Category Archives: Football

Gooden’s injury: bad news, but no cause for panic

“You know unfortunately last night Emmit Gooden suffered a knee injury and won’t be with us this year.”

Jeremy Pruitt, 8/7/19

Heck of an opener there from Jeremy Pruitt yesterday. I didn’t see the video, so I can’t say for sure what his demeanor was, but from a cold reading of the text, that’s some remarkable restraint addressing some remarkably bad news.

What is Pruitt thinking? I mean, with the exception of quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, Emmit Gooden was probably the guy the team could least afford to lose to injury this season. As Patrick Brown said this morning, Gooden was the most proven player on the team’s most unproven unit. I’m relatively certain that every conversation I had or heard about the Vols this offseason included an unequivocal statement that the defensive line was the team’s biggest question mark. And now, the one thing we do know is that we can’t count on one of the guys we were counting on. Sigh.

If you’re counting the lost productivity, here’s how it all adds up. Defensive linemen Kyle Phillips, Shy Tuttle, and Alexis Johnson all started all 12 games last season, and they have all graduated. Today, you can add to that ledger that of the team’s most-productive back-up in Gooden, who started a game, played in all 12 and had 33 tackles, 7 TFLs, and a sack last season. You can probably also add any productivity from Kurott Garland to the mix, as he is making doe eyes at other schools through the transfer portal.

But here’s the thing. Pruitt does not sound distraught at all, pointing out that he still has “10 guys there right now.” Here’s what he’s talking about:

Apologies appear to be in order for Dawson Stephens and Gatkek Kueth, who apparently aren’t top-of-mind for Pruitt despite making the roster as DLs. But even without the walk-ons, that’s 12 guys. Take out Gooden and one other, and those are the 10 Pruitt’s counting on. Please, please, please let him be counting Garland as gone and Solomon as here.

At this point, I think it’s wise to trust Pruitt and to mirror his lack of panic concerning the loss of Gooden. Here’s why:

  1. There is still reasonable optimism that Aubrey Solomon will be granted eligibility to play this fall for the Vols. Yeah, it’s the NCAA, and yeah, that institution is as predictable as an inebriated roulette wheel, but come on. They don’t have to tap dance on a straight line while singing show tunes backward and blowing into the breathalyzer. We just need them to stay on the stool. You can do it!
  2. Correct me if I’m wrong about this, but I would think that the learning curve is not nearly as daunting along the defensive line as it is, say, for the offensive line. You do have to line up correctly, but the linebackers are there to assist with a well-timed smack on the butt if you happen to be wrong. After that, it’s just go get the ball until the whistle blows, right?
  3. These are some big bodies. Five of these guys are over 300 pounds, and Elijah Simmons is a monstrous 340. I’m pretty sure he’s harboring an illegal immigrant in each of his thighs.

Losing Gooden is most certainly not good news. But all is not yet lost. We still have the prospect of Solomon, and we have brute bulk and strength at a position for which that’s 90% of the job.

So, I’m not panicking. I would not be surprised to find that these guys do just fine this fall. Go get ’em.

Can Vols Make a Play for Former Georgia 5-star Brenton Cox?

With the news that former 5-star OLB Brenton Cox has decided to transfer (or, if you believe Georgia homers, has been dismissed) from UGA the logical question is of course where will he end up.  He’ll obvious be heavily coveted, assuming he doesn’t have serious skeletons in his closet, as he’s not only a former bluechip recruit but also comes with a full year of playing experience at the highest level of college football.  Last year he played in 13 games for the Dawgs, making 20 tackles including two tackles for loss and one sack.  He also started the Sugar Bowl and has 6 tackles in UGA’s loss to Texas. 

Cox was ranked as the #23 overall player in the 2018 class by the 247 Sports Composite and at 6’4 245 with elite athleticism is exactly what Pruitt and the Vols are looking for in an OLB.  While they are absolutely in the mix for elite edge prospects like BJ Ojulari, Reggie Grimes, and Savell Smalls in the 2020 class, to date they have not succeeded in bringing in a prospect of Cox’s caliber at the position and reasonably believe that it’s a major missing piece to get the Tennessee defense to another level.  Again assuming the reasons for his leaving UGA aren’t of the violent/felonious nature, the Vols should be all-in on trying to land him. 

The good news is that Tennessee has a major tie with Cox, as Pruitt was Alabama’s lead recruiter for him when he was their Defensive Coordinator.  And while he eventually signed with UGA after decommitting from Ohio State, Pruitt got Cox to take an official visit to Alabama in early December right before getting the Tennessee head coaching job and the Tide were thought to be his leader until Pruitt indeed left.  Given Pruitt’s reputation as a recruiter whose biggest strength is relationship building, one can assume that he and Cox had formed a pretty strong bond considering where Pruitt had gotten the Tide in that recruitment.  It’s also fair to assume that while current Tennessee ILB Coach Kevin Sherrer wasn’t Cox’s lead recruiter while at UGA that he and Cox are also very familiar with one another. OSU could end being a player given Cox’s prior status as a Buckeye commitment, but with Urban Meyer having departed Columbus they might be less of a factor. 

Either way, the expectation should be that every national power at least kicks the tires to gauge both the issues surrounding Cox’s departure and then his interest.  From there it will either be a quick decision – as some of these things end up being – or  knock down drag out fight for an immediate impact player.  Tennessee should be a factor here un the latter scenario if it wants to be.  Should they land Cox that would go a LONG way towards addressing one of the biggest needs in the 2020 class and he would be penciled in as an instant starter next season.  Stay tuned…

Defense: Can Vols Get Step-Up Performances from any Butch-era Bench Players?

We’ve taken a look at the potential for the 2019 Tennessee team were its former bluechip recruits on the offensive and defensive side of the ball to play up to their rankings.  When you look at it from that angle, there is reason for some optimism if you put a any amount of faith in Coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff to coach them up.  However, we’ve also stipulated that regardless of whether or not that elevation in play from former 5 and 4-stars happens, the team does not have enough quality depth across the board despite Pruitt’s relatively strong efforts in his stub 2018 class and first full class of 2019. 

Yesterday we took a look at the true Juniors and RS Sophomores from the class of 2017 as well as the handful of seniors and RS Jrs on the offensive side of the ball who, if they step up and play the best ball of their respective careers, can have a meaningful impact on the 2019 season.  Whether its providing quality depth and rest for the first-teamers or even better make big plays when the opportunity presents itself, shoring up the bottom portion of the roster (from a star ranking perspective) with play that exceeds what anyone is expecting from them would simply be huge for Tennessee. 

Below we look at the defensive side of the ball from that perspective:

DL

Matthew Butler (Jr)/Latrell Bumphus (Jr)/Jaquain Blakely (RS Jr)

There is expected to be greater overall depth on the DL this season after Tennessee leaned (too) heavily on three since-departed seniors.  However, there is a big difference between a player who can provide actual quality depth and “Just A Guy.”  Butler  is without a doubt the Vols are counting on to if not push for a starting role than be a first off the bench kind of player.  Bumphus and Blakely, both of whom have played TE in their time in Knoxville, are big guys with athletic ability – if that can translate this season into meaningful skill and ability on the DL such that they can give the starters some real rest without a huge dropoff that would be big

OLB

Deandre Johnson (Jr)/Kivon Bennett (RS So)

Johnson has shown flashes and has actually played a lot of football.  Bennett hasn’t played much on Saturdays but had a strong spring.  These two, along with former 4-star JUCO Jordan Allen, are going to be given every opportunity to take the OLB spot opposite Darrell Taylor.  Whoever does win that job will also probably get a lot of 1-on-1 chances as the hope is that Taylor is commanding double teams on every play.  If either, or preferably both, of them can step up and grab the opportunity and be legit pass-rush threats while also effectively setting the edge in the run game that would take the defense to another level and give DC Derrick Ansely much more freedom and flexibility with his back 7

ILB

Shanon Reid (Jr)

Solon Page (RS So)

Reid was a breakout star in the spring, having completely reshaped his body (read: got a lot bigger) while not losing any of the speed that was his calling card in high school.  At this point it seems like the Vols are counting on him to if not start at ILB – pending what a stud freshman like Henry To’oto’to can do – than at least give them a ton of high-quality snaps. 

Page on the other hand still hasn’t found his niche on defense and is likely a special teamer.  However, there’s a ton of value there too, and if he can make some big plays throughout the course of the season on coverage teams, etc, that would give the Vols a big boost

DB

Shawn Shamburger (Jr)/Theo Jackson (Jr) – sdafadsf

Cheyenne Labruzza (RS So)/Terrell Bailey (RS So) – asfads

Shamburger and Jackson have played a lot of football for Tennessee in their careers – unfortunately it’s been on two of the worst teams in the program’s history.  However, they both do have talent, and Jackson in particular could be in line to start at S.  That’s particularly the case depending on what happens with the Nickel position, where there’s a real chance that Nigel Warrior could slide down and take snaps there. 

Labruzza and Bailey have not played at all on defense in their respective careers to date, and it remains to be seen if they will.  That said, Labruzza has generated some buzz in the offseason and does have a pretty solid pedigree as a prospect and is also finally healthy.  He’ll be in the mix at Nickel and will also play teams for sure.  Anything the Vols can get from these two would be counted as a bonus and would boost the overall play of the team

Hope is Undefeated in August

It’s the first day of practice, a preseason NFL game was on last night, and Madden releases today. Welcome to August.

The power rankings for individual off-season days used to be topped by the release of that year’s NCAA Football game. By the time actual practice started you could throw for 3,500 yards and go undefeated with any Vol quarterback from Heath Shuler to Justin Worley. I think I only bought Madden in 2000 when the Playstation 2 came out, and in 2005 on the Xbox 360, when you had to wait a whole year for a next-gen release in the college game. But since 2013, we’ve been stuck with Madden; child-like imaginations might find their way to an orange-tinted team (maybe the Browns this year!), but it ain’t the same.

Without the video game atop the off-season rankings, maybe your favorite day is the first time you get your hands on Phil Steele’s magazine (or Gameday on Rocky Top’s!). SEC Media Days always let you know things are getting closer. The announcement of kickoff times for the first three weeks lets you make tangible plans.

We don’t get an inside look at the first day of Tennessee’s practice, though Fan Day is available on Sunday. We’ll wait for names to pop in sound bites and behind paywalls, and hope some of those names are on the defensive line.

But, at least for me, one of my favorite days this time of year is driving through the neighborhood and seeing your local high school team practicing. I haven’t lived in Knoxville for 14 years now, and still miss the way orange slowly increases in the community over the course of August. But that idea of a group of people coming together around a team is still alive and well on every high school field this time of year.

This is the month when reason gives way to hope. Reality sets in for everyone in September. But no matter how long it’s been – and it’s been a while for us – hope is undefeated in the month of August.

We’ll start finding out what kind of hope this August will bring today.

Go Vols.

Offense: Can Vols Get Step-Up Performances from any Butch-era Bench Players?

We’ve taken a look at the potential for the 2019 Tennessee team were its former bluechip recruits on the offensive and defensive side of the ball to play up to their rankings.  When you look at it from that angle, there is reason for some optimism if you put a any amount of faith in Coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff to coach them up.  However, we’ve also stipulated that regardless of whether or not that elevation in play from former 5 and 4-stars happens, the team does not have enough quality depth across the board despite Pruitt’s relatively strong efforts in his stub 2018 class and first full class of 2019. 

That said, despite the coaching change there has been relatively little attrition, which not only lends credibility to the belief that the players in the program have bought into what Pruitt is trying to build but also leaves a base of older players  – even if  they weren’t bluechip recruits – who could just be looking for the kind of development that was sorely lacking during Butch Jones’s tenure.  Specifically, the much maligned class of 2017 – Jones’s final class – is now made up of true Juniors and RS Sophomores, and as can be seen below there are still quite a few of them – eighteen to be exact.  A handful of seniors and RS Jrs also dot the list below.

Along with getting the most out of its most talented players, squeezing as much juice from the former 3-star proverbial Big Oranges, who have contributed to varying degrees during their time on campus, would go a loooong way towards helping the 2019 team get over the current hump and win 7, 8, even 9 games this season.

RB/HB

Tim Jordan (Jr) – battling for the #2 spot with Jeremy Banks and Eric Gray behind Ty Chandler, Jordan brings a specific set of strengths and limitations to the Vol RB corps.  If he’s improved his vision and straight line speed while keeping and even building on his natural strength and tackle-breaking ability, that would go a long way towards solidifying the position

Princeton Fant (RS So)/Austin Pope (RS Jr) – two guys who’ve bounced around position-wise, each of Fant and Pope have the size and skill to be a Swiss Army Knife HB weapon for Coach Chaney.  Fant in particular just looks like former Vol Chris Brown, and if he can approximate that level of production it would open up a ton for the Vol offense

WR

Josh Palmer (Jr)/Jordan Murphy (Jr)/Brandon Johnson (Sr) – likely the #3/4/5 WRs in the rotation pending Jajuan Jennings’s health, these guys are being counted on heavily.  Palmer in particular oozes NFL potential with his size/speed combo and ability to high point the ball.  If he takes another step this season he could absolutely jump to the WR1 spot

Jacquez Jones (RS So)/Maleik Gray (RS So) – two guys who haven’t done anything yet in their two years on the Hill, were one of them to jump up into the rotation and give Chaney and Jarrett Guarantano another option or two at the position that would be huge.  More likely for these two is special teams duty where – especially given the small talent differentials between Tennessee and quite a few teams on the schedule – a big play or two could swing the season

OL

K’rohjn Calbert (RS So)

Marcus Tatum (RS Jr)

Nathan Niehaus (RS Jr)

Riley Locklear (Jr)

Calbert is far and away the most physically gifted of the four OL listed, yet has played the least amount of football.  He will be in the mix for a starting RG spot when fall camp kicks off.  And while the other three have all started and played quite a bit, the best case scenario for the Vols is that the younger and more talented players earn starting roles and these guys provide the kind of high quality experienced depth that Tennessee hasn’t had on the OL for most of the last decade

Given the volume of players at each position, it’s easy to see both the necessity for the Vols that some of these players step up as well as how big it would be.  Even if none of them become starters but just provide quality depth and rest for the first-teamers or even better make big plays when the opportunity presents itself, shoring up the bottom portion of the roster (from a star ranking perspective) with play that exceeds what anyone is expecting from them would simply be huge for Tennessee.

Robinson Gives Vols Trio of Interior Maulers to Build OL Class Around

While the 2019 OL class was built around 5-star OTs Wanya Morris and Darnell Wright, the Thursday commitment of James Robinson – to go with earlier commitments Javontez Spraggins and Cooper Mays – gives Tennessee an outstanding threesome of interior roadgraders around whom they are building this class to complement last year’s OT haul.   While Mays appears to be pegged for Center, both Robinson and Spraggins look like they can play both Guard positions and Robinson even appears to have at least some potential to kick out to Right Tackle.  At least at first, however, he’ll likely be paired on the inside with the aforementioned classmates.  All three are well known for their nasty dispositions and bring the size to back up the attitudes. 

Robinson likely caps off Tennessee’s interior OL class as long as they can hold onto Spraggins, whose recruiting is still in the midst of blowing up, especially since the class of 2019 also featured two interior OL in Jackson Lampley and Chris Akporoghene.  Therefore OL Coach Will Friend and the rest of the staff will now turn their focus to much needed OTs.  Tackles are always a hot commodity every cycle, but for the Vols their an even bigger need despite last year’s stud tandem because the roster is still thin there.  Top options there include the following:

Chris Morris is currently in a heated battle the Vols and  Texas A&M, with Tennessee probably trailing the Aggies at this point.  He took his OV to Knoxville for their Cookout recruiting event in late June before the Dead Period began, then visited College Station unofficially after the Dead Period ended and has been there quite a few times.  Tennessee will undoubtedly need to get him back to campus, ideally for a game and then again for another unofficial in December, since A&M still has their OV available

Marcus Dumervil spent 3 days in Knoxville in mid-June after having OV’d to both LSU and OU in the spring.  He took an UV to instate UF when the Dead Period ended last weekend and the Gators have made a move there.  He does have ties to Vols via Josh Palmer and Kivon Bennett from St Thomas Aquinas HS.  This is going to be a bigtime battle but the Vols are definitely in play here and look like a likely OV destination for him in the fall

JUCOS Tariq Stewart and Antwan Reed have ties to Vol staffer Joe Osovet from his days as the former head coach at their Junior College.  Stewart has an offer from Maryland after earning a UT offer when he and Reed camped in June.  Reed was a Penn State commitment before academic concerns caused him to sign with Western Michigan before ultimately heading to JUCO

Tyson Wannamaker is a longtime South Carolina commitment with a tie to Chris Rumph via a longtime relationship with Tyson’s father.  He visited the Vols for their Cookout event in late June before the Dead Period began and Tennessee continues to be in contact with him and the family.  That one is likely an uphill battle for the Palmetto State native and longtime Cocks commitment, but the Vols will look to hang around and get him back to campus for an OV

The best news of fall camp

It’s almost August, the time of year when optimism not only blooms but grows into a monster with an unquenchable thirst for blood. Everybody’s 0-0 and dreaming of wins.

Most Tennessee fans, though, if they are dreaming at all, are dreaming modest dreams of six to eight wins. But things can always change in a hurry, and all it takes is just an innocent little taste of some good news. Feed me, Seymour!

Here’s what I’m hoping to hear over the next several weeks leading up to kickoff.

Trey Smith is cleared to play

If you’re a Vols fan, you know Smith’s story, but here’s the nutshell version: Incredibly highly-touted and recruited, Smith chose Tennessee, lived up to the hype as a true freshman, and then had his career derailed by a serious medical condition. He got back on the field early last year, but was sidelined by relapse. It had to be terrible news for him, and it wasn’t good for the team, either.

This offseason, so far, is playing out like the last in that Smith is working to get back on the field, but there’s been no official word heading into fall camp whether he’ll be able to play. At SEC Media Days a couple of weeks ago, Jeremy Pruitt said that the team and Smith’s doctors were “figuring out a plan” to have him play, which sounds encouraging. But until there’s an official announcement that Smith is going to suit up and start hitting people, we’ll just have to sit and wait and dream those modest dreams.

If Smith plays, his presence will immediately improve the outlook for an offensive line that was the chokepoint for the entire offense last season. This unit should improve even if Smith can’t play, but with him, the improvement could prove quite dramatic. And that, along with a capable defensive line, could make the most difference for the team this fall.

Aubrey Solomon is ruled eligible

Speaking of the defensive line . . . Aubrey Solomon is a 6’5″, 299-pound DL who transferred to Tennessee from Michigan this offseason. A 5-star recruit and an Army All-American out of high school, Solomon played in 13 games as a true freshman at Michigan and had 4 starts and 18 tackles. Last season, he suffered a knee injury early in the season and played in only five games.

Bottom line, this guy’s good (assuming he’s healthy), and Tennessee desperately needs him, as the majority of the productivity along last year’s defensive line has walked across the aisle, diploma in hand, never to return again.

Unfortunately, Solomon’s fate is in the hands of a schizophrenic mad man. For him to play as a Volunteer this fall, the NCAA will have to rule him immediately eligible, and the body of law that constitutes the NCAA’s eligibility decisions can best be summed up as “Huh?” Maybe if he petitions for wisdom, he’ll get both wisdom and immediate eligibility. Hey, it could work.

Pruitt, at SEC Media Days, said that they’d not yet received a ruling, and as you keep your eyes peeled for a headline that says Solomon has been cleared to play this fall, don’t trust Twitter.

No injuries, medical conditions, or early retirements

Just two short years ago, Tennessee was on the cusp of becoming Injury-U. Just prior to the 2017 season, we discussed Phil Steele’s bounce-back data, which is a measure of how many starts a team loses to injury in a given year. At the time, the data showed that Tennessee had lost more starts to injury (52) than any other team in college football in 2016. Woo.

The kicker? Having a lot of injuries in a season generally means that the team does better the following year, but the Vols bucked the trend and instead put together a two-year injury dynasty, leading the nation in starts-lost-to-injury in 2017 as well. As far as I can tell, Steele isn’t compiling that data anymore, and I suspect Tennessee is the reason why.

The numbers for 2018 elude me, but just going from memory, I’d have to say that Tennessee wisely abdicated its injury throne last year. Yes, I know there’s been a plague of medical retirements and that the offensive line has been hit the hardest, but it did seem to be mostly better last year, didn’t it?

Regardless, some of the best news we could get this August will be in the form of no news: no news of injuries, no news of more medical conditions, no news of early retirements. This no news is good news.

Making time for Guarantano

One other important bit of news I’ll be actively looking for over the next month is word that quarterback Jarrett Guarantano will be spending more time on his feet and less time having grass stains power-washed off his vertebrae.

Guarantano was sacked on over 8% of his dropbacks last season, and 39% of his throws were made under pressure. Dude needs more time to do his job, is what I’m saying.

As David Hale says in that linked article, Guarantano was much better than most are willing to give him credit for despite suffering from acute temporal distress. Imagine what he could do with just a little more time.

The team can make time for Guarantano on two fronts. First, improvement along the offensive line would increase the actual amount of time he has to make decisions. Second, if Guarantano can improve the speed at which he makes throwing decisions, he’ll decrease the amount of time he needs to throw. I’m no math whizz, but I think that if you combine those two things, Guarantano will have more time to operate back there, and the passing game should improve. Plus, Jim Chaney is probably worth a few ticks himself.

An improved passing attack should help the run game as well by preventing defenses from reducing Tennessee’s offense to a one-dimensional, can’t-do-anything mound of unproductive activity. Balance, it’s all the rage.

So there you have it, the tasty bits of news I’m desperate to hear during fall camp.

What is it you want from Seymour?

What if Highly Ranked Vols on Defense Play to their Ranking?

In our last piece we looked at the 5 and 4-stars on the offensive side of Tennessee’s roster and wondered what the Vols’ offense would look like in 2019 if the most highly recruited players on the team – from seniors to true freshman – play up to their rankings this season.

Acknowledging that Tennessee not have enough bluechip talent, there is some on both sides of the ball.  So what would happen if when camp starts on Friday Strength & Conditioning Coach Fitzgerald has worked wonders and then Pruitt and his staff can get all of his blue-chip talent to play up to those past rankings?  Before we even get to former 3-stars being coached up and playing beyond those rankings, if the Vols can get its true top-end talent to play like it things could look much different this fall.  As an aside, both the dearth of top-end talent that existed on the roster when Coach Prutt took over as well as how quickly he’s added a good amount of bluechippers is striking when you look at it from this angle.

Below, by position, are former 5-and high 4-stars on Tennessee’s 2019 defensive roster:

DL

5-star Aubrey Solomon

4-stars Greg Emerson, Emmit Gooden, Savion Williams

Assuming Solomon gets his transfer waiver, he and Gooden and Williams are quite possibly the starting DL.  That’s a legit SEC DL – each bluechippers as recruits and each with the kind of size and talent necessary to win the line of scrimmage more often than not. Emerson is coming off RS season after a gruesome injury cost him his senior high school season but he’s now almost 2 years removed and likely is in the best shape of his life.  He’s not currently being counted by most observers as even part of the 2nd wave of the DL rotation, but what if he takes a leap and emerges as one of, say, the Top 5 DL?  All of the sudden Tennessee’s DL goes from being arguably the biggest question mark on the team to a real strength.

LB

5-stars JJ Peterson, Quarvaris Crouch

4-stars Daniel Bituli, Darrell Taylor, Will Ignot, Jordan Allen, Henry To’oto’to, Roman Harrison

The position with the most bluechip talent on the entire roster, the issue of course is that three of them are true freshman and one is a RSFr.  However, this is a spot where guys playing up to their billing – both off the edge as well as ILB – would be just huge.  A pass-rushing group led by Taylor, Crouch, Allen and Harrison playing like truly elite players, complemented by a an ILB wrecking crew of Bituli, Ignot, To’oto’to, and Peterson (who could also play some at OLB) would not only cause problems for offenses in both the passing and running games but also give DC Derrick Ansley tons of options and flexibility. 

DB

5-stars Nigel Warrior

4-stars Alontae Taylor, Bryce Thompson, Jaylen McCullough, Tyus Fields, Deangelo Gibbs

Another position where the majority of the elite talent on the roster skews incredibly young, the secondary will likely feature at least three former 5 and 4-stars among the five starters.  If Gibbs is eligible he’s instantly vying for a starting spot at Nickel, and either way true freshman McCullough will be in the mix there.  If the light turns on and Warrior takes a 5-star leap while both Taylor and Thompson make a big jump in their sophomore season, the secondary could end up being the #1 strength of the team.

As you can see, while there isn’t enough elite talent on the roster – yet – there is perhaps more than one might think on both sides of the ball.  What Tennessee fans are hoping is that Coach Pruitt, Coach Chaney and Coach Ansley, along with the rest of one of the highest paid staffs in the country, can unlock that potential.  If so, and of course if they can also get some 3-stars to play up a level at the same time, the program will make the kind of massive improvement in Year 2 that both fans and recruits are looking for.

What if Highly Ranked Vols on Offense Play to their Ranking?

Before any discussion of Tennessee’s 2019 roster and season outlook can go anywhere, it must be acknowledged that the team does not have enough talent.  It doesn’t have enough talent to realistically compete for an SEC East championship; it likely doesn’t have enough talent to win more than 8 games; and it doesn’t even have enough talent to feel that good about beating all of the other SEC non-contenders on the schedule, including Missouri, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt.  That’s just where the program is right now and will be unti Coach Jeremy Pruitt adds another couple (1-2?)  of recruiting classes.  But…

What if the highest ranked and most highly recruited players on the team – from seniors to true freshman – play up to their rankings this season?  Because while Tennessee not have enough high 5-and-high-4-stars, and is still lacking high quality depth up and down the roster, there are still quite a few former blue-chip recruits on campus in Knoxville.  So what would happen if when camp starts on Friday Strength & Conditioning Coach Fitzgerald has worked wonders and then Pruitt and his staff can get all of his blue-chip talent to play up to those past rankings?  Before we  even get to former 3-stars being coached up and playing beyond those rankings, if the Vols can get its true top-end talent to play like it things could look much different this fall.

Below, by position, are former 5-and high 4-stars on Tennessee’s 2019 offensive roster:

QB

Jarrett Guarantano

There are differing opinions on JG, but regardless of how one feels about the Vols’ signal caller it’s clear he’s got more room to grow in order to live up to his billing as one of the very top high school QBs in the country. If he does that it might mean more than any other player on the list, as it goes without saying that top end QB play can take any team to another level

OL

5-stars Trey Smith, Wanya Morris, Darnell Wright

4-stars Brandon Kennedy, Jerome Carvin, Ryan Johnson, Jackon Lampley With Trey coming back from injury he’ll almost assuredly pair with Morris on the left side, and Kennedy is locked in as the starting Center.  Wright will be thrust into a battle at RT, while Carvin and Johnson are top contenders for the RG position and will be firmly in the rotation no matter who wins the starting job.  So Tennessee could potentially have 3 5-stars and 2 4-stars starting on its OL, with another 4-star as the top backup two true freshman OL– ignoring the potential perils of starting one let alone two freshman OL, that’s really strong.  And if those six in particular play like 5 and 4-stars, look out.  Ideally Lampley will redshirt, but even having the luxury to do so is a far cry from the very recent state of Tennessee’s OL. 

RB

4-stars Ty Chandler, Eric Gray, Carlin Fils-aime

That’s your likely starter and 3rd back in a 5-RB rotation in Chandler and Gray, with “CFA” being a potential gadget player in new OC Jim Chaney’s creative offensive system.  If Chandler and Gray can become bigtime Swiss Army Knife weapons all over the field and Chaney can optimize CFA’s very solid speed/power combination then the Vols will have an incredibly dynamic backfield.

WR

4-stars Marquez Callaway, Tyler Byrd, Ramel Keyton

One could strongly argue that Callaway has lived up to the ranking, but going back to the 2017 opener against Georgia Tech where he simply dominated, what if he does that every week?  What if Tyler Byrd has the lightbulb come on and looks like the borderline 5-star he appeared to be in the US Army All American Game? Keyton has an opportunity to break into the rotation depending on how many WRs Tee Martin wants to play, but what if he’s taken a huge step this summer in the weight room and has a Justyn Ross/Jaylen Waddle type freshman year?

TE

4-stars Dominick Wood-Anderson, Jackson Lowe

There are very big expectations for “DWA” coming into the season, as the former #1 JUCO in the country, for whom Tennessee beat out Alabama straight up, heads into his final college season.  He’s got elite size and speed, can block at the point of attack, and has good hands.  But he wasn’t the gamechanger needed last season – what if he is in 2019?  What if he becomes an All-American and a force at the position, both stretching the field and dominating in the red zone while being a third-down conversion machine?  Lowe is a big kid who had a nice spring as an early enrollee and has a chance to be the #2 TE.  If he is an immediate contributor and can be a dominant inline blocker in two-TE sets with DWA the Vols will have a lot of flexibility in terms of sets no matter the down and distance.

Especially at the incredibly important positions of Quarterback and Offensive Line, the Vols have enough bluechippers that if Coach Pruitt, Coach Chaney and the rest of the offensive staff can get 5 and 4-star performances from them both the floor and the ceiling for the 2019 Tennessee season are raised significantly.   That’s a big if, but not beyond the realm of possibility given the developmental history of the staff.  We’ll next take a look at the defensive side of the ball where Tennessee also has some real yet untapped talent.

The Need for Speed: Vols Land Blazer at WR

Tennessee picked up a bigtime commitment at its end of July pool party recruiting event on Saturday when WR Jalin Hyatt pledged to the Vols.  The former Virginia Tech commitment – a high school teammate and very close friend of current Vol stud CB Bryce Thompson – is the first pure WR commitment of the class for Tennessee, pairing with ATHs and potential WR commitments Darion Williamson and Jimmy Calloway.

Hyatt brings a number of things to the table that Coach Jeremy Pruitt covets in a prospect.  For one, he’s a certified winner, coming off his third straight state title at Dutch Fork HS in South Carolina’s 5A classification, and is regarded as a leader in that program.  Secondly, he’s a track athlete with blazing speed, something Pruitt is well known for targeting. In just the third track meet of his career this past March Hyatt set a new Dutch Fork record in the 200 meter dash, recording a Top 10 national laser-timed 21.33.  But that speed isn’t simply limited to the track or empty calorie measurables – Hyatt’s functional athleticism is on full display both in his high school tape as well as this spring as showed out at multiple events.  At The Opening in Charlotte he not only ran a 4.31 40 and won the camp’s fastest man contest but also shined in the skills portion and earned himself a 4-star rating by 247 Sports. He’s known for his great hands and shows impressive route running ability – especially or a guy who could do nothing but be a vertical threat and still be a real weapon – as well as the ability to high point the ball.  At over 6’0 and with a wiry frame, Hyatt is a true WR who just happens to have elite speed and in Tennessee’s Strength & Conditioning program has the kind of size/speed/ability combo as a rising high school senior to project as a potentially elite SEC WR. 

Hyatt also represents a recruiting win over the likes of not just Virginia Tech but also Michigan, Oregon, and Miami among others.  At the same time, the Vols now have two bigtime prospects from a powerhouse program in Will Muschamp’s backyard, which is always a positive.  Hyatt gives Tee Martin and Jim Chaney a true blazer in the class around which they can build the 2020 WR corps as they figure out where Williamson and Calloway fit and also continue to chase guys like Rakim Jarrett, Thaiu Jones-Bell, and a handful of other targets. 

Tennessee now has 13 commitments in the 2020 class and, particularly with how its positioned itself with a good number of highly recruited and rated instate prospects, has a chance to sign a Top 10 class come December and February.