Category Archives: Football

Tennessee Recruiting: What Does Jaylen McCollough’s Commitment Mean to the Vols?

Right now, Tennessee may not be beating Alabama and Georgia on the field or when it comes to comparing commitments. But star units aren’t necessarily made on the recruiting trail; they’re made in development.

Jeremy Pruitt is recruiting the type of players he wants to run his scheme, and he isn’t doing too badly in plucking star recruits, either.  Friday continued to prove that.  Before long, he may just have the type of secondary that he was used to having when he was the defensive coordinator with the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs.

The Vols continued their surge up the recruiting rankings on Friday when the commitment of 4-star defensive back Jaylen McCollough, a Power Springs, Georgia, prospect pledged to Tennessee over South Carolina, Alabama and others. He is a player I was very much hoping UT could secure and would be able to fit into the class numbers-wise.

You can’t turn away players of McCollough’s caliber.

Even more interesting is 4-star defensive back prospect Devin Bush, who was considered a Tennessee lean, tweeted that he was re-opening his recruitment on Friday, which is odd for an uncommitted player to do. Was he a silent pledge to the Vols? Was he afraid he was so much of a lock to UT that other teams [like Auburn, for instance] weren’t recruiting him as heavily?

If this is the case, it’s possible that means the Vols have more good news from a target higher on the board. That could be Madison, Alabama, defensive back Jaydon Hill, a long, lanky cornerback who was higher than anybody on UT’s radar and want-list than any cornerback named Elijah Blades [JUCO Oregon commit who chose the Ducks over the Vols] and Warren Burrell [already in the fold for the Vols].

All of a sudden, an area that looked like it could be a position of concern in the last recruiting cycle appears to be shaping up nicely for the future. The Vols love what they’re seeing in the early-going from cornerbacks Alontae Taylor and Bryce Thompson, two true freshman electric athletes who will have to get fire-baptized this year, but that will help them in the future. When you factor in safety Trevon Flowers, who excites UT with his athleticism, and even JUCO cornerback Kenneth George Jr. and freshman Brandon Davis, and it looks like Tennessee had a sneaky-good class of DB in the 2018 cycle.

Now, you throw in Burrell and big-hitting, physical corner Tyus Fields — two 4-star cornerbacks — to go along with North Carolina athlete Anthony Harris, who could play safety or wide receiver, and that’s a great start. The Vols added McCollough today, who could wind up being the biggest piece of the puzzle. Why? Because he’s a physical, in-the-box safety who could play the all-important Star position.

That spot is designed for players physical enough to step up in the run game but athletic enough to hold his own in coverage, too. Think of a nickelback with extra responsibilities. It’s what Minkah Fitzpatrick was so brilliant doing for Alabama and a bit like the role Eric Berry played in Monte Kiffin’s Tampa-2 defense in 2009.

If the Vols can add Hill to close the class, that’s stout. You’ve got your fast, athletic corners in this year’s freshman class [and Fields], you’ve got the big, physical corners in Burrell and Hill, then you’ve got some versatile players like McCullough.

That’s exactly the kind of mix you want. Pruitt is a known develop of defensive backs, and he wants a lot of different, moldable players. McCullough gives Tennessee an exciting player and also keep the Vols beating divisional foes for recruits. McCullough chose UT over other finalist South Carolina. Burrell was down to the Gamecocks, Florida, and N.C. State. Hill is down to the Vols, Gamecocks and Gators. Fields chose UT over N.C. State and Clemson.

The Vols know what they want in the secondary, and they’re getting some guys high on Pruitt’s list. That’s got to be music to Vols fans’ ears.

McCullough reminds me of former Georgia defensive back Bacarri Rambo, who is now with the Buffalo Bills. He’s a big, physical safety who plays with a chip on his shoulder, arrives in a hurry and packs a punch when he gets there. He doesn’t grade out really fast, but he plays much quicker than his 40 time and is seemingly always around the ball.

He continues Tennessee’s surge, and the Vols needed a guy like him in the class. He’s an important piece of the puzzle who could step in and play immediately once he gets on campus.

Ranking Season Openers on the Anticipation/Anxiety Scale

September 1 will be Tennessee’s 13th season opener against a ranked non-conference foe (thanks, as always, to the folks behind Tennessee’s media guide). Fun fact: five of those were against UCLA, from the first one in 1967 through Peyton Manning’s debut in 1994. The Vols are 5-4-3 in those games overall, most recently splitting a pair with California in 2006-07.

But when you’ve struggled like the Vols in the last decade, you don’t need a ranked opener to raise the stakes. Tennessee has had plenty of tense first tests in the last few years, many of them made so by uncertainty surrounding the head coach. Jeremy Pruitt will get the best kind of uncertainty – new coach, first game – against West Virginia. It’s the first impression, but it’s also a Top 20 opponent some are projecting far higher than that.

How will the first game set the tone for Jeremy Pruitt and 2018? How does it compare to some of the other season openers in recent memory in terms of anticipation and anxiety going in?

Level 1: The Sure Thing

  • 2004 UNLV, 1999 & 2002 Wyoming, FCS Opponents

Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley, and Butch Jones all opened their UT coaching careers with FCS opponents. In FBS/Division 1-A, you have to go back to the special jersey night game against UNLV to find a sure-thing opponent that actually played itself out that way. UAB the following year certainly felt like one going in.

Level 2: The Pseudo-Sure Thing

  • 2016 Appalachian State, 2015 Bowling Green, 2008 UCLA, 2007 California

A successful season, or at least a successful finish in the prior year, often creates overconfidence in the season opener. With Butch Jones it was capable mid-majors who were overlooked in part because of massive Week 2 opportunities in Oklahoma and Bristol. Phillip Fulmer’s last two teams opened on the road with Pac-12 opponents, one the Vols torched the year before and one the Clawfense was expected to torch. The lesson: never overlook a team with a pulse in week one.

Level 3: I Have No Idea

  • 2000 Southern Miss, 1998 Syracuse, 1994 UCLA

You have to go back almost two decades, but all three of these were some form of rebuild/reload against ranked opponents, two of them on the road. The ’94 Vols were replacing their starting tailback, both wide receivers, and the Heisman runner-up at quarterback. The ’98 Vols were replacing the next Heisman runner-up, along with several key defensive pieces. And in 2000, most of the pieces from that championship run were gone. It was a testament to the strength of Tennessee’s program that the Vols went 2-1 in these games, all of them close. Tennessee’s performance in these openers didn’t necessarily color the entire season (other than Jerry Colquitt’s injury in ’94), but did create a first impression that was ultimately reliable. West Virginia probably goes in this tier: the game shouldn’t be confused for a toss-up with the Vols at +9.5, but we know so little about Tennessee in the midst of starting over I feel like there’s more to learn here than just the outcome.

Level 4: I’m Nervous

  • 2017 Georgia Tech, 2014 Utah State, 2003 Fresno State

Disappointing season the year before + opponent you feel like you should beat but not blow out + additional anxiety you know will come if you lose = these openers, the rare kind that can create more anxiety than anticipation. The Vols were solid against Fresno in ’03, surprisingly good against Chuckie Keeton and Utah State in ’14, and we all remember the full spectrum of emotions that came with the Butch Jones experience last year. The stakes for losing a game like this are so high it creates a, “Why did we schedule these guys?” mentality, even though those decisions are made far before we know what kind of anxiety/anticipation we’ll be feeling leading up to kickoff.

Level 5: Everything is on the line!

  • 2012 NC State, 2006 California

The ol’ let’s make decisions about the future of the program opener, when a disastrous season the year before and a capable opponent in the first game create a tense situation. The Vols went 2-0 in these games, though one was a false positive. Looking at things this way gives me additional appreciation for what the Vols did to Cal in 2006. It’s the fantasy we’d like to come true every time we play a significant opponent in the season opener; fortunately the West Virginia game doesn’t carry the same burden of the fate of the program at stake.

It’s only the first impression, but it will be a meaningful one for Jeremy Pruitt and this Tennessee team. Where does it rank for you in terms of anticipation and anxiety?

 

Vols pick up commitment from 4-star safety Jaylen McCollough

Jaylen McCollough, a 4-star safety from Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, announced this morning that he has committed to Tennessee:

According to 247Sports, McCollough is a solid 4-star prospect (.9434 in the composite), the nation’s 10th-best safety, and the nation’s 131st-best player overall. He had offers from the likes of Georgia, Ohio State, USC, Penn State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Auburn, Florida, South Carolina, and others.

McCollough’s the 19th commitment in the Class of 2019 for the Vols and the third highest-ranked player in the class so far behind offensive tackle Wanya Morris and receiver Ramel Keyton. With the commitment, Tennessee moves to No. 11 in the national rankings. The blue-chip ratio of the class is now 8:11, or 42%.

At 6’0″ and 194 pounds, McCollough’s already in the height and weight range for the safety position in Jeremy Pruitt’s ideal defensive roster blueprint and figures to make some noise in the secondary next fall.

Pruitt’s offensive blueprint: Still short on OL and WR

Last week, we looked at how much progress Jeremy Pruitt has seemingly made in re-shaping the Tennessee roster to fit his presumed ideal. Apart from being a few ideally-sized guys short at defensive end, the numbers all seem to be right on that side of the ball.

On the offensive side of the ball, though, there’s still some work to do at wide receiver and offensive line.

Quarterbacks

Goal

  • 3-4
  • Between 6’1” and 6’5”
  • Between 200-230

Guys who meet the criteria (3)

Every guy on the current roster meets the height criteria, and all but one – Keller Chryst – meets the weight criteria. Chryst is listed at 239 pounds, nine pounds over the max ideal weight.

So, here’s the list of the guys who fit the blueprint at quarterback:

  • Will McBride (6-1, 209)
  • Jarrett Guarantano(6-4, 209)
  • JT Shrout (6-3, 210)
  • Bart Harris (6-5, 214)
  • Zac Jancek (6-1, 229)

Guarantano, McBride, and Shrout all fit the criteria, and the coaching staff is presumably okay with Chryst (6-5, 239) being a bit heavy or they wouldn’t have enlisted him as a graduate transfer.

Status

Goal met. Not counting the practice guys (Harris and Jancek), the team has three QBs who meet the criteria and another that the staff is likely okay with being an outlier. But even if we leave Chryst off the list, that’s still 3.

Running backs

Goal

  • 4-6
  • Between 5’11” and 6’2”
  • Between 200-230

Guys who meet the criteria (6)

  • Ty Chandler (5-11, 201)
  • Tim Jordan (5-11, 203)
  • Trey Coleman (6-0, 210)
  • Jeremy Banks (6-1, 211)
  • Madre London (6-1, 213)
  • Princeton Fant (6-2, 222)

Most of the guys identified as running backs on the roster who don’t fit the criteria are non-scholarship players. The main guys all fit the mold, although a couple of the guys who were on the team last year just barely made it after a summer of weight-gaining work. It’s also interesting to note that Ja’Quain Blakely, who’s 6-2 and 260 pounds is listed as “TE/RB,” which almost certainly means he’s less of a running back than a fullback when he’s wearing that hat.

Status

Goal met. Six guys who are all the right shape and size, but it’s largely thanks to a productive offseason.

Wide receivers

Goal

  • 8-13
  • Between 6’0” and 6’5”
  • Between 190-230

Guys who meet the criteria

There are four guys listed as wide receivers who aren’t at least six feet tall: Malik Elion (5-6), Richard Mize Jr. (5-10), Jacquez Jones (5-10), Latrell Williams (5-11), and Tyler Byrd (5-11).

Of the rest of the guys, several of them aren’t heavy enough, including Jordan Murphy (177), Alontae Taylor (who’s likely to play corner anyway, at 186), and Brandon Johnson (189, hey, a pound is a pound).

That leaves only the following players who meet both the height and weight criteria:

  • Grant Frerking (6-5, 192)
  • Marquez Callaway (6-2, 200)
  • Josh Palmer (6-2, 201)
  • Cedric Tillman (6-3, 212)
  • Jauan Jennings (6-3, 221)

I can say with almost absolute certainty that this is the first time I’ve ever seen the name “Frerking,” so let’s assume he’s a walk-on. No offense, Mr. Frerking.

That leaves only four wide receivers who are the ideal height and weight. If you put a biscuit on Brandon Johnson’s shoulder, he’d hit the goal, too, but sadly, biscuits are not approved on-field equipment.

Status

Goal not met. In fact, so woefully short of goal that it makes me wonder if Pruitt is using different criteria. If they need 8-13 of this size and shape, then they are a frightening 4-9 guys short. That’s not to say that guys like Johnson, Murphy, Byrd, Williams, and Jones can’t play, just that they’re apparently not ideally-sized. Again, assuming the criteria is correct. Some enterprising media member should ask.

Tight ends

Goal

  • 3-6
  • Between 6’3” and 6’6”
  • Between 230-260

Guys who meet the criteria (4)

Blakely, mentioned above, is an inch short of the height requirement, but he’s listed as “TE/RB” and is probably a fullback. Of the guys between 6’3” and 6’6”, Jacob Warren and James Brown are just short of the weight criteria and LaTrell Bumphus is just over it, leaving the following guys who are ideally-sized:

  • Eli Wolf (6-4, 236)
  • Austin Pope (6-4, 240)
  • Andrew Craig (6-4, 240)
  • Dominick Wood-Anderson (6-4, 257)

That’s well within the range of 3-6, especially with another couple of guys who are just outside the criteria.

Status

Goal met. They want 3-6 and have 4.

Offensive linemen

Goal

  • 14-18
  • Between 6’3” and 6’6”
  • Between 290-330

Guys who meet the criteria (11)

Of the 20 guys identified as offensive linemen on the roster, Eric Crosby (6’1″) is the only scholarship player under 6’3”.

The rest of them are all under 330 pounds, but Tanner Antonutti, Jahmir Johnson, Brian Garvey, and Nathan Niehaus all need to bulk up, as they are under 290 pounds. Most are close, but Antonutti is only listed as 269.

That leaves the following guys who fit the criteria:

  • Joe Keeler (6-5, 290)
  • Devante Brooks (6-5, 292)
  • Riley Locklear (6-4, 293)
  • Marcus Tatum (6-6, 293)
  • Brandon Kennedy (6-3, 301)
  • Ryan Johnson (6-6, 302)
  • Jerome Carvin (6-5, 303)
  • Ollie Lane (6-4, 308)
  • Joey Cave (6-4, 312)
  • Drew Richmond (6-5, 316)
  • Trey Smith (6-6, 320)
  • Jarious Abercrombie (6-4, 322)
  • K’Rojhn Calbert (6-5, 327)
  • Chance Hall (6-5, 328)

Three of those guys are probably walk-ons, which leaves a total of 11 ideally-sized scholarship offensive linemen.

Status

Goal not met. It appears they have only 11 guys of the right shape and size on the offensive line, 3-7 shy of the ideal.

Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast – Episode 145 – Receivers, corners, early standouts in fall practice

Bookmarks

[00:07:06] 

Is Joel being paranoid about the receiving corps, or might they be vulnerable to depth concerns?

[00:11:03]
Which new guy is Will most looking forward to seeing this fall?

[00:13:45]
Is Joel crazy to admit that he’s starting to feel better about the cornerback position?

[00:19:39]
How much should we embrace the expectation that the new coaching staff will help the team better realize its potential than the last?

[00:34:06]
Where does Tennessee’s opener against West Virginia rank as an opening tone-setter?

 

 

Transcript

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:00:15] This is the Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast. I’m Joel Hollingsworth and I’m here with Will Shelton. How are you doing tonight, Will?

 

Will Shelton: [00:00:22] I’m doing great. I heard that you guys suspended me for selling my shoes and I was curious as to which pair of new balance cross trainers that were you know so highly sought after that everyone wanted but other than that I’m doing great.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:00:33] New Balance has this very lucrative 10000 dollar deal with Tennessee now.

 

Will Shelton: [00:00:39] Right. Ten thousand dollar deal.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:00:42] Yeah.

 

Will Shelton: [00:00:43] That’s funny. I do have some orange and gray New Balance. But they were purchased before and the smoky Gray came in and out of fashion. So. That’s. Are they even, you’re still in the merchandise game, like are they Are they even making smoky grey stuff still. I know that’s the big rumor. That we’re not going to wear it in an official capacity anymore. They still make it. Cause I guess people to buy it. Right.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:01:06] Yeah. You know I think they probably will this year. I haven’t seen the fall stuff from the Coliseum yet but you know that stuff is ordered and made and designed a long time in advance so

 

Will Shelton: [00:01:21] Right.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:01:21] They probably are are you know upset because they probably made all the grey stuff they made everybody preorder it and now they’re not going to wear it at all. But you know it’s kind of like the black stuff even when the school decided not to ever wear black again. The fans still liked it and still wanted it. So I don’t see grey going away. It’s a nice little color combination. Even if the team doesn’t wear it but

 

Will Shelton: [00:01:51] I wonder

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:01:51] Some

 

Will Shelton: [00:01:51] How much of that was Fulmer too right because you know maybe it’s just with football but it is Fulmer or are these other you know isn’t going to have a passionate thing of softball should not wear smoky gray or is it just going to be football. I don’t know. I’ve got plenty of it in my closet too so I understand.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:02:09] Yeah I don’t know. You know the first question I was going to ask you is whether or not your rage has had subsided after last night’s Braves Game.

 

Will Shelton: [00:02:17] Well yes mostly. First of all Acuña not hurt you. I don’t think he caught Brad live when that was happening. Right. Because there’s just it was the most upset about something that happed in baseball in years years which is a good sign that the Braves were that good. But I mean I cannot imagine a worse set of circumstances where you have the pitcher for a 48 and 74 team hits a guy with a five game homerun streak just because he doesn’t want to get him out or whatever so but yeah Acuna is fine and healthy and currently in the lineup tonight and you know they only suspended the guy six games which is not a that’s not enough to prevent some sort of blowback because the Braves and Marlins play again next week. But

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:03:09] Well and pitchers

 

Will Shelton: [00:03:09] Yet

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:03:09] Don’t even play every game right. I mean they only play every

 

Will Shelton: [00:03:12] So

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:03:12] Six games anyway.

 

Will Shelton: [00:03:13] Yeah. So you pushback a start day and so I would not advise him pitching it gives the Atlanta Braves next week though if he values his health that might leave him on the side. So yeah the Braves or the Braves are up 3 2 right now. On the Rockies. So yes I am. My wife is the biggest St. Louis Card . . . like her whole family is. They love the Cardinals more than I love the Braves. They love the Cardinals like I love the Vols. And. Even she was. We. Have Acuna jersey for our son Because my

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:03:48] I

 

Will Shelton: [00:03:48] Wife

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:03:48] Saw

 

Will Shelton: [00:03:48] And I

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:03:48] It

 

Will Shelton: [00:03:48] Went to. We lucked into Acuna’s home debut earlier this year. And when we were. My son wasn’t there because I was too young to appreciate it. But. We bought him a little jersey. Because we figured Acuña as you know. 20 years old and might actually still be with the Braves by the time Covington is old enough to know what’s what. So even even my St. Louis Cardinals wife put them in the Acuna Jersey today and sent it out a little shout out. So that’s when you know it’s bad when players on other teams even American League players that have nothing to do with the Braves or Marlins were like Yeah that’s nonsense. So six

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:04:23] Yeah.

 

Will Shelton: [00:04:23] Games that there will be additional retribution

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:04:26] Yeah. Whoever that picture is he made a lot of Braves fans last night because he made me want to go watch baseball too. So

 

Will Shelton: [00:04:31] Yeah.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:04:32] I’m looking forward to that. Anyway we got several things to get to tonight. Tonight is actually when we’re recording it will probably go live in the morning. So just ignore all my references to time or pretend that you’re Desmond from Lost and figure it out. So other things we’ll be talking about potential trouble may be brewing with the receiving corps or maybe that’s something I just made up. What I’m gonna ask Will about early standouts in fall practice and which ones he’s looking most looking forward to seeing this fall. I’m also going to ask him about when and how much it might be OK to embrace expectations of a new staff as compared to the prior staff because some players made a couple of interesting comments after practice today. And then if we have time when is it okay to maybe start feeling okay about the cornerbacks. So that’s kind of what I want to get to tonight. First though a public service announcement. If we are still crossposting the podcast feed to Talkshoe and soundcloud but Talkshoe is going to go away. If you subscribe by iTunes everything is going to happen behind the scenes.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:05:49] You don’t have to worry but if for some reason you are very fond of Talkshoe and get the podcast through that eventually you’re going to be lonely. Because we will start stop posting over there. You’re gonna have to make the trek over to soundcloud unless you’re okay with iTunes. Really the best way is just subscribe to iTunes everything be ok google play we’ll be over there eventually too. And also while you’re at it do us a favor give us a rating give us a good one give us a review. Give us a good one. Say something nice about Will. You get extra bonus points if you say something nice about Brad Because I know that’s harder. Sorry Brad. I know he probably won’t be listening this until like tomorrow he’s not here to defend himself so yeah probably right now he’s dialing my number so I’m not going to ignore my phone tomorrow. But anyway so let’s let’s get started. Okay so the receiving corps right. Did you hear the podcast from last night?

 

Will Shelton: [00:06:52] I read the transcript which is how I got in the robo version of you talking about me selling shoes. But so yes I did not I didn’t have a chance to listen to. And I did. I did read the transcripts

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:07:02] Okay so that’s about 75 percent accurate.

 

Will Shelton: [00:07:05] Right.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:07:06] Yeah. Okay so the main thing is that Jauan has been having a little bit of trouble and we need to hire me hyperextended something. And he had some drops and practice and he started getting frustrated so we were talking about that. And then today apparently Marquez Callaway has been held out with some sort of minor injury. Now you expect those things in the fall right. But starting to get just a little bit concerned about the receiving corps especially since I’m hoping I have time to post this in the morning before I get to skedaddle. But the thing I did for the defense last week which was you know I looked at what I believed to be Pruitt’s ideal roster. The numbers that he wants at each position and what he wants those guys to look like in terms of height and weight and then I compared it to the current roster and seemed okay mostly on defense and I was a little bit surprised though when I’ve done the offensive one to find that we’re low on wide receivers of the right size. There are a couple of guys that are just a little bit smaller than what you would like but as far as the size and shape of the guys that Pruitt wants were a little bit low on numbers especially if you’re having problems with Jennings and Callaway. So, am I just being paranoid or do you think there might be a like a real concern there?

 

Will Shelton: [00:08:40] You know I don’t know if if the concern is is I have no idea how real it is. But if it is real it’s very concerning if that makes sense. It’s not just taking away two guys that you feel like are your most proven playmakers on offense. These guys Callaway’s best stuff came with Quinten Dormady last year and Jennings did not play with Guarantano at all. So whoever is the quarterback is trying to establish rhythm with at least Jennings if not Jennings and Callaway in a way that they have not before and I think there is statistically anyway there’s a sense that there’s a drop off there. Brandon Johnson is not a not a outside number one receiver kind of guy. He’s a good option in the slot at least he was last year a good safety valve but I don’t think he’s going to be someone that steps in and replaces there and the other thing is we’ve talked about this this offseason. Tennessee spent so much time under Butch Jones throwing to the running back that I think we all kind of get used to that not just in the years when they had Alvin Kamara but with Rajion Neal at the very beginning. Tennessee’s third option in the passing game almost the entire time that Butch Jones was at Tennessee was a running back and Tyson Helton at USC and at Western Kentucky doesn’t do that.

 

Will Shelton: [00:10:01] Not only did he have true number three wide receivers. He had true number four wide receivers which is a concept that we haven’t had at Tennessee in really a long time. So there are a lot of guys if you’re talking about even one of Jennings or Callaway being slowed or held out of action there’s there’s a lot there’s some bodies in there but like you say the size and shape may not be exactly what the new coaching staff wants and some of those other guys catch some balls even if you get Dominick Wood-Anderson in there even if they do develop Ty Chandler or somebody else as a running back in the passing game. If if Tyson Helton is calling the sort of game that he has been calling or involved with calling for his entire career they’re going through a lot of wide receivers. So you know you want those guys out there. I have no idea what the level of seriousness or how really those things are but yeah Tennessee needs those guys and needs them to beat a team like West Virginia or to beat a team like Florida.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:11:03] They absolutely need those guys especially in that first game yeah. So 24/7 sports. Did this piece here yesterday was 15 hours ago right now so it’s behind the paywall but basically it’s just a couple of it’s a list of guys that they think have stood out this fall. It includes most of the people you think. Alontae Taylor here is name a lot. They included included Daniel Bituli, there’s Dominick Wood-Anderson Trevon Flowers, Jordan Murphy, Cedric Tillman is another one. Then they also had Tim Jordan and Alexis Johnson on the list but one of those guys or maybe if there’s a different one. Who are you most looking forward to seeing. Sort of for the first time or for the first time in a long time this fall

 

Will Shelton: [00:12:02] I think the answer would be Alontae Taylor if we weren’t opening with West Virginia. But that’s still really enjoy seeing Alontae Taylor but I’m not sure about that. I may not enjoy seeing him at all and we may just have to chalk that up to competition. But. Someone made the point on Twitter today one of the Beat writers made the point that it’s significant that they’re letting Dominick Wood-Anderson talk to the media today which shows you that that’s not just a random off season pickup. It’s going to get Tennessee some depth now. You know they’ve had

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:12:36] Well.

 

Will Shelton: [00:12:36] Eli Wolf has been around the program a long time. But

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:12:40] Well they’ve also had Lovinggood talk to the media. So it’s not necessarily an indication of stardom or playing time. Maybe

 

Will Shelton: [00:12:47] Again it might be our best player though.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:12:49] It could be

 

Will Shelton: [00:12:50] It if you know all positions being equal. He could bring the most value to his position.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:12:56] Also. No offense to Lovinggood, I love that dude.

 

Will Shelton: [00:12:58] Right right. So that’s along the lines of what I would say they took Eli Wolf to media days right. So it’s not a it’s not a one and done situation there at tight end I think but I think that somebody again when you’re talking about looking for something different in the passing game we’ve been fooled into thinking Tennessee is going to throw to the tight end plenty of times before but I think that’s just it seems like we thought when he was signed and still things are in a camp that he gives you a dynamic that Tennessee’s other tight ends may not be able to do as well in the passing game. So I think he’s the one that could stand out soonest for a positive reason as opposed to Alontae Taylor who because of the opponent in a season opener may stand out for a negative reason.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:13:45] All right. So let me jump to the last question then which was going to be about the cornerbacks and whether it’s OK to start feeling OK about them you know all season long. Even going back to signing day when they sort of whiffed on a couple of high stakes blue chip recruits at the position cornerback has sort of been the doom and gloom story for the offseason. It’s like all that’s going to be our biggest weakness. We just don’t have what we need there. But then as we talked about I guess on our first 2018 podcast a week ago we started hearing good things about Alontae Taylor started hearing good things about Bryce Thompson and the thing is Pruitt assuming he is a good coach and can teach his teaches guys his expertise is at that position and he’s been spending most of his time there. One of the stories that I read the other day was that he he tried to spend some time with a different unit but sort of gravity pulled him back to the cornerbacks you know and you know maybe it’s because West Virginia’s coming out maybe it’s just because that’s where he thinks he can do the best maybe he gave that to himself because he hired other guys to do the other units or whatever. But you know it could be that they’re in good hands. And you know again like I said last week it takes a while to figure a team out. And so if West Virginia goes into this game knowing hey we’re a great passing team these guys are weak at the cornerback and in the secondary generally we’re just going to throw and then they find out that hey Alontae Taylor can get interceptions or Bryce Thompson is not shabby either. I don’t know. I started feeling a little bit better about the cornerbacks. My question to you is am I crazy.

 

Will Shelton: [00:15:50] I don’t think it’s crazy. I think crazy would be if we hadn’t heard Alontae Taylor’s name a lot. Because really at this point that’s all you have to go on right is is who what names my hearing most often from the guys that are there covering the team every day you don’t get to see very much of practice at all but who have sources and are talking to those folks. You just kind of especially now when they’re not even releasing scrimmage stats or whatever you just have to keep listening. What names my hearing most often. And Taylor has been I think probably other than Guarantano probably I’ve heard his name the most. Would you agree with that.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:16:29] I

 

Will Shelton: [00:16:30] That

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:16:30] Would.

 

Will Shelton: [00:16:30] Sound about right.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:16:31] I would although I’ll also say that a couple of years ago the name we were hearing the most was Kahlil McKenzie

 

Will Shelton: [00:16:38] That’s fair. But sometimes you get there. I mean Derek Barnett you

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:16:41] Yeah

 

Will Shelton: [00:16:41] Know was

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:16:41] Yeah.

 

Will Shelton: [00:16:41] Was unblockable and turned out that was true. So

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:16:46] Yeah

 

Will Shelton: [00:16:47] You see I guess you get a little bit of both but I’m wary. Like with some guys it’s the devil you know. Like when I hear Oh Kongbo is giving good quotes or whatever. I’ve believed that before and not seen it with him whereas with Taylor I haven’t seen him so why not just assume the best. So no I don’t think it’s crazy. And again I think there is a possibility here where you go back to that first game. Eric Berry’s year that first game against Cal in 2007 he got torched defensively in a game but in part they got towards because those guys are going against DeSean Jackson and a really good Cal offense. And then two weeks later they went against Tebow. So you know as it turned out that particular year freshman Eric veri was pretty great. And you know they had some other really young guys that were playing in that secondary and they were still good enough to win the SEC East. They just didn’t look like it when they were playing elite competition the first two weeks of the season they are playing DeSean Jackson and the Heisman Trophy winner. So I think it’s OK to be excited. And I think it’s OK if West Virginia comes out and does what some will predict him to do which is throw for a whole bunch of yards and score a whole bunch of points. I think it’s OK to say hey it’s all downhill from here. You know he’s not going to have to cover if he is in fact Tennessee’s number one corner.

 

Will Shelton: [00:18:15] If they want to play a lot of man to man and they put him on David Sills then hey it’s probably the best it’s going to be it. Definitely the best it’ll be all year or the hardest it will be all year when you talk about a quarterback wide receiver combination. So you know. Yeah I think it’s OK to get excited just with the caveat of crazy would be expecting him to shut down West Virginia. Expect him to make plays and not get totally embarrassed. Maybe we’ll see. But yeah I think it’s just based on the volume of times we’ve heard his name in particular and the fact that there are there’s Baylen Buchannan there Shawn Shamburger or there’s some other guys. I worry at this point about guys whose names I’m not hearing. Like Marquill Osborne is is one of those guys MaLeik Gray is one of those guys where based on recruiting rankings you’re hopeful OK maybe this new staff can can flip the switch on these guys but I’m not here about Marquill Osborne or MaLeik Gray. So you know maybe the recruiting evaluation was wrong or it’s hard to say maybe they’re getting beat out by better players and the better players or Freshmen. But you know. So. What names are you hearing does cut both ways. But No I do not think that’s crazy. As long as we’re not expecting. Tennessee to come out and shut down West Virginia’s passing game

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:19:39] Speaking of the coaching staff flipping the switch Kongbo talked to the media today and he like you like you said a minute ago he’s been known for saying stuff in the offseason and you love it because he’s like so confident you know. But it seems like after a couple of years he may have been humbled a little bit and that’s probably not a bad thing. But one of the things he said and I don’t have the exact quote right in front of me were I’ll put it in the roundup tomorrow. It was basically that it’s night and day here between this fall and last fall with the coaching staff. Everything’s different. It’s you know intimating that it’s that much better right. So you know we talked about this when we were naming the magazine what is it that we’re excited about with with the coaching staff and maybe for this fall. And we’re basically pinning our hopes on the fact that these guys this group of guys Pruitt at the top all the rest of the staff know how to teach football to the talented players that we already have. And we just didn’t have that before. And I’m really not that interested in and you know just here are the 15 worst things that Butch Jones ever did you know. You know I want to look forward right. But part of part of the hope for this season is that these guys are going to fix something that just couldn’t get fixed last year. And so how much do you think we can really expect or should expect the new group of guys to flip that switch. Like you mentioned and take some of our unrealized potential and actually turn it into something that we’ve been hoping to see for years now.

 

Will Shelton: [00:21:43] I think on some level you have to do with a case by case basis. Right. I mean that whole group of guys that Butch Jones recruited that were highly sought after but have not it has not manifested itself the way we thought it would just yet. Drew Richmond, Kongbo. Kyle Phillips I feel like

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:22:02] Yep

 

Will Shelton: [00:22:02] It’s already you know that guy was great in the spring I feel like we’re already assuming he’s going to get there. But Kyle Phillips is certainly one of those guys and there are others like him and Marquill Osborne is a big. MaLeik Grey is still young enough that you know there may be something there. And Guarantano certainly. So there’s all those guys some of those guys will be better with this coaching staff were this position coach like Guarantno. I mean it’s hard to imagine him not being better with an actual quarterback coach and offensive line that doesn’t have converted tight ends on it. But You know I think at some point I think it’s comforting to hear it was comforting to me here. Even I said that earlier about not having bought into Kongbo before when we as fans think a certain thing and then you hear the players. Say a version of that thing. Which is Quote unquote these are actual football players not quote unquote that Kongbo said that but in general these are actual football coaches as opposed to good recruiters and cliche men and whatever that is. Yeah it helps out the idea that OK yeah we this is the right line of thinking about Pruitt and these guys. And yeah Tennessee can be better.

 

Will Shelton: [00:23:22] Tennessee can be more. The flipside of that coin is for all Butch Jones faults, he had coached a football team for six years before he came here. And Jeremy Pruitt has not done that at all as the head coach. So there’s a whole slew of things that Butch Jones just inherently knew how to do when he came here because he’d been a head coach for six years. That Pruit will be will be learning on the fly. So I don’t know that those things I don’t know that those things are going to be the difference between a win and a loss early in the year. But you know I think it’s that’s the that’s the narrative that we want to believe in and there’s enough both coaches did enough good Butch in recruiting and Pruitt with his background that you know it’s there is a path for this team to win seven games or so I think that’s not out of the question. If you do have that switch flipped and if Tennessee stays healthy and the talent that Butch brought in here now can kind of manifest and grow up. But I also think I keep going back to Kiffin where when I hear people making the comparison with Pruitt and these guys to Kiffin and those guys oh you know these are actual football coaches and whatever Kiffin was horrible in the UCLA game.

 

Will Shelton: [00:24:43] Second time out I mean and he was the head coach of the NFL and that was a horrendously coached and called game that Tennessee Lost to a really bad UCLA team at home. So you know they got it figured out eventually that year but they had some really early bumps in the road. So I don’t know. I’m curious to see but I think it’s I think it’s good to see the narrative that we have kind of bought into as fans to hear that repeated back to us by players. That’s great. We’ll you know we’ll need to see and we’ll need to see not West Virginia but we need to see Florida. We need to see South Carolina Missouri we need to see games that Tennessee has a legitimate chance to win and see how Tennessee performs in those kinds of games. I think to see where we’re at but as I’ve written too and said all summer like Butch Jones taught me that like every play matters evaluate every play. Think about how is this team learning and growing on every play. And that somewhere I think you can you can begin to see it even in the West Virginia game I guess.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:25:50] That’s a really interesting comparison between if you going to put two things on a scale you put six years of head coaching experience at Cincinnati against two years as defensive coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama which is which is better preparation for a head coaching job at Tennessee because I think there’s an argument to be made for either one of those especially when you consider that you know it’s not just two years under Nick Saban in Alabama but also his time at Georgia. His time at Florida State. Just knowing a system because it seemed like maybe the Butch Jones knew how sort of you know to meet with the media and to talk to the media and stuff but maybe he’d never been exposed to the practice slash program blueprint that is fully operational in Tuscaloosa you know. So I don’t I think he he might be just as prepared as Butch Jones was to be a head coach at Tennessee although the thing that really scares me is that everybody on the staff has moved up one level from where they were.

 

Will Shelton: [00:27:08] Right. Right.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:27:09] And if you’re talking Peter Principle you know how many of those guys are not going to be able to survive that extra level. I don’t know. That’s that’s kind of frightening. I hope it doesn’t ever end up there. But if things start falling apart it’s the first place I’m going to start looking and that’s probably the first thing you’re going to hear me saying. But I hope I don’t ever want to say it.

 

Will Shelton: [00:27:36] Yeah. I have a couple concerns there. One my concern for that really isn’t even this year because I think regardless of the truth of that statement that you know it’s Pruitt got the big job and so he went out and gave a lot of other guys the next job up the ladder. I don’t worry about that showing up this year. I worry about next year and the year after that if we need better coaches than a bunch of guys that he knew. And it’s not the same as Butch we got a whole staff over from Cincinnati. But you know he hired guys that he knew it’s generally. That’s what I would do too. You know as you hire guys that you know and guys you think you’re going to do a good job and help you win. But if it turns out I’m just throwing this name out there I have no reason to think you want there great job but like if two years from now it turns out that will friend is not the answer it is the offensive line coach is like how fast will Pruitt see that. I don’t think that’s going to show up this year. I worry about these guys all of them collectively are they good enough recruiters and coaches to get us to 10 wins. And that is not going to show itself this year. I think the other thing to in terms of you know what’s the better preparation for the Tennessee job is it three years at Central Michigan and three years Cincinnati or working as a defensive coordinator at Alabama and Georgia and Florida State.

 

Will Shelton: [00:29:05] My concern is someone made this comment on the 10 questions for 2010. 2018 the last post that I wrote About that we will learn most about Prewett this year is how he handles adversity and there’s some probably some real truth in that Tennesse almost certainly who’s going to lose more games this year than he has lost. You know since he was a player at Alabama. I don’t know. We’re going back aways there. And even then I mean he played on a played on mid 90s Alabama teams which were on the decline but not all the way. Because I don’t think he was on like that ninety seven 98 Alabama teams. That’s it. But anyway I know he’s going to lose more than he’s lost in a while. How does he handle that. Here again Derek Dooley Saban assistant not not a coordinator. It’s interesting I read Bill Connelley’s Missouri preview and he points out that there Dooley has had all of these jobs but he’s never been a coordinator like he’s been the head coach. He’s been the head coach at an SEC program. He’s been a position coach in the NFL but he’s never been a coordinator. It’s a weird sort of thing.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:30:18] That is

 

Will Shelton: [00:30:19] But Dooley when he came here position coach on Saban’s staff head coach experience at a smaller school. But that guy from the first the first time adversity struck against Oregon in the second game. He didn’t handle it well. He correctly pointed out that his team folded when things got hard. But then like he never helped them unfold themselves. You know like he he was perfect at identifying the problem but totally unhelpful at at providing a solution. So. When we struggle this year Or when we get blown out or something like that how is how is Pruitt going to handle that. You know Butch had some experience getting blown out when you coached in central Michigan you get blown out when you play Michigan State and those teams I know he beat one of them once. But I think he had experience with that. It’s just it cost him not having the cultural experience Of a power 5 program and we got fooled everybody everybody’s question when Butch was hired was can he recruit to Tennessee and turned to the level we need to win. And turns out the answer was yes. And then we just assumed that also meant he could develop that same talent and that answer was No. But you know. Pruitt won’t have the problem of. Not understanding the expectations or or not understanding not thinking that in the nine and 4 champions of life it was a good year with a team that had a chance to be so much more than that.

 

Will Shelton: [00:31:54] So I don’t know. It’ll be interesting to see you know Pruitt like anybody else who’s going to do some things well he’s going to do some things not so well. And as we have said about many a coach especially the ones that have not worked out at Tennessee which has been all of them the last 10 years. It’s not even your mistakes. It’s do you have the ability to evolve. Can you grow can you identify flaws in the system and then seek to correct them. Can you identify those flaws when those flaws are you the assistant coaches that you brought here in the first place and maybe you need to go in a different direction. And and you know Butch Jones did that when he brought in Shoop but then can you also understand that when you go in a different direction it needs to be a good fit. Just a lot of a lot of learning on the fly and that that’ll be true for Pruitt just as much as it was for Butch Jones I just think it will be in very different ways. But hey you know you look at it would do us some good probably to pull the quotes from Kirby Smart’s first year and to see you know the rumblings of this guy’s not happy and is he a good fit here and he’s so different than Richt.

 

Will Shelton: [00:33:05] And you know we gave away a coach that won all these games and turns out Kirby Smart was just fine. And and you know knows exactly what he’s doing. But that first year and his first time being a head coach I don’t know how often it felt that way for those guys in the middle of what I think was a seven and five season. But other thing too I know we’re jumping all over the place here. Big things for Kirby Smart. He won that first game. You know a beat North Carolina in that opener in I guess the Georgia Dome in its final season. And that was big that was big for Georgia fans looking. To. Believe when you beat North Carolina in the opener. It helps you deal with losing to Vanderbilt later in the year. So. You know you got to you’ve got to You’ve got to win some of those those North Carolina type of games that the Games Kiffin won against Georgia and South Carolina. You know Pruitt needs to get one of those in there that. Will help. Certainly will help him Tennessee. Lose somewhere along the way to

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:34:00] Well we’re out of time but quickly. Are you working on something for the morning.

 

Will Shelton: [00:34:06] Yeah I went back and polled. Thanks again to the folks that do Tennessee’s media guy they do a great job every year this game against West Virginia who is ranked 20th in the coaches poll is the 13th time that Tennessee is playing a ranked nonconference foe in the season opener. But more than just looking for the ranked nonconference I was just trying to get a sense of where we rate this opener kind of as a tone setter. You know it doesn’t have the 10 out of 10. We’ve seen some of those games where like NC State a couple of years ago it was like if Dooley can’t win this game. You know he’s never going to win here or the Cal game and 2006 where it felt like we didn’t know how the program was going to go. So it’s not that I don’t think it’s it’s like last year’s Georgia Tech game where there’s some preexisting anxiety that that will instantly come into play the first time something goes wrong. But it’s also you know it’s it’s your first impression for a new coach. So just kind of historically going back over the last couple decades and saying when Tennessee has played these these kinds of season openers even a Utah state I think that’s an underrated Butch Jones game that season opener the second year when they still went with Justin Worley. It was a Sunday night game and Chuckie Keaton and all that stuff. Tennessee played really well in that game you know and that that was a big kind of tone setter at the time I think to. To feel like OK this you know things are things are going to go all right here. But we. I didn’t feel that way before kickoff. You know I was not expecting Tennessee to win by 31 or whatever they won by I thought that was going to be a real close game. So. Just just trying to. Where do we rank this West Virginia game in the context of all those. Is. something I’m working on for tomorrow.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:35:58] All right. Look for that in the morning. Also look for Will on sports 180 with Josh Ward and Will West tomorrow at one thirty. I think it usually is right

 

Will Shelton: [00:36:11] Yup yup

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:36:12] One thirty. He’s on there every week with them. Always good stuff and do us a favor and subscribe to the show via iTunes or soundcloud. Just go to iTunes and search for the Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast. If you’re feeling particularly charitable you can leave a rating or a review. We will greatly appreciate it. And that’ll do it for tonight’s show for Will Shelton. I’m Joel Hollingsworth and this has been the Gameday on Rocky Top podcast.

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:36:47] podcast last night that Sean Ellis the John Ward

 

Will Shelton: [00:36:51] He

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:36:51] Call

 

Will Shelton: [00:36:51] Made

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:36:51] For

 

Will Shelton: [00:36:51] It

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:36:51] That that is the best call. I love that he made it.

 

Will Shelton: [00:36:57] In that same game when they stopped when we stopped a on 4th and goal the one and he just goes. No no no no no no no

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:37:09] Well do you have anything you want to sing before I stop recording.

 

Will Shelton: [00:37:13] No. I do not. I’m not sure my wife is still awake or not. Maybe maybe some other time we can get Alex to do it non bread interview. SIR

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:37:22] Well that wouldn’t be funny though that would just be good. But I guess we

 

Will Shelton: [00:37:25] It

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:37:25] Can

 

Will Shelton: [00:37:25] Wasn’t

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:37:25] Do

 

Will Shelton: [00:37:25] Bad

 

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:37:25] Good.

 

Will Shelton: [00:37:25] Brad’s was better than I thought it was. He’s done some karaoke in his life. I guarantee you.

 

The Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast: Jauan Jennings, QB battle, and memories of 1998

[00:01:18] What’s up with Jauan Jennings? Are we worried about his injury or his reported frustration with it?
[00:07:45] What do we think about Greg Emerson’s prospects for playing time this fall?
[00:13:50] What do we make of the fact that local media seems to think Jarrett Guarantano leads the QB race but Keller Chryst is getting national attention?
[00:23:10] Our favorite moments of the 1998 national championship season.

TRANSCRIPT

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:00:13] Welcome to the Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast. I’m Joel Hollingsworth, and I’m with Brad Shepherd. How are you doing Brad?

Brad Shepard: [00:00:20] Doing well man. How are you?

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:00:21] I’m doing great. Will Shelton is, well, I’m just going to say it. He’s been he’s been suspended for two games for selling shoes that we gave him, two podcasts. So he’s he’s gone. Actually he’s off doing like adult things he’s got like real responsibilities while Brad and I sit here and talk football. So at least that’s what I’m assuming he’s doing he’s probably just like watching the watch in the Braves game.

Brad Shepard: [00:00:48] We self-reported that violation though so we’re OK.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:00:52] Yeah there’s you know but you still got to sit him for a little bit.

Brad Shepard: [00:00:56] You do. You just have to show the NCAA that you know at least pretend to care.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:01:01] That’s right. It’s it’s it’s definitely it’s buried somewhere in the bylaws that you cannot sell your own possessions. So they’re not really your possessions at that point I guess right.

Brad Shepard: [00:01:14] Well get him back by the Florida game, I mean that’s all that matters.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:01:18] All right. OK so what’s going on today. Let’s see the. I want to talk about this first because you know one of the big stories is Jauan Jennings coming back. We need that dude. He’s a monster. But we had word a couple of days ago that he had hyperextended something somewhere according to Pruitt. So you know let’s let’s be honest everything is pretty hyper about Juan. But he you know he sort of hyperextended it and then some of the some of the practice reports are saying that he’s dropping balls and stuff and getting frustrated. So how much of a concern is that to you, Brad? You know I’m thinking it’s kind of a storm brewing because that dude’s volatile. He gets frustrated. You know that’s when his first test comes is when he hits some adversity. So how worried are you about Jauan at this point?

Brad Shepard: [00:02:17] I think it’s definitely a concern. I mean especially considering you know what we’ve been heard all the offseason is that you know he’s doing the right things from a leadership standpoint and he’s you know responding the way you would like to for him to respond. And of course we you know we have these thoughts in our head dating back to you know the Da’rick Rogers and Janzen Jackson era of players getting second chances and the reports being good and then all of a sudden there they do something stupid and they’re kicked up the team. I’m not sure that’s what this is. Right, Coker. And and just to be fair to Jauan I mean we’re not we’re not jumping from point A to Point B right now. I mean obviously we’re you know we’re just speculating. But from what it sounds and the way the reports sound to me is that he’s frustrated with himself you know that maybe maybe things are not you know coming together as quickly as he would like them to. Obviously you know he he’s got to shake off a lot of rust considering he hasn’t played since Georgia Tech last year. You would you would expect that to be the case anyway especially considering he didn’t go through the spring but I think probably in his mind being the kind of player and the kind of competitor that he is wants to come in and prove that not only am I a guy who’s bought in but I’m a guy who is going to be one of the best players in this league. Because pretty much every report that has been has been written about Jauan after he’s kind of gotten back in good graces is that you know he’s not a school first guy and he wants this year to be his last year. So in order to get to that next step you have to take the first step, and that’s something that he’s probably struggling with right now. And you know the little nicks that you get in fall camp. None of that stuff helps. So do I think he’s going to be 100 percent or even ready to be a difference maker by the West Virginia game? I don’t, I don’t think Tennessee really needs to rely on that right now and which is a bummer because Tennessee is going to so that’s going to be an all hands on deck kind of game. But you know he’s kind of as we’ve talked about the bell cow that was receiving corps that we had anticipated and hoped would be kind of a team strength. And so far in camp we’ve heard a lot a lot about drop’s and inconsistency in the same kinds of things that we’ve heard for the past couple seasons. Sohopefully he’ll get back and that receiving corps got taken their lumps early on they’ll get those out of the way, and guys like Jordan Murphy who’s had a great camp and Marquez Callaway. Those guys can really step forward and you know kind of do some of the heavy lifting until Jauan comes back and is completely healthy.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:05:23] Yeah and I want to clarify to. I didn’t mean to suggest that there was any news out there that he was doing anything other than the right thing, just that he was injured and having a little problem with the drops. But this whole trying to decipher Pruitts comments which you know always is hazardous because he doesn’t say much. Hyperextended,that has to be like. I mean that can’t be a re-injury of the wrist. You don’t hyperextended a wrist or do you? I don’t know. Any idea?

Brad Shepard: [00:05:58] No. I mean I don’t know. I guess I wouldn’t think. I mean I guess maybe you could. I wouldn’t think that that would be a I don’t think.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:06:07] It sounds like a knee, right?

Brad Shepard: [00:06:09] Yeah it does. It sounds like there’s something that he tweaked in practice that you know maybe maybe not fully healed. I mean he’s not he’s not been 100 percent. They’ve kind of work him out lightly on the side. You know in all fairness to Pruitt and those guys I mean this is, this is step one. I mean they haven’t seen Jauan. I think that they know what to expect from Jauan of two years ago, but nobody really knows what to expect from Jauan right now. It’s been a year since he’s played. So you know they’re doing exactly what they should do which is you know want to see him take some live bullets. And right now he’s not healthy enough to really do that. And I’m sure that’s that’s frustrating for the kid. And you know knowing a little bit. I mean I don’t I’m not saying that we’re close family friends or anything, but knowing the Jennings family and knowing how competitive he is and you know how competitive Benny was, his dad, who played at Lincoln County High School — yes I’m going to get a plug in there. I mean you know that’s those guys. I mean they’re alphas. And when Jennings is not playing at 100 percent that chip on his shoulder gets big and everybody knows it. So you know I think it’s probably just a matter of wanting to be good enough to you know take it to the next level this year and then ultimately to the next level next year in the NFL. And right now, his body’s probably not do him what he thinks it should be.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:07:45] So speaking of guys that we know and have been following since high school, somebody asked you on Twitter about Greg Emerson. You got an opinion on what’s going on with him?

Brad Shepard: [00:07:58] Yeah you know I mean it’s one of those things where you know it’s hard to really kind of sort out what Pruitt wants versus what Tennessee has right now. And I think that that’s what we’re seeing all over the defense because Pruitt has this preconceived notion of what a big successful defense looks like. And he’s got his players that he wants to fit in those roles. So you look at a guy like MaLeik Gray who was a four star kid who everybody in the country basically wanted. But Pruitt didn’t really recruit him when he was at Alabama.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:08:38] Wrong size?

[00:08:39] Right. You see a guy is kind of you know he’s played safety, he’s played corner now, he’s moved over and playing receiver and it’s like they’re trying to find a place for him. I’m not suggesting that Greg Emerson is that kind of player, but he had a really bad spring and by bad I mean a really rusty spring. The kid was you know at that point ten months removed from the gruesome leg injury suffered at the Opening camp which I think I said on Twitter was a knee, but it wasn’t you know it was a broken, a lower leg break. And you know that’s that kind of injury is going to take a while to get over. And Greg right now you know he’s played some on the strong side now as everybody knows Tennessee is trying to shift to a 3 4. So he seemed to be like an ideal candidate to play on the interior in a 4-3. Now he’s a little bit you know he’s he’s not quite quick enough to play on the edge. Tennessee’s worked him some at the nose this week. He’s maybe not heavy enough to play at the nose right now I want to say he’s maybe around 300 pounds which is not is not a lightweight by any chance. But I don’t really think that his body is where it needs to be yet. And I think that we should all give him the benefit of the doubt that you know at this point he’s 14 months removed from that. He’s not really worked out the he’s needed to. And so Pruitt you’ve heard more about guys that Pruitt recruited like John Mincey and Kurott Garland and even even Kingston Harris, who I don’t want to say all three of those guys are a little higher on the pecking order than Emerson right now, but Emerson was one of the three or four highest rated recruits in Tennessee’s class. And he’s not playing at that level right now. That doesn’t mean that he won’t. That doesn’t mean that he’s not going to live up to his rating but you know I think that that the natural progression of things is ideally you don’t want a defensive tackle playing as a true freshman. And Tennessee’s not been in a position for the past decade where they’ve had that luxury. And now I think that you know Tennessee would like to redshirt Emerson if they could. And that we can start talking about him next year. But I would be stunned if he unless the light comes on for him and he does some things that he reportedly hasn’t done a lot of in camp so far. If if I’d be surprised if we’re talking about him a lot this year.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:11:11] Well there’s some good competition there too. I mean you know Shy Tuttle’s got the nose locked down probably. Gooden, tou know, he’s probably at one of the ends right?

Brad Shepard: [00:11:22] He is, and he can play inside. And Alexis Johnson’s having a really good camp and he’s a senior as well. So you’ve got some players there Kyle Phillips is a guy who this coaching staff really likes who’s kind of getting a second lease on life like a lot of these guys. And you know there there are some players there. There’s not the depth obviously that Tennessee would like. And that’s why you’re going to see players like perhaps John Mincey and Kurott Garland get in that rotation. But you know I’m not sure that Emerson is going to be in that rotation this year. I mean they moved to this is a guy that they moved. It was one of the players that they moved for a week and a half to the offensive line back in the spring. And you know I mean I’m not knocking in any of those kids that they did that to you because obviously they moved Alontae over to a corner, and he’s probably been the most buzzed about player so far this camp. But a lot of those guys were not most of those guys were not guys where you’re like OK. You know Eric Crosby is going to be in the rotation or you know Princeton Fant is going to be a guy that we’re going to play at tight end a lot next year. A lot of those guys were. Well we know Fant’s down the depth chart let’s play him running back. We know Crosby is really not quick enough to play on the defensive line let’s move him over to offensive guard. Emerson, I think that they’re trying to find the place that he best bits and we’re still seeing that by them shifting him around on the defensive line. That’s not to say that he’s a tweener that’s not to say that he hasn’t but that he’s not going to find a home. I just think that this coaching staff wants to kind of exhaust all avenues and no one to say this guy’s definitely an end, this guy is definitely a tackle. And them maybe miss an opportunity where he’s going to play his best and get him on the field the quickest. Because he is one of those players that you look at he looks the part. He obviously did some things in high school that made a lot of the analysts like him and rate him high. It’s just a matter of you know is he 100 percent. Where’s he going to play. And you know when he does get healthy how quickly he’s going to step on the field.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:13:27] And as far as being moved over the offensive line during the spring, there were a lot more questions on the offensive line in the spring than there are now, too.

Brad Shepard: [00:13:34] Absolutely.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:13:35] We did not know about Trey, Chance Hall look like he was. You know we didn’t know whether or not he was going to be back, and we still don’t know. But look you know the forecast is bright you know.

Brad Shepard: [00:13:47] Kennedy was not on the team, lots of things.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:13:50] All right let’s talk about the quarterbacks because you know it seemed from most reports that Guarantano had the inside track that he was winning the battle. Even though he hadn’t seized it, that even though Pruitt hadn’t said that one guy’s running away with it so we’re going to name him the starter. Most of the reports were that Guarantano basically was doing better than Chryst and then all of a sudden today Chryst is named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm watch list and David Shaw his former coach at Stanford says he’s an NFL draft pick and he was just too talented to be a backup on our team, which that’s like a slight to Tennessee. Yeah he’s he’s not good enough to play for us, but he can go start for Tennessee right. So anyway what do you make of this?

Brad Shepard: [00:14:45] Well I mean you know I don’t want don’t ever want to you know feign firsthand knowledge of these things because I’m not out there going to practice every day. But I’ve spoken to a lot of people who’ve seen snippets of practice and then a couple of guys who’ve seen a lot more practice than maybe they should be talking to me about it. You know he’s he’s you know I would be first of all I want to say that a preface that that you know all of this Guarantano’s definitely the guy with you know all the reporters saying that, hasn’t seen a whole lot of practice. They’ve not seen a lot of all of the reps. I mean sometimes as as we’ve seen the last few days they’ve some people have seen the reporters have seemed like seven to 12 minutes of practice. I mean they’re out there not out there practicing for 15 minutes. You know they’re obviously seeing just you know a tenth of practice if that. I mean so I’m not sure they know. Obviously those guys have sources and they’re hearing that Guarantano’s looking better. I think Guarantano is definitely the most the more talented of the two. But based off everything I’ve heard, Chryst is is not is not the kind of guy that’s going to be not the kind of strong arm quarterback who’s going to advance the ball downfield with any sort of regularity. Now that doesn’t mean that he’s not the quarterback. That doesn’t mean that he can’t move the offense. But you know that the things that that kind of concern me and looking at a Chryst led offense is in the past we’ve not really seen him throw the ball vertically a lot when he was at Stanford because he wasn’t asked to within the framework of that offense. We had heard that he had a strong arm but then most of the most of the report so far is that you know Shrout and Guarantano both have stronger arms. And then the thing that to me is not a very good not a very good thing to factor into that. The factor into that equation as well is that he’s only a career 15 he’s only completed 59 percent of his career passes, so he’s obviously not very accurate, too. Now, that sounds like I’m sitting here you know punching the kid in the face repeatedly. I’m not doing that. I don’t know. You know what kind of player he is. I think that Tennessee would be a better football team if Guarantano would realize his massive potential and play up to his capabilities. I think the issue with Guarantano, and Pruitt’s alluded to it in the last couple of times that he’s spoken about the quarterbacks, is Gaurantano’s internal clock is not where it needs to be yet. He takes way too many hits. He lets the pocket collapse on him way too quickly and he doesn’t throw guys open the way he should do in the way his arm is capable of. So until he gets that innate ability to do those things and to realize when he’s got to get rid of the ball, I think he’s going to struggle because he’s not the running threat that Dobbs was. He could run a little but he’s not a running quarterback and is as far as Chryst goes maybe Chryst does those things a little bit better, which then it’s kind of a pick your poison when you go with the less talented quarterback who doesn’t have a strong enough arm to throw the ball 25 yards downfield. I’m not suggesting that’s Chryst because I have not seen him throw for Tennessee, or do you not go or do you go with a guy who you know maybe takes a little more sacks but can make a play on a deep ball. I don’t know and I think that Tennessee’s got that decision to make between those guys. I think it’s an imperfect situation. Neither of those guys are guys that we can be really excited about right now. But I also think it would be I would be stunned if at some point throughout the season that I’d be stunned if both of them didn’t start at least one game at some point this year because I think both of them are going to have some opportunities. Even though I think Gueron Tonneau probably start the season as the starter.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:18:49] You know while you’re talking I was thinking about this too. You’re more of a national guy so you’ll you’ll know this. But you know he played for Stanford in the big in the Pac 12. So now he’s going to be playing in the SEC. You know I mean the Pac 12 is not the Big 12. It’s not like there’s no defense. Right. But it’s not SEC defense right. How much of a difference you think the defenses are in the Pac 12 that he put his numbers up against as to what he’s going to see this fall?

Brad Shepard: [00:19:24] You know they’re not consistently great defensive teams in the Pac 12 mean obviously USC and especially Washington have put up some really good numbers and produced some some quality NFL players. I think that UCLA had a good defense when Moore was there as a general rule. But you know he didn’t he didn’t face a lot of great defenses the thing that was the thing that was really kind of encouraging to me is you look at some of Chryst’s best games that came against some of the better competition that he played. And he had a really good game against USC a couple of years ago. But on the flip side of that he had some really poor games against some really bad teams. I mean I’m not so I’m not suggesting that San Diego State is a bad team. They’ve been a really really good team for the last couple of years on their level.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:20:08] They got that running back, too, what’s that dude’s name?

Brad Shepard: [00:20:12] Yeah, Rashaad Penny and then they had Donnell Pumphrey two years ago. So they’ve had some really stud running backs but you know you expect you expect Stanford to just annihilate teams like that and they actually lost to that team a couple of years ago in Pumphrey’s last year so or maybe it was last year whenever they lost they lost a San Diego State. And one of the last couple of years and that’s been that game’s been really close both times. So you know I don’t know. I think obviously the defenses are going to be faster in the SEC the defenses are going to be deeper and they’re better but it’s not like he’s just played you know Big 12 defenses. I mean the Pac 12 actually plays some quality football. It’s just a different brand of football. And Stanford plays a lot like we you know remember Tennessee playing. Other than you know maybe I mean they play a lot more pro style smash mouth football on offense as we know. And but you know the big the Pac 12 just has different offensive sets, different schematics, I mean there’s not there’s a lot of West Coast elements. There there’s some pro style elements. I mean you know a play under center a lot which I think Tennessee will run from under center a lot this year too. But it’s just it’s just a different animal. So you know I think that that that we’re maybe seeing Chryst kind of you know if the reports are accurate and he’s not looked great in kind of this the scrimmage settings or the live action practice that the media has seen it’s probably because there’s a little bit of a spade adjustment. Maybe he can adapt to that. But you know it’s very difficult to judge based on the first two weeks of practice. Obviously we’ve only got two weeks to go till the ballgames start but I’m not ready to rule Chryst out of the competition. But I do think that he’s the less talented of the two.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:22:10] Just quickly is it fair to say that his offensive line at Stanford is better than what he is now in Tennessee?

Brad Shepard: [00:22:17] Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, the offensive line at Stanford the last couple of years has been pretty good. I don’t have I don’t have the numbers or the stats in front of me obviously. Shaw does a really good job recruiting and they I want to say two years ago they were much better than what they were last year which might be a reason why Costello, who’s a little bit more of a of a pocket role and a better athlete, you know kind of won that job. And they had Stanford had had a couple of high four star or five star offensive one recruits that came in in this class that’s going to be able to step right in that they need to step right and play so they had some losses all that offensive line. But I want to say the last couple of years they’ve been they’ve been pretty pretty good up front.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:23:10] All right. Last thing before we go let Will out of the subcellar. Starting to ramp up talk about what happened 20 years ago. Chris Low wrote a piece on the official Tennessee site about the 1998 championship team. And there’s some other stories that are starting to come out. I think Fulmer did a video interview with somebody about it and so that got me thinking there were so many great moments during that season. We really need to have one of our old school sort of bracket deals. maybe the week of the Florida game maybe we should do that just you know the the best moments of the season. So just off the top of your head. What do you think are the top four or five just what comes to your mind first. You know you can you can breeze through the ones that we all know that we all know and probably come come to our minds first. But I mean here are your top four or five.

Brad Shepard: [00:24:20] Oh man. I mean I romanticize that season so much and it was you know it’s because it’s the first time I was ever really away from home. I was a freshman at UT and you know we we camped out to get Florida tickets. And you know I actually pulled pulled seats in D and so I was sitting like 40 rows up on the 50 yard line for that unbelievable game. There will never be there’ll never be another moment another sports moment in my life that meant more than than that moment. I would. I mean that’s going to be number one for me just because you know there was that there was that split second of silence and then just the stampede of people down the bleachers and all celebrating on the field and it was just it was just you know you just can’t put it into words. If you weren’t if you weren’t a part of it it was just one of those things that it feels like we’ll never have again. Plus it was just you know you’re 18 years old so you’re looking at everything through through these lenses. You know I’m on top of the world. I’ve got the rest of my life in front of me. Everything is immense and this is the most immense thing in this whole immense world right now and it was just I mean it really now romanticized over the years but it was just really surreal. And looking back on it it’s even gotten more surreal as the years have gone on. So that’s one. To me. I mean number two one of the one of the few games toward the end of the season started covering a little bit of football but I didn’t cover the Arkansas Game and I was sitting in the stands with my dad and a couple of our friends here who are big Arkansas Razorback fans. And you know that game. It was just it was miserable. I mean the weather was just awful. You know and Tennessee was just getting obliterated the whole game. It was just it was such a hangover game that you just you know you had no you just had no sense in that game that that it was going to get that it was that Tennessee could win that game you know. And then and then the obviously the the Billy Ratliffe play which I will I will forever say it was the Ratliffe play more than it was the Stoerner play because he created that and it was and you know it’s just a great play against people just you know people want to want to talk about Stoerner making the blunder, but man I mean that was that was I mean he beat Brandon Burlsworth. The late great Brandon Burlsworth on that play, who was one of the best offensive linemen in the SEC that was just I mean that was a great player making a great play against a great player and winning a football game. And then the ensuing Henry runs afterward were amazing. I mean it was just that was that was great to me. And then the other two that maybe you know that maybe you’re a little bit. Everybody wants to say the you know the national championship game obviously that was a everything. I mean all the moments the Goodrich pick the the the Peerless catch. I mean all those things were were great in that game. But you know the things that stand out to me is that you know Tennessee was playing against a pretty mediocre Bama team and and the Peerless kick return that that really kind of turned things and that game was really was really an important moment you know kind of kind of to just kind of reassert that Tennessee, reassert what Tennessee was that year in that game because everybody knows especially back then the Tennessee Bama game could go either way. So I would put that up there. And then really just kind of the way everything came together in the season opener because against Syracuse because that was a sneaky good Syracuse team and they had a lot of great NFL players like McNabb and Conrad and I mean just all those guys that for that team and you know Tennessee was coming off, you know Peyton leaving and they were highly ranked. Will’s the historian so he knows what they were ranked at the start of the season everything. But you know there was not really a lot of talk about him and then they kind of just you know went up to the Carrier Dome which is a really tough place to play and pulled off that win and maybe they shouldn’t have. I mean that was a great game. I know you said four but the other one you know I was down at Auburn when Jamal got hurt. And at that point you know everything. You know you’re kind of thinking there’s nothing there is nothing right now that can stop Tennessee because nobody can stop Jamal Lewis. And then Jamal gets hurt. And I was sitting on the goal line at the Auburn game and I saw him get hurt and I almost think you know he really did trotted off the field he’s OK fine and my dad’s like I don’t know you can trot off the field still have a torn ACL or you know MCL or whatever it was. And I was like No no he’s fine and then he wasn’t fine and you’re thinking well that’s it. There’s the chances then you know that more of that moment just Henry coming in and being what Henry was. I mean there’s just so many great moments so many great heroes that year. That just makes you really appreciate what that team was because it was really the true definition of a team. People forget that Al Wilson didn’t play a couple of games that year because he was hurt and even when he didn’t you know he’s the emotional leader over there. You know swirlin the towel on the sidelines.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:29:40] He was out for Auburn, too, wasn’t he?

Brad Shepard: [00:29:42] Yeah, I think he was yeah. And so I mean you know it’s just one of those things where in Tennessee, man they recruited so well back then and a lot of those Garner players that you know I mean Dwayne Good . . . not Dwayne Goodrich, but Deon Grant and you know Fred White and those guys that were just flippin studs I mean you know they were just deep and good. And when one guy went down the next guy came in and they just won football games. It wasn’t always pretty but they imposed their will and won games and it’s just you know that’s not even mentioned in Tee completing 21 straight passes against South Carolina. I mean there’s so many moments just a lot of a lot of great memories.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:30:24] We definitely need to do a bracket.

Brad Shepard: [00:30:26] Yeah yeah. Absolutely.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:30:28] We’ll have to do that. So I’ve I’ve written this at at the old site. I’ve never said it on the podcast so my my story about the moment in the Arkansas game is we were living in I was in law school at UT. We were living in a town home. And so you know the walls are thin and you can you can hear everybody and you know everybody’s watching the game because you know when something good happens the whole neighborhood erupts and when something bad happens the whole neighborhood erupts. So I’m in the midst of all of this. Like you said it was terrible weather in the midst of all this. There’s a traveling magazine salesmen going and knocking on every door in our community. Right. And so this dude. He comes to my door. I want to say just seconds after Stoerner fell and fumbled. And this guy knocks on the door he knows that he has to establish rapport. That’s what you gotta do before you can sell somebody. So he’s like, “Who’s winning?” And you know I was not going to explain the entire game in this moment to this stranger. My door wanting my money right. And so I just said Arkansas you know because they were still winning at that time right. And he goes, “Yes!”

Brad Shepard: [00:32:07] Oh my gosh.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:32:07] The dude didn’t know what state he was in.

Brad Shepard: [00:32:10] He had no idea.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:32:10] He just saw that I was excited and he wanted to mirror me. So I just I just closed the door in his face you know and I’m sure that that you know the encounter ended with him flipping me off because that’s usually what magazine sales encounters end with anyway. But anyway so that was my story about the Stoerner thing. Some guy was trying to sell me the magazines at the time. But you know the other thing is the Auburn game was incredible. That was Shawn Ellis.

Brad Shepard: [00:32:46] Goal line? Yeah.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:32:47] Well there was a line stand. So I mean they were on the one yard line and ran four consecutive plays and got stopped. Couldn’t get a yard four times in a row. That was awesome. And then Shawn Ellis I don’t know how long it was 60 70 80 yards or something. And he ran it back and the best thing about that is John Ward’s call. He’s sitting there. He’s he’s explaining it. You know the whole time when he gets it then he says, “HE MADE IT.”.

Brad Shepard: [00:33:13] You know that’s the best man he’s the best.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:33:21] And you know I remember the guys talking about how you could measure that. That interception return with the sundial you could time it with a sundial. So anyway there’s a bunch of great stuff from that season just love it. Hopefully you know hopefully they’ll be playing that stuff and we’ll be reminiscing during a good game against Florida. Because if it’s a bad game it just gives you a you know I remember it against Alabama several years ago. They were talking about you know I think it must’ve been 10, 10 years. And so it seemed like hey Vols fans remember when we were good? You know just everything every time out. So hopefully we’ll.

[00:34:07] It’s sad that they’ve gotten to that point. I mean I do I do feel like yeah I mean I felt like especially after the whole Currie debacle that when Fulmer got in there. My first thought was he is this this is not going to continue to happen on his watch. And you know I think I’ve said it before and I love I love Fulmer so I mean it’s it’s I don’t mean this in any disrespectful way toward him. But there is no but I mean as much as you and me and Will and everybody else loves Tennessee. There is nobody in this world that loves Tennessee like Phil loves Tennessee and as much as I love Phil as much as you and Will love Phil. There’s nobody in the world that loves Phil more than Phil loves Phil, so maybe you know I think that he sees this as an opportunity to man you know if I not only have I won a championship here but if I can get this program back you know where it’s supposed to be. Now they’re going to put a statue of me out here and I think we should. Because I mean we have been mired in such misery for years and I just I don’t know that I mean you know I just think that Fulmer is you can tell by the way by the money he’s pumping into the program by the player personnel staff the off the field coaches and that he’s outfitting the program with, all of these things that he’s doing. He’s going to do whatever it takes to get Tennessee football back right. And as I’ve said and I’ve written a million times, if you get football right everything else falls in line. The rest of the athletic department even your academics because kids want to come to the school they want to come to school because of football and it’s just it’s this cycle that is if you fix football everything else falls in line. And I think Tennessee is I’m not saying they’re going to fix it this year and I’m not saying it’s definitely going to get fixed but they’re doing the things it takes to fix right now and that’s that’s something we can all be excited about whether it’s now or whether it’s five years from now.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:36:21] One of his greatest strengths was he was that really consummate CEO kind of head coach and he had really good coordinators and he instilled loyalty in his coaching staff. So many of them stuck around for so long. I know that Cutcliffe took off for a couple of opportunities but Chavis was there the whole time. Cutcliffe came back. Anyway so I think he’s in the right role now as a CEO you know keeping all of the right people in the right places. So I’m excited about it plus the fact that the way things went down as ugly as it was, it really provides him today with just the right kind of motivation to do a really good job.

Brad Shepard: [00:37:09] I want to see him shake Major’s hand. I mean that would make me, I mean I know it’s not ever going to happen but if I would I would feel like I think that I feel like that if something happens and that and that rift can somehow be mended somewhat. And like I said it will never happen but if it would happen that it could be like you know the two the two broken separate worlds can come back together as one. But you know that’s wishful thinking.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:37:40] You know I don’t know that it won’t ever happen. I just was searching one of our daily roundups a while ago seemed to suggest . . . Yeah there’s a story by a site called Vols Wire . . . oh sorry. That’s the wrong Majors. That was Bobby. Oh all right well so you’re right. Yeah that’s never going to happen. But yeah it would be nice to see.

Brad Shepard: [00:38:13] As someone who spoke to Johnny a couple of years ago for a story I was doing on Gus Manning, I would be stunned if it happened. I would be stunned.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:38:22] That’s too bad to see, I would love to see that.

Brad Shepard: [00:38:25] Yeah me too.

Joel Hollingsworth: [00:38:27] All right, well that’ll do it for this edition of the Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast. We’re probably going to have shorter but more frequent ones from now on. We’ll see how that goes. We’re sort of playing it by ear. We got to get Will back on the field and you know give him a little education as to selling his shoes and all that stuff. So anyway check us out on iTunes and Soundcloud and we still I’m going to post this one to TalkShoe, too. We have not been able to actually get the feed switched over yet because I can’t log into iTunes I don’t know what’s up with that. Trying to make this move in this transition is like I got the internet equivalent of two guys and a truck trying to figure it out. So but we will get it figured out. So right now we’re going to be dual posting the latest episode at Soundcloud and at TalkShoe, but until next time I’m Joel Hollingsworth and I am with Brad Shepard and we hope you have a great night and Go Vols.

Brad Shepard: [00:39:35] Go Vols.

Who’s New? Tennessee Defensive Backs

It’s finally football time in Tennessee, and we’ll be squeezing every morsel of news out of every word that escapes new coach Jeremy Pruitt’s mouth over the next month leading up to the season opener in Charlotte against West Virginia.

But we are here to fully arm you with every bit of information we can leading up to the season’ start. In order to do that, we’ve got to get you up-to-date on all the new personnel you’ll be seeing on the football field in 2018.

More than 30 new players will suit up for the Big Orange who didn’t this spring. Many of those weren’t even in orange and white for the worst season in school history a year ago. That’s not a bad thing, either.

Pruitt came in and immediately determined the team that went 4-8 last year wasn’t equipped to win this year, either. So, he called on reinforcements. Over the next few days, we’ll brief you on the newbies at each position.

Let’s take a look at the defensive backs.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

One of the biggest concerns, and — quite frankly — seemingly one of the biggest swings and misses in the 2018 recruiting class was defensive back. The Vols went after some of the nation’s top prospects in the secondary late in the process, and while they got them to visit, they couldn’t get any to pull the trigger.

Fall camp has proved UT’s future is more than fine in the secondary. It may even change the way Jeremy Pruitt approaches numbers in the ’19 class. It looks like the Vols hit on at least four of the players in this year’s class and maybe even more. Unfortunately, they’ll have to play all over the field this year which doesn’t bode well for early-season games against teams like high-flying West Virginia.

But these guys are going to be good.

ALONTAE TAYLOR, 6’0″, 186-pound Freshman Cornerback

There’s no player who has gotten more preseason buzz than Taylor, the Coffee County product who is the Vols’ biggest commitment actually on campus. He signed as a wide receiver over some of the top schools in the country, and he started out there this fall. But toward the end of camp, Pruitt put him in the secondary.

He hasn’t looked back.

Taylor looks primed to start. He doesn’t always make the best decisions and he’ll get burned his share of times, but he is an exceptional athlete who has the ability to be UT’s top defensive back this year. Taylor has strong ball skills, and his past work as a receiver will help him grab some interceptions. Pruitt wanted him as a defensive back at Alabama, and that’s where Kirby Smart was recruiting him at Georgia, where he nearly flipped. There’s a big reason why. Taylor is going to be a factor for Tennessee in 2018. Pruitt is a known developer of defensive backs, and it’s going to be fun to watch this guy for the next three or four years.

There will be some bumps this year, but he’s worth it.

BRYCE THOMPSON, 5’11”, 180-pound Freshman Cornerback

One of the biggest coups was when the Vols convinced Thompson to commit to them after National Signing Day. Before that, Thompson was arguably South Carolina’s top recruit heading to the Gamecocks before the weird breakup there. Will Muschamp’s loss is Pruitt’s gain.

Thompson is raw, and he, like Taylor, could have played on offense or defense. But the biggest need for Tennessee is in the secondary, and Thompson immediately upgraded the speed and athleticism at that position. As athletic as Nigel Warrior and Taylor is, Thompson is on another level. Once he learns the nuances of the position and the footwork, he is going to be a fun player to watch in Knoxville.

It’s not out of the question that Thompson will be a starter by the end of the season. Is it a good thing that the Vols could wind up starting two first-year players on the outside? Nope. But the upside with the Irmo, S.C., product is immense, and he is also worth the risk.

He’ll be firmly in the rotation at season’s start.

TREVON FLOWERS, 5’11”, 184-pound Freshman Safety

Pruitt knows defensive backs, and while some guys like Isaac Taylor-Stuart, Olaijah Griffin and Tyson Campbell visited UT only to commit to other schools, the Vols quietly plucked a player from Clemson late in the process. That would be Flowers, and though the Tucker, Georgia, product is a bit undersized for safety, that’s his position of the future, and he’ll get some reps there this year.

Flowers on the back end immediately upgrades the talent and athleticism. If you can pair him with Warrior, Flowers’ ball skills and speed will help Warrior be able to be a big hitter and step up in the run game. Like his two cornerback counterparts, there are some to be some mistakes. But Flowers looks like the real deal early on. There’s a reason why Dabo Swinney’s Tigers and other programs wanted him.

The 3 stars next to his name maybe made him a bit of a “meh” pickup on paper, but Flowers is a good-looking player who’ll help the Vols this year.

BRANDON DAVIS, 5’10”, 170-pound Freshman Cornerback

Nobody thought much positive about it when the nation’s, No. 1,773-ranked prospect committed to Pruitt late in the process. If anything, those who did have a comment thought it was a reach, at best. Davis, they said, was going to be a preferred walk-on or a blue shirt candidate.

Instead, Davis is swarming around the field in practice and could be a factor as a dime back as a true freshman. Again, he features the kind of athleticism the Vols are lacking back there, and Davis may be on the small side, but he packs a big punch when he hits and can close on ball carriers in a hurry. He plays bigger than his measurables. Davis is a two-sport star who played at prestigious John Curtis High School in Louisiana, and he also should suit up for the Vols’ baseball team later this year, just like Flowers.

Davis is a great athlete, and when he bulks up and picks up the scheme, he’ll really help UT. That may be right away.

KENNETH GEORGE JR. 5’11”, 195-pound RS Sophomore Cornerback

Before Tennessee came in and offered George, he was a Trinity Valley Community College prospect who may have looked like he was once slated to go to Nebraska but was probably going to wind up at Incarnate Word.

Never heard of it? Me either.

But George certainly looks the part, and he has three years to play three in Knoxville. He hasn’t looked out-of-place in practice, either. Is he a finished product? No. But he wasn’t recruited to ride the bench, and George is big, fast and lanky. If he grasps the concepts Pruitt and Terry Fair want, he could wind up being one of the biggest steals of the class.

Listen: You’re not going to hit on every player like George, Davis, Kingston Harris, Kurott Garland and a couple of those other guys who had few major offers. But none of those guys look lost. Some of them are going to hit, and George has the physical presence you like to see at corner. Maybe it’ll be him.

CHEYENNE LABRUZZA, 5’11”, 188-pound RS Freshman Safety/Star

One player who is hard to figure out is Labruzza. This is a kid from Louisiana who was wanted badly by LSU and Florida, yet he chose to come to Tennessee and play for coach Butch Jones. Last year, he redshirted, and he looks like the prototypical player in Pruitt’s secondary.

So, why haven’t we heard more from him? Maybe Labruzza needs to get more consistent, and maybe he’s just getting outplayed by some kids younger than him. Is he going to fit in at safety, or his he more of a cornerback? Labruzza looks like he is the latter and could wind up challenging Shawn Shamburger at the Star position. But he isn’t in the mix right now for serious reps.

The Vols would like for him to be. He’s a big, talented kid. The light just needs to come on.

TERRELL BAILEY, 5’11”, 186-pound RS Freshman Cornerback

If you’ve heard of Bailey’s name since he’s been on campus, you’re doing better than me. That’s not to suggest that he’s a bad player, but there has been little buzz under the previous staff, this past spring or in fall camp. It’s way too early to call him another Jones miss, because he possesses good size, decent speed, and he’s still got four years to play.

But if he’s going to be a big factor in the secondary this year, he’s one of Pruitt’s best-kept secrets.

 

Who’s New? Tennessee Linebackers

It’s finally football time in Tennessee, and we’ll be squeezing every morsel of news out of every word that escapes new coach Jeremy Pruitt’s mouth over the next month leading up to the season opener in Charlotte against West Virginia.

But we are here to fully arm you with every bit of information we can leading up to the season’ start. In order to do that, we’ve got to get you up-to-date on all the new personnel you’ll be seeing on the football field in 2018.

More than 30 new players will suit up for the Big Orange who didn’t this spring. Many of those weren’t even in orange and white for the worst season in school history a year ago. That’s not a bad thing, either.

Pruitt came in and immediately determined the team that went 4-8 last year wasn’t equipped to win this year, either. So, he called on reinforcements. Over the next few days, we’ll brief you on the newbies at each position.

Let’s take a look at the linebacking corps.

LINEBACKERS

We’re all on JJ Peterson watch, but the high 4-star linebacker and potential jewel of the 2018 haul under Jeremy Pruitt can’t be profiled until he gets on campus. When that will be, who knows? The Vols start classes soon, and Peterson’s high school coach Rush Propst said we’ll know something one way or another by next Friday.

That late, it’s hard to envision Peterson helping UT the first half of this season, but that doesn’t change the Vols needing him to get into school so he can help down the road. At this point, we don’t know what to expect.

Losing the centerpiece of Pruitt’s half-class would be bad. Oh well, you play the guys who’re here, right? Let’s take a look at them.

DARRIN KIRKLAND, 6’1″, 234-pound RS Junior

Perhaps it was an omen and a harbinger for the Vols during preseason drills when Kirkland went down with a season-ending injury. After all, he was supposed to be the defensive leader once Jalen Reeves-Maybin left for the NFL, and instead, the Vols were forced to play the entire season without their leader.

For a while, we all thought we’d watched our last down for Kirkland in orange and white, too. After graduating early, he nearly transferred from UT for his final two seasons of eligibility, but Kirkland was lured back onto the roster by Jeremy Pruitt. Now, he’s expected to anchor UT’s strongest unit alongside Daniel Bituli.

Kirkland is a familiar old face, but he’s “new” to this lineup because A) he missed last year, B) he nearly wasn’t in Knoxville and C) he didn’t play this spring. Kirkland has a chance to be one of the Vols’ best players if he’s healthy and if he grasps Pruitt’s defensive concepts. The Vols need him to quickly, and as smart as he is, it shouldn’t be a problem. A healthy Kirkland is excellent for UT’s defense.

DARRELL TAYLOR, 6’4″, 247-pound RS Junior

Another player who isn’t new to the roster is Taylor, who played defensive end for the Vols a season ago before shifting to the pass-rushing Jack outside linebacker this past spring. Taylor looked good at times in the spring despite the rust of learning a new position. The Vols need for him not only to be serviceable on the second level but to be a force.

Last year, he broke out with a 12-tackle performance and the game-winning stop in the season-opening escape against Georgia Tech. He finished the year with 27 tackles and a suspension. That’s not the kind of player the Vols need for Taylor to be in his final two years of eligibility.

They need a difference-maker who can get after opposing quarterbacks and take some of the pressure off the young secondary. Taylor must do that. He needs a new lease on life in his new position. He has the highest upside of any linebacker on the roster, but can he realize his massive potential? It could be fun watching Chris Rumph develop him.

JONATHAN KONGBO, 6’5″, 254-pound RS Senior

Speaking of a fresh start, if anybody needs one, it’s Kongbo. He needs to wash the stench of the Butch Jones era off him. The former top JUCO player in the nation committed to Tennessee over the top schools in the country with three years of eligibility remaining. He now has one season left to go and has yet to make any real impact on the defense.

At times over the past two years, Kongbo has looked lost, out of position and has watched runners blow by him. Last year, he had 29 tackles, but his run containment was awful, and he finished with just 2.5 tackles for a loss. The coaches this year decided to move him to linebacker, and he can focus on one major thing this year, his final year:

Getting after the quarterback.

If Kongbo could make an impact, whether starting or in a reserve role, it’ll be a good finish to a disappointing career. He is so big and talented, it’s hard to envision a career where he didn’t do anything. Maybe he just needs coaching; UT hopes so.

JORDAN ALLEN, 6’4″, 242-pound RS Sophomore

Without Peterson on campus, the Vols are left with just one linebacker in the 2018 class and that’s big-time JUCO prospect Allen, who they lured away from junior college in San Francisco. He certainly looks the part, and Allen has three years to play three. But UT needs him to make an impact this year.

An athlete who looks like him and is as fast as him needs to be able to play and provide quality snaps. That’s why Rumph and other coaches have been so hard on him; they’re trying to unlock his massive potential. Allen is an ideal linebacker for a 3-4 system, and though he doesn’t always play with a high motor or is consistent in where he is supposed to be, there are flashes of brilliance.

Once Allen gets acclimated with the defense, he is sure to fit in the rotation. The Vols could be deep and good at linebacker, so Allen will definitely have to earn his spot. But they’ll be better if he does.

DEANDRE JOHNSON, 6’3″, 244-pound Sophomore

One of my breakout candidates this year is Johnson, another player who isn’t new to Tennessee’s roster, but, like Taylor and Kongbo, moved back to linebacker from defensive end.

He never looked big enough to me to play with his hand down, but he’s big and athletic and looks like a player who could develop into a good linebacker. He’s quick even though he’s not fast, he’s a good athlete who could excel in a pass-rushing role. He’d probably get burned in coverage, but the Vols wouldn’t ask him to do that.

Johnson is a player that Miami and others really wanted, and the Vols won that battle. He played some as a true freshman, and UT hopes he continues to develop at his new spot. He could have a really big year. I think he’s got a strong future.

 

 

Confidence in Year One: 2013 vs 2018

A good question came out of this week’s return of the Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast: when did you have the bigger wait-and-see mentality, right now or five years ago?

It’s no sin to say you need to see it to believe it with Jeremy Pruitt; after the last ten years, we all might need a little sight to go with our faith. But how does that compare to the way we felt on the eve of Butch Jones’ first season?

Neither being Tennessee’s first choice, Jones and Pruitt also inherited more years of disappointment than their infamous predecessors in the last ten years. The additional years of disappointment under Jones might make us more wait-and-see with Pruitt by default; the Vols have now been down for ten years instead of five. Butch Jones also had the benefit of a more-celebrated group of commitments earlier in his tenure. Some of this was via name and location: early recruiting wins on guys like Jalen Hurd and Todd Kelly Jr. dramatically changed the conversation on Jones, giving one the impression that he could turn this program around with talent like that in the fold. Pruitt’s early set of commitments during his first fall camp is still impressive, but Jackson Lampley is the only in-state/legacy blue chipper on board at the moment; the new staff’s highest-rated commits are from Georgia and North Carolina.

However – and due, of course, to Jones’ recruiting – it feels like Tennessee easily has more talent on the roster right now than in 2013. Five years ago we knew the Vols had a sensational offensive line, but little else. Ultimately in that season three of Tennessee’s five leading receivers – Marquez North, Jason Croom, Josh Smith – were freshmen, and after injury freshman Josh Dobbs took over at quarterback. Cam Sutton and Malik Foreman were day one starters in the secondary, Corey Vereen was a factor on the defensive line…you get the idea. The talent that left after 2012 and some of the recruiting failures at the end of Dooley’s tenure left the cupboard far more bare than it seems right now.

Of course, the guys in the cupboard right now just went 4-8 last year and lost five times by 17+ points.

When you hire someone with six years of experience as a head coach, you know more going in. Butch Jones had done a good job on the mid-major level, and most of the initial questions with him were how he would recruit at the level Tennessee needed. We thought Jones could get us to at least nine wins, and he did…it just turned out that was also his ceiling. With Pruitt, the basement is deeper – he’s never done it, maybe he’s just a great coordinator but a lousy head coach – but the ceiling also seemed higher on day one. We applauded Phillip Fulmer when Pruitt was the choice for not playing it safe with Les Miles or easy with Tee Martin, but going with someone with more risk/reward.

So going into this first year, I find myself a little less wait-and-see with Pruitt than I was with Jones, even if I’m still significantly more wait-and-see than at any other point in my three decades of fandom. Dooley wasn’t a great hire and we knew it at the time, but anyone would’ve galvanized us after Kiffin, and in 2010 the Vols were only three years removed from a division title. For at least the year one prospects, I’m slightly more optimistic right now than I was five years ago.

You can see it a little bit from Vegas too. Right now the Vols are 9.5-point underdogs in a neutral site game against #20 West Virginia. In Jones’ first year, the Vols were 28-point underdogs at #2 Oregon. There’s plenty of room between #2 and #20, but +28 is the second-biggest underdog the Vols have been in the last five years (and maybe ever); Alabama was +36 last year (and covered). This time five years ago I was just worried about trying to beat Western Kentucky.

There’s not a right or wrong answer here, but there’s enough good happening with Pruitt and just enough good Jones did in recruiting to make me slightly less wait-and-see right now than I was five years ago. It’s starting over, but it might not be from scratch. We’ll see.

 

Pruitt’s mostly accomplished his defensive size- and shape-blueprint in one short summer

There’s no doubt that new Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt has been a very busy man since he was hired last December. His to-do list is full of major projects, but over the past seven months it’s become more and more clear that one of his main priorities was re-shaping his roster and the guys on it.

In a post we published back in January, we took an educated guess at what Pruitt’s ideal roster looks like and concluded that he had some work to do to make Tennessee fit his blueprint. He wasted no time attacking the problem on multiple fronts, adding freshmen, JUCO, and graduate transfers who fit his mold and asking many of his current players to change the shape of their bodies over the summer and/or switch positions.

So, now that the summer work is over, how much progress was he able to make in re-shaping the Vols’ roster into his ideal? It looks to me like he got almost all the way there in one short summer.

Here’s a look at the defensive roster blueprint and the current status of Tennessee’s defensive guys.

Nose Tackles

Goal

  • 3-6
  • Between 5’11” and 6’5”
  • Between 290-340

Guys who meet the criteria (6-7)

Every defensive lineman meets the height criteria for a nose tackle, and seven guys also meet the weight criteria:

  • Paul Bain (292)
  • Shy Tuttle (300)
  • Maurese Smith (305)
  • Greg Emerson (305)
  • Emmit Gooden (306)
  • Alexis Johnson (314)
  • Kingston Harris (316)

Status

Goal met. They want 3-6 nose tackles and have 6-7 of them. As with all of these positions, we’re talking only about numbers here, not talent, although I’d say that there’s a fair amount of talent on the roster as well.

Defensive Ends

Goal

  • 6-10
  • Between 6’2” and 6’6”
  • Between 270-310

Guys who meet the criteria (4)

True freshman John Mincey (264) and sophomore Kivon Bennett (266) aren’t quite there yet, but there are eight guys who fit the mold of defensive end:

  • Kyle Phillips (273)
  • Kurott Garland (275)
  • Matthew Butler (276)
  • Paul Bain (292)
  • Shy Tuttle (300)
  • Maurese Smith (305)
  • Greg Emerson (305)
  • Emmit Gooden (306)

Several of those guys, though, are better suited for nose tackle. Shy Tuttle is likely your starter in the middle, and Emerson and Gooden are more likely nose tackles than ends. Maurese Smith appears to be a walk-on. So that leaves scholarship players Phillips, Garland, Butler, and Bain as the team’s primary defensive ends. That’s pretty low on numbers, so they’ll likely be looking for Mincey and Bennett to continue to gain weight, and in the meantime, help may need to come from some of the tweener nose tackles or outside linebackers.

Status

Goal not yet met. They want 6-10 and only have 4, so they’re 2-6 guys short at this position. Until they get their numbers here, expect some tweeners to move around as needed.

Linebackers

Goal for outside ‘backers

  • 5-8
  • Between 6’1” and 6’5”
  • Between 220-260

Goal for inside ‘backer

  • 5-8
  • Between 6’0” and 6’3”
  • Between 230-250

Guys who meet the criteria for OLB (5-6)

Only Shanon Reid and apparent walk-on Matt Ballard fall outside the ideal height, and only Solon Page III and walk-ons Nick Humphrey and Landon Knoll don’t meet the weight criteria. Everybody else is in the right range for outside ‘backer:

  • Joshua Warren (222)
  • Quart’e Sapp (223)
  • Nyles Gaddy (226)
  • Dillon Bates (229)
  • JJ Peterson (231)
  • Darrin Kirkland Jr. (234)
  • Cole Hughes (237)
  • Will Ignont (239)
  • Jordan Allen (242)
  • Deandre Johnson (244)
  • Daniel Bituli (244)
  • Austin Smith (246)
  • Darrell Taylor (247)
  • Jonathan Kongbo (254)

Guys who meet the criteria for ILB

Kongbo, Taylor, and Allen are too tall for inside linebacker, so they’re not candidates. Of the other guys, Page, Reid, Sapp, and Bates are under-weight for the inside. That leaves the following guys who are ideally-sized for inside linebacker:

  • JJ Peterson (231)
  • Darrin Kirkland Jr. (234)
  • Cole Hughes (237)
  • Will Ignont (239)
  • Deandre Johnson (244)
  • Daniel Bituli (244)
  • Austin Smith (246)

One interesting note on ILB, Sapp is likely going to be relied on a lot at this position despite being slightly underweight at 223.

Bituli and Smith appear to be the tweeners between ILB and OLB, but they’re likely more suited for the inside. Either way, there appear to be 5-6 guys ideally-sized to play ILB, and if JJ Peterson ever gets to campus, he’ll help there tremendously.

As a general rule, outside linebackers are taller and heavier than inside ‘backers (although there’s a higher weight floor for ILB than OLB). Former defensive ends Kongbo and Taylor don’t meet the criteria for inside linebackers, so they’re pure OLBs (but they could also slide back to defensive end in a pinch.) In all, there are 14 linebackers who meet the criteria for outside linebacker. Three of those appear to be walk-ons, 5-8 of those guys need to be reserved for inside ‘backer, and JJ Peterson isn’t here yet, but that still leaves at least 5-6 guys for OLB.

Status

Goal met. There’s a fair amount of flexibility among the OLBs and ILBs, so let’s say the team has 5-6 OLBs and 5-6 ILBs. If they want a total of 10-16 total ‘backers, then having 10-12 is there, albeit just barely.

Cornerbacks and safeties

Goal for corner

  • 5-10
  • Between 5’8” and 6’2”
  • Between 170-200

Goal for safety

  • 4-8
  • Between 5’10” and 6’2”
  • Between 190-220

Guys who meet the criteria for corner (8)

Every guy listed as a defensive back meets both the height and weight criteria for corner. Here they are:

  • Brandon Davis (170)
  • Jake Powers (178) (WO)
  • D.J. Henderson (179)
  • Bryce Thompson (180)
  • Carlin Fils-aime (180)
  • Garrett Johnson (182) (WO)
  • Bryce Collier (183) (WO)
  • Trevon Flowers (184)
  • Terrell Bailey (186)
  • Alontae Taylor (186)
  • Cheyenne Labruzza (188)
  • Nigel Warrior (188)
  • Marquill Osborne (190)
  • Sam Harvin (192) (WO)
  • Shawn Shamburger (193)
  • Baylen Buchanan (193)
  • Theo Jackson (193)
  • MaLeik Gatewood (194)
  • Kenneth George Jr. (195)
  • Micah Abernathy (195)
  • Todd Kelly Jr. (200)
  • Maleik Gray (200)

Guys who meet the criteria for safety (9)

  • Marquill Osborne (190)
  • Sam Harvin (192) (WO)
  • Shawn Shamburger (193)
  • Baylen Buchanan (193)
  • Theo Jackson (193)
  • MaLeik Gatewood (194)
  • Kenneth George Jr. (195)
  • Micah Abernathy (195)
  • Todd Kelly Jr. (200)
  • Maleik Gray (200)

Not counting walk-ons, that’s 18 defensive backs available to play safety/corner/nickel. All of the safety-sized guys are on the low end, with Kelly and Gray weighing the most but still 20 pounds off the maximum weight. And safety starter Warrior doesn’t even fit the criteria for safety, as he’s two pounds shy now that he lost six pounds over the summer. Still, there appear to be nine guys ideally-sized to play safety, well over the need of 4-8.

At corner, I count eight non-walk-ons that meet the criteria. There is a concern there, but it isn’t numbers; it’s talent, although it’s sounding like Alontae Taylor is a huge step in the right direction.

Status

Goal met. If they want 5-10 corners and 4-8 safeties and have 8 corners and 9 safeties, they’re in good shape, numbers-wise. It’s a little heavy on safety and a perhaps a little light on corner, but still within the desired range, especially considering that Warrior — the defense’s best player — is essentially a tweener.