who were top-shelf recruits who haven’t yet touched what they were supposed to be are junior Kyle Phillips and redshirt sophomore Darrell Taylor. Both will have every opportunity to play a lot of snaps at end if they’re healthy. Let’s start with Phillips, a former 5-star talent wanted by everybody in the country who chose UT over LSU and others. Though his first two years have been disappointing and injury-riddled, the 6’4″, 259-pound lineman has the opportunity to show everybody why he was so heavily recruited. To do that, he needs to move past the shoulder injuries and produce on the field. As for Taylor, he’s got another year of eligibility considering he redshirted a year, and the 6’4″, 240-pound edge-rusher with a strong burst should lock down a starting role right away.

[ess_grid alias=”grt-2017-promo-grid”][/ess_grid]

 

Beyond Kongbo, Phillips and Taylor, it’s anybody’s guess where the depth will come. Deandre Johnson is a mid-term freshman who originally committed to Mississippi State before the Vols flipped him. The Miami product was coveted by a bunch of high-profile teams when he committed to the Vols, and he looked like he could possibly help out this spring. With so few bodies, he almost has to. At 6’4″, 235 pounds, he needs to get into the weight room and work out as if he’s going to be in the two-deep rotation because he just might. Redshirt freshman Mykelle McDaniel is another player who may wind up in the rotation. He was a late addition to UT, and after being disciplined in December for a violation of team rules, it was unclear what his future would be with the team. If he’s back and in good stead, he may wind up being a player for the Vols.

Of all the prospects UT has coming in (Matthew Butler, Kivon Bennett, Ryan Thaxton and Marquez Bembry), Butler without question has the clearest path and the best chance at immediate playing time. At 6’4″, 280 pounds and built like a brick wall, the Garner, North Carolina, native has impressed coaches early with his in-shape arrival. He’s a guy who the Vols were thrilled to get, and Butler may wind up contributing right away. He may have to along with Johnson. Bennett — the son of former Alabama and Buffalo Bills great Cornelius “Biscuit” Bennett — is a likely redshirt candidate to do some body reshaping, and though the Vols would love for a speed-rusher like Bembry to be ready in ’17, coming off a knee injury, he may need some extra time as well. That leaves Thaxton, who looked great in street clothes at the spring game, but he wasn’t one of the two guys defensive coordinator Bob Shoop mentioned at a recent Big Orange Caravan stop in Chattanooga.

That would be Butler and Johnson.

“Probably the guy who’s maybe the most ready for the 2017 season as a rookie is the Butler kid, Matt Butler,” Shoop said Saturday afternoon during Tennessee’s opening big Orange Caravan stop at First Tennessee Pavilion, according to GoVols247’s Ryan Callahan. “He’s kind of come in on a mission. He’s very mature, very driven, has a mindset as if he wants to — it’s not in his mindset to redshirt. That’s not part of his vocabulary.

“He’d like to compete with these guys and see what happens.”

That would mean a defensive end rotation of Kongbo, Phillips, Taylor, Butler and Johnson with the potential of the Vols going to a jumbo package and moving a guy like Quay Picou or perhaps Alexis Johnson out there. It’s also possible outside linebacker Austin Smith, who played some defensive end a season ago before getting hurt, could play with his hand down as well. The Vols could use another body or two at the position, but the youngsters need some time to develop.

Defensive tackle

At tackle, it has the potential to be a completely different story if Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle come back healthy. For McKenzie, that shouldn’t be an issue. It’s just a matter of playing at the form of his former 5-star recruit status. So far, he’s not come anywhere near matching the “can’t-miss” label he had when he came in to Knoxville. He lost weight before his first season, and after working on his technique last year, he’s a junior and a prime breakout candidate. The Vols certainly need him to be the big, strong run-stopper he was tabbed to be. He played in just seven games before tearing his pectoral muscle against Alabama and being lost for the season. 

Tuttle, on the other hand, has shown flashes of being one of the most dominant defensive players on the team when he’s healthy during his first two seasons. Problem is, he hasn’t been healthy much, suffering season-ending injuries both years. The 6’2″, 311-pound junior has played just 13 games in two years, and the Vols desperately want to see him healthy and on the field. Still, his status is up in the air entering the fall.

Beyond those two, the Vols have plenty of strong-looking depth on the inside. One of the most underrated players on the entire team is rising redshirt senior Kendal Vickers, who reshaped his body from a defensive end late arriver as a freshman to a quality contributor the past two years on the interior of the line. He’ll start for the Vols in 2017, and he’s got the potential to anchor a very strong unit up the middle, especially if Tuttle and McKenzie come back healthy. Vickers is not spectacular, but he’s a steady player who is a quality starter for the Vols and a third guy if McKenzie and Tuttle live up to their potential.

Alexis Johnson looked this spring like he is going to be a big help, if not a potential sleeper starter. At 6’2″, 295 pounds, he’s in shape and plays with a burst. After missing all of last year after being suspended for personal issues, Johnson will start his UT career on the field a season late, but if he can emerge as the kind of player the Vols wanted when he was offered by Alabama, Georgia and others as one of the top JUCO defensive tackles in the country, he’ll pay major dividends.

Picou’s athleticism is something that is exciting to project as well. He was forced into action as a true freshman long before he was ready, and that essentially burned a year of his eligibility. Now, the 6’1″, 277-pound lineman should be firmly in the rotation as a junior, and there’s at least a possibility he could slide outside some though he doesn’t have the speed to get to the quarterback much. He’s a player who should help the Vols a lot in his final two years. Finally, Paul Bain is a 6’5″, 290-pound redshirt junior who transferred from Tusculum and is a guy who showed flashes in orange a year ago. Though he isn’t a sexy pick, Bain is a good football player who will help the Vols in his final two years. All the guy does is make plays when he’s on the field, so expect him to be there.

Conclusion

A glance at Tennessee’s defensive line depth chart probably doesn’t give you the warm-and-fuzzies like it did a season ago. But with Hoke at the helm and some talent with which to work, the Vols could piecemeal a good group. Will they dominant? No, probably not. And there are A TON of ifs. But…

IF Shy Tuttle and Kahlil McKenzie return to form on the defensive interior and…

IF Darrell Taylor, Jonathan Kongbo and Kyle Phillips can show everybody why they were recruits everybody in the nation wanted and…

IF Matthew Butler and Deandre Johnson can step right in and play meaningful, quality snaps and…

IF Alexis Johnson and Kendal Vickers are more than just nice, steady players but impact SEC linemen, then…

The Vols could wind up with a good defensive line. There are plenty of reasons to worry on the defense, and though Hoke is bringing in some marquee recruits, those guys can’t help in 2017. Some magic needs to happen, and players need to step up.

Prediction

DE – Jonathan Kongbo, Kyle Phillips, Matthew Butler
DT – Shy Tuttle, Kahlil McKenzie, Paul Bain
DT – Kendal Vickers, Alexis Johnson, Quay Picou
DE – Darrell Taylor, Deandre Johnson, Mykelle McDaniel

Gameday Today: Public relations is apparently important on Rocky Top

Gameday Today welcomes a public relations expert to Rocky Top, weighs in on redshirts and graduate transfers, and marvels at what Derek Barnett can do with a cheap pen. All this and more in today’s Vols link roundup.

Football

Tennessee has hired Zach Stipe as Director of Football Communications, which I’m guessing is fancypants language for public relations specialist. Stipe will ” work closely with head coach Butch Jones to implement and execute communications strategies aimed at promoting and publicizing Volunteers football.” The jokes here sort of write themselves, but I’m going to refrain from making any of them because I think this is a great addition to the staff. Stipe, who spent three years on the Tennessee media relations staff from 2008-11, returns to Rocky Top off a stint at Florida State, where he had worked since 2010 and had supervised the promotion of Seminoles football since 2013. He also got promoted to Director of Football Communications in 2015, so he’s an up-and-comer. Tennessee hasn’t exactly been Champions of PR, but now they can at least compete. Okay, so I won’t refrain from every joke.

You have to love incoming linebacker Will Ignont’s confidence:  “I want to come in and not have a freshman mindset,” Ignont told GoVols247 this week. “I want to come in like I’m already a Tennessee Vol. Because I know I can play.” I like this guy already.

[ess_grid alias=”grt-2017-promo-grid”][/ess_grid]

 

Former Vols QB Sheriron Jones has decided on the community college route and will transfer to Independence Community College in Kansas. He’ll need to play there a year before returning to another FBS program, at which point he’ll have two more years to play. Best of luck, young man.

Oddsmaker Danny Sheridan is predicting that Tennessee will lose to Kentucky this year. I don’t know whether he’s putting pennies or dollars or kneecaps on the line, so I don’t really know what to make of this. The Wildcats are going to be better this year than they were last, but I still like the Vols in the matchup. 

247Sports is playing the What If Game, Josh Dobbs edition, asking what historical dominoes might have fallen if Dobbs had not changed his mind about Arizona State and come to Rocky Top. Just thinking of the last few years without Dobbs makes me pouty.

SEC coaches are apparently “positively inclined” toward allowing players to participate in up to four games without burning their redshirts. Currently, players lose their redshirt seasons with the first snap they take unless they are injured in the first four games of the season, in which case the medical redshirt rule kicks in to save the day. This proposed new rule would apply the same four-game rule to all players regardless of injury. It would allow coaches to get players experience while still preserving eligibility, and to the extent it matters (which is NONE), I am positively inclined to support the rule change as well.

I have a rule against allowing Paul Finebaum’s face on the TV at the store, but this is a good discussion of graduate transfers, and so we’ll hold our noses and wash our hands afterwards. Tennessee was in a bit of a dilemma here, as the proper stance was to support the relaxation of the rule so the SEC is on a level playing field with other conferences, but doing so right now (which is what they reportedly did yesterday) is likely going to result in former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire playing for the Florida Gators this fall. Boo. I like Florida teams without good quarterbacks.

Gridiron Now has ranked every conference by their respective wide receiving units. The SEC ranked second to the Pac-12, and the site put Tennessee’s Jajuan Jennings in the “2nd tier, now or potential” category The headliners of the conference are Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk, Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, Florida’s Antonio Callaway, South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel, and Missouri’s J’Mon Moore. Go get ’em, Jennings.

Hoops

Rick Barnes says that Tennessee has added confidence and competition to the roster with the transfers this season. Good news.

VFLs

NFL.com has ranked the best Tennessee draft picks since 2000 and put Jason Witten at the top of the list. Eric Berry is second. Peyton Manning was before 2000, in case you’re flipping out.

And Derek Barnett’s deal with the Philadelphia Eagles is officially official:

That is a man with a pen, right there. More specifically, it’s a man signing a piece of paper worth $12,850,772 with a ten cent Bic. Woo.

 

 

Gameday Today: Butch Jones, “classic over-explainer”

Gameday Today nods its head at the suggestion that Butch Jones is a “classic over-explainer,” loves new punters and old defensive ends, and wonders how many coaches will carry bullhorns on the sidelines this fall.

Butch Jones, Pitchforks, and Kum Ba Yah: An epilogue

Another national columnist weighs in, as USA Today’s Dan Wolken discusses Jones and his somewhat fragile relationship with a portion of the Tennessee fan base. Particularly interesting is Wolken’s suggestion that “you’re losing if you’re explaining, no matter how much you’re winning,” and his description of Jones as a “classic over-explainer.” It would seem that one of new athletic director John Currie’s main priorities is going to be managing “the disconnect between the real progress Tennessee has made under Jones and the toxic assessment of him that swirls around the social media sphere.” Well, that and deciding how best to undo the Lady Vols brand mess.

Local guy Mike Griffith says in a bit of a throwaway comment that UT is actively limiting access to Jones and encouraging less discussion about football, presumably as part of a strategy to give Jones the time he needs this fall to let his performance speak for itself.

In not unrelated news, Jones and his staff will be in Chattanooga this Saturday to attend the Big Orange Caravan, which has been remade into a “low-cost, family-friendly deal, where if your kid runs around a little bit, you don’t have to keep them quiet the whole time.” That sounds like more of a tailgate party than a star chamber for the head coach, and I’m all for it. As long as they actually make it to the Tri Cities.

Recruiting

Tennessee got a commitment yesterday from the nation’s top-ranked punter, Skyler DeLong. Tennessee’s class currently ranks ninth in the nation, according to 247Sports.

Congrats to Tennessee quarterback commit Adrian Martinez, who was recently named an Under Armour All-American.

Tennessee extended several new offers to recruits yesterday, including linebacker Caleb Kelly, defensive end/linebacker Andrew Johnson, Top 50 defensive end Nathan Pickering, and offensive lineman Harry Miller. 

VFLs

Congratulations to VFL Derek Barnett for signing a four-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. No word on the details yet, but Spotrac had projected it to be nearly $13M.

Miscellaneous fun stuff

SEC head of football officials Steve Shaw has apparently said (via quote on Twitter, thus the crazy grammar) that “coaches coming onto the field to argue calls will get automatic 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty.” Who’s your pick for the first coach to start carrying a bullhorn on the sideline?

Tennessee barely snuck in to the Sporting News’ Preseason Top 25, at the 25th spot. SEC East teams ahead of them are Georgia (No. 10) and Florida (No. 15). So, Tennessee just has to beat them, and they’ll be in the Top 10, no problem.

RTT suggests that the mere presence of Chip Kelly is going to give athletic directors all over the country itchy trigger fingers this fall. That’s probably right.

If you can’t wait for the new roster to be updated, 247Sports has a 28-click list of jersey numbers for the Vols’ newcomers.

Gameday Today: Kum ba yah, giving Butch Jones the benefit of the doubt

Swords are beaten back into plowshares as people start to give irrepressible optimist Butch Jones the benefit of the doubt, John Adams remains confused, and Tennessee goes all in with Nike and experiments with parking passes. All that, plus hoops news and speedster Christian Coleman in Gameday Today.

And then everyone puts down their pitchforks

So yesterday, it was all outrage all the time, but today, everyone seems to have taken their happy pills. CBS’ Dennis Dodd makes the case that can only be made by an outsider, that Butch Jones is actually underrated. If you read only one thing today, read that.

But wait! There’s more! All for Tennessee says that Jones was actually right when he said that the Vols have competed for championships. And even Dave Hooker has come to the conclusion that Jones is just an irrepressible optimist, and isn’t that what you want in a head coach anyway, even if it makes fans roll their eyes?

Football

In other football news, Brad makes his projections for the Tennessee offensive line this fall. I’m with him mostly, but I think Coleman Thomas will start at center and that Jashon Robertson will go back to left guard, meaning the tackle spots are a three-way competition between Brett Kendrick, Drew Richmond, and Trey Smith. If I’m right, Brad’s shaving his head.

John Adams is confused about Tennessee’s preseason rankings. He has valid points, but it’s pretty easy pickings. They are preseason rankings, and nobody knows anything, so inconsistencies aren’t exactly smoking guns.

Dave Hart apparently extended (and improved, they say) Tennessee’s contract with Nike before he left. So the Vols will be with the swoosh through the end of the 2025-26 season. I’ve typed three things here and am settling on, “No comment.”

And Tennessee is experimenting with a new way for season ticket holders to get their parking passes and assignments. Haven’t tried it yet, myself, but okay. What they really need to do is figure out how to teleport me from the Tri Cities into section XX5 with a short stop at Strawberry Plains, because that would be lovely.

Basketball

New hoops players Zach Kent and Derrick Walker have arrived on campus, and Chris Darrington and James Daniel III plan to get here this week still. Yves Pons won’t show up until later, as he’s playing for France in the FIBA national team tournament.

Also, the SEC has announced conference opponents for the upcoming season. The Vols will play Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt both home and away. In addition, they’ll play Auburn, Florida, LSU, and Texas A&M at home and Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Missouri away.

The TFP has an interesting article on former Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin, who did a good job of honestly answering questions about his time at Tennessee while also being diplomatic about it. 

Miscellaneous other fun stuff

Vols track and field phenom Christian Coleman has been named the SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year. Not surprising for a guy who hasn’t lost a race yet this season. And be sure not to miss Mike Griffith’s excellent extended feature on Coleman at SEC Country.

Uh-oh. Peyton Manning is playing golf with Urban Meyer. Your pitchfork is leaning up against the wall in the corner.

Behind the paywalls

Looking for a reason to splurge for a subscription to 247 Sports? Here are two:

 

Post-Spring Projections: Tennessee Offensive Line

Let’s continue the series with a look at the Tennessee offensive line depth chart exiting spring with a prediction of what to expect this September.

Spring practice — like most all the springs before of the Butch Jones era — didn’t tell us much. But after what we saw and read, we can make some prognostications about what we may see, or at least expect to see, once fall practice starts. So, over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m going to break down position-by-position what we saw, what we read and what I’ve heard about to project who’s gonna play where come opening weekend against Georgia Tech.

We’ll continue this series with our look at the offensive line

OFFENSIVE LINE

The addition of Walt Wells inserted into the coaching equation for the Vols replacing Don Mahoney already has paid massive dividends on the recruiting trail. But just how far the offensive line can take Tennessee may wind up being the difference in how long this coaching regime lasts in Knoxville.

It’s that big of a deal.

Everybody wants to talk about the quarterback battle — and rightfully so — but the bottom line is UT must have MUCH better offensive line play than it has experienced in the Butch Jones era in order to be successful offensively in the post-Joshua Dobbs era. After all, the former UT dual-threat quarterback oftentimes made up for mistakes up front. That won’t be the case if Quinten Dormady wins the job because he’s more of a traditional drop-back passer, and it may not happen if Jarrett Guarantano and his inexperience win the job, either.

That’s why the Tennessee offensive line, which jokes about spending life in the shadows on social media, needs to step onto center stage in 2017.

This spring showed glimpses of reasons to be excited as UT blends a ton of talent with a wealth of experience. It may not even be out of the realm of possibility to see an upperclassman redshirt to provide depth down the road. Tennessee’s potential up front is that strong. But potential and production, as 2016 proved in every area of the Vols, are two different things. UT has a stable of versatile linemen, so where they wind up is anybody’s guess. But where’s the fun in that? Let’s take a guess at where they’ll fall when everything sorts itself out.

Left tackle

Starting at the all-important left tackle position, the job is redshirt sophomore Drew Richmond’s to lose. The former highly touted recruit suffered an up-and-down season in ’16, but he did show some signs of being the player everybody expected coming out of high school in Memphis. With an offseason in Rock Gullickson’s strength & conditioning program, Richmond could take the next step forward. Richmond has a bright future, and he seems poised to take a big step forward after a strong spring. Look for him to beat out redshirt senior Brett Kendrick for the starting job, but Kendrick is a Swiss Army knife type of player who can (and will) help at a variety of positions. If Richmond falters for any reason, Kendrick should step right in, and it would be unwise to count out the fifth-year senior. Again, he’s a guy the Vols would love to have for another season, so his last year on Rocky Top could be spent helping out everywhere. Still, this looks like Richmond’s job to lose after this spring. Don’t sleep on Marcus Tatum getting a shot at this job if Richmond falters and Kendrick is entrenched at the other tackle spot. But it would be great to get Tatum a redshirt season.

Left guard

At left guard, Kendrick could definitely find a home there, and it would be a viable option for Tennessee if the Vols viewed him as one of the five best linemen, which he certainly was during the spring. This is a position that is as up-in-the-air as any on the team, and that’s not a bad thing. With Jashon Robertson working mostly at center this spring (and looking great doing it) Kendrick may be the guy who slots in here. But I’m going with a bit of a surprise and going with the spring stud, true freshman Trey Smith. The former 5-star prospect and ESPN.com’s top-ranked overall player in the country is almost certainly going to start somewhere. He’s that good. While he’ll get all kinds of looks at right tackle, it may be best for him to start out on the interior where mistakes may not be quite so glaring. Smith is going to be a monster and a Vol great — it’s evident he has the chops to do it — and while his long-term projection is at tackle, he may work his way into the rotation right away at guard.

Center

For the past two years, UT has played Coleman Thomas most of the time at center, but after a rough junior season and an emergency appendectomy this spring, it left the door open for somebody to take over. In a bit of a surprise, veteran Jashon Robertson was that guy, stepping in and looking like a natural. It may be the position where Robertson plays on the next level, and if the Vols and Wells are truly going to go with the five best players, it’s going to be impossible to keep him off the field. The senior from Montgomery Bell Academy will be a starter either at one of the guard spots or at center. The guess here is he slots inside snapping the ball, and UT either plays Thomas behind him or tries to get a redshirt year out of the senior so he can be the man at the position next year once Robertson leaves. That’s a pie-in-the-sky situation that probably won’t come to fruition. But Thomas would easily be the sixth offensive lineman in this scenario, and he’d play a lot regardless. 

Right guard

At right guard, this looks like a two-man battle between junior Jack Jones and redshirt sophomore Venzell Boulware. Both of those guys are going to start for the Vols in the future, and one of them will win the battle this year. Boulware may be the most talented interior lineman UT has (with the exception of Smith, who is best-suited for tackle). But Jones is a technician with a mean streak and tons of strength. Rather than go home for mini-term, he stuck in Knoxville to get some extra reps with Gullickson, sensing this may be his year to make a major move. Look for it to pay major dividends for the Vols and for himself as he beats Boulware out for the gig. But Venzell is uber-talented, and he’ll start at least a couple of games somewhere this year. That’s the good thing about UT’s offensive line: there are a lot of players who can play a lot of spots and play them well.

Right tackle

Finally, at right tackle, it’s anybody’s guess who’ll step in. But if we’re going to play Smith on the inside, that means Kendrick will fit in here as the starter. Why? Because Kendrick has played the position before, and he’s a veteran with a ton of experience. So, you put him there where he’s comfortable and play Smith on the inside right away. Of course, the Vols may decide Smith has to play tackle, in which case, Kendrick could play at guard where he’s worked in practice during his career but never in a game. In case you haven’t noticed by now, the options UT has are limitless.

The depth

So, that leaves the other guys, and there is no shortage of talent. First, there’s Chance Hall, who simply hasn’t been able to stay fully healthy since a promising freshman season. If Hall regains the talent, strength and consistency that made him a young force, he’s a guy who could bust the starting lineup wide-open. There’s no reason to give up on a talent like him yet, and Hall has a lot of football left to be played in Knoxville. Surely, some of that is going to be in the starting rotation. Another viable option who could really benefit from a redshirt year after playing as a true freshman a season ago is Marcus Tatum. The Florida product in no way looked out-of-place as a fill-in tackle a season ago despite being woefully undersized. If the Vols can get away with redshirting him this season, he may wind up being a multi-year starter in the future. He’s a guy a lot of top-notch teams wanted in the recruiting process, and he’s a high-upside player who essentially wasted a season a year ago that he needs to get back.

Others who can work their way into the rotation but are currently on the outside looking in for playing time are redshirt freshman Ryan Johnson from Brentwood who is 6’6″, 275 pounds and looks like a prototypical tackle prospect in the future. Of course, that means he probably will play guard. Tennessee doesn’t always play guys where they’re expected to go, and with so many tackle bodies on the exterior of the line, Johnson may have a quicker path to playing time inside. Nathan Niehaus filled out his thin frame nicely during his redshirt year, putting on some 40 pounds, and he’s now 6’6″, 295 pounds. The great thing about the Cincinnati tackle prospect is the Vols can bring him along slowly because they don’t need him right now. He’s somebody who could get some seasoning, strength and work his way into the rotation this year or next. Devante Brooks moved over from tight end after two bad knee injuries kept him from having the athleticism necessary to catch balls in the SEC, and though he’s currently just 255 pounds, he’s an intriguing prospect who may wind up being a worthwhile project as a tackle. Finally, freshman Riley Locklear was the staff’s top-rated center prospect in the 2017 recruiting class, and the Vols are thrilled to have the West Virginia product in the fray. He’s a guy who could take over snapping the ball once Robertson and Thomas are gone.

Prediction

LT – Drew Richmond, Brett Kendrick, Marcus Tatum, Nathan Niehaus
LG – Trey Smith, Jashon Robertson, Ryan Johnson
C – Jashon Robertson, Coleman Thomas, Riley Locklear
RG – Jack Jones, Venzell Boulware, Ryan Johnson
RT – Brett Kendrick, Chance Hall, Trey Smith, Devante Brooks

** NOTE: Coleman Thomas can play guard or tackle, too.

Gameday Today: ALL THE OUTRAGE OF THE DAY IN A SINGLE POST

Gameday Today rounds up the outrage of the day, including Butch Jones believing he’s making progress, Josh Dobbs wearing the colors of his new home, Vegas believing in Kentucky, and declining to cut off our South Florida nose to spite Lane Kiffin’s face.

Outrageous!

The SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida are underway, and so reporters are asking questions and coaches are opening their mouths and saying stuff that makes people MAD ONLINE:

“It’s a journey and it’s a process,” Butch Jones told reporters Tuesday. “I’m very, very grateful to all the players and staff that have really brought Tennessee football back. We still have so much to do, and it’s all about winning championships. But the first element that goes into winning championships is contending to win championships on a consistent basis, and our program has done that.”

The man said that we’ve taken a step, and OH THE HORROR AND OUTRAGE OF AGGRIEVED TWITTERERS! 

And the fire’s just beginning to burn. Because lo, Josh Dobbs is wearing a Penguins jersey! And the Tennessee-Kentucky line is a pick ’em! (This according to a motel in Vegas that apparently can’t afford a PDF scanner.) And Butch Jones has the audacity to believe that attending a Lane Kiffin satellite camp in South Florida isn’t awkward! I could spit!

I am OUTRAGED! INCENSED! MORTIFIED BY WORDS AND LAUNDRY AND STUFF! Mike Griffith, sir, why aren’t you mad? Do you hate America?

Football

Twenty-one members of the 2017 class reported to campus yesterday. With the five guys who enrolled in the spring and graduate transfer Shaq Wiggins also on campus and set to enroll Thursday, that leaves only receivers Jacquez Jones and Jordan Murphy on a delayed schedule. The team meets today and starts work with strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson tomorrow. Power up, boys!

Josh Smith and Todd Kelly Jr are having a workout party at D1 Sports Training and YOU’RE INVITED! You’ll have to have one of those Instagram thingies, though, because that article doesn’t say when or where, and you’ll have to track Smith and Kelly down by stalking them online.

Class of 2019 4-star receiver Kendrell Scurry has de-committed from Tennessee, and as far as I can tell, no one has used the word “scurry” to describe it, which is a terrible shame and a dereliction of duty for journalists and bloggers everywhere.

[ess_grid alias=”grt-2017-promo-grid”][/ess_grid]

 

Miscellaneous fun stuff

Tennessee athletic director John Currie will continue to explore neutral-site games. I’ve loved those games against Oklahoma and Virginia Tech, but I do wonder whether ramping up your non-conference slate might somehow be making it more difficult to win the SEC East. 

Butch Jones is hinting that there are some shenanigans going on behind the curtain when it comes to graduate transfers. He’s all for letting graduates transfer with eligibility remaining, but thinks the NCAA and the conferences need to be careful about how they go about allowing it. That sounds reasonable, but I’m sure that we can find something outrageous if we look long enough.

CBS has ranked the SEC by difficulty of schedule and slotted Tennessee as having the third-easiest slate of the entire conference. Hey, I’m on record as loving where the bye week is this year, but it hardly makes up for drawing both Alabama and LSU from the West.

Tennessee-Florida is set for 3:30 p.m. on CBS, as it should be.

We’re no fans of slideshows, but we’re such fans of great moments against the Florida Gators that we will gladly click ten times for all the feels on this one.