Category Archives: Football

We learned quite a bit about Derek Dooley and, even in one year, Lane Kiffin. But I’m not sure we learned a whole lot from them. Kiffin wasn’t here long enough for that, and even three years for a hire like Dooley tends to play out in a predictable pattern: this probably won’t work –> yep, this isn’t working –> okay, let’s move on. Even as some of us spent lots of time arguing injuries and inheritance meant we needed most of that third year to make an informed decision, the final verdict on Dooley was the same as the quick one.

But with Butch Jones, we had five years. You don’t stick around five years at a place without a tangible hope that it might work. And along the way, you get a chance to learn not only about the head coach, but from them.

It’s easy for many to simplify the final verdict about Butch Jones as some form of lol nope; there are plenty of intern jokes out there. I’m far more interested in what we learned from Butch Jones:  what did the last five years teach us as Tennessee fans?

And how will that impact what we’re getting ready to learn from and about Jeremy Pruitt?

#1: What Will We Learn About Jeremy Pruitt?

When you grow up with the late Majors and Fulmer teams, you learn that Tennessee wins except, for frustrating lengths of time, against Alabama or Florida. When “scoreboard!” is your friend, you value it. A lot.

The last ten years have forced us to look beyond something so simple; the Vols are 62-63 since 2008. With Jones specifically, the scoreboard was just favorable enough, just long enough to allow us to hold on to the idea of something more. The Vols were almost bowl eligible in 2013, almost beat Florida in 2014, almost did far more in 2015, and still almost made the Sugar Bowl in 2016. Almost.

Playing the almost game long enough makes you step back and look at the bigger picture. In this year’s Gameday on Rocky Top preseason magazine, we took a closer look at Butch Jones in close games: 24 of his 55 contests against FBS foes were decided by one possession, and 15 of those were decided on the final play. Those are extraordinary numbers, and even when you win your fair share of them – Jones was 8-11 in one-possession games and 5-6 on the final play before things went south last season, finishing at 10-14 by one-possession and 6-9 on the last snap – too many close games will drive your fan base crazy.

I feel like this is what I learned, more than anything else, from Butch Jones: every play matters. Not so you can make more of them in the fourth quarter to earn an unsustainable winning percentage in close games. But so you can avoid, as much as realistically possible, playing close games altogether.

Don’t Waste Opportunities

In Butch’s first year, with Justin Worley and an all-star offensive line, the Vols were 37th nationally in tackles for loss allowed per game (stats from Sports Source Analytics). The next four years, including two with championship-caliber teams, the Vols were 125th, 108th, 53rd, and 121st. The offense went backwards an awful lot. Wasted plays behind the line of scrimmage became far too normal. Along with infamously freezing in crucial situations – 2014 Florida, 2015 Oklahoma, 2017 Florida – play-for-play, the offense failed to take advantage as much as it should have.

Butch Jones could have won a couple more close games and still been the coach here, or lost a couple more and been fired in 2015. But in the final analysis, it was an inability to take appropriate advantage on every play that cost Jones and his teams.

The temptation will be to measure Jeremy Pruitt by simply the wins and losses: six wins is a job well done, five not so much. But one thing I learned from watching Butch Jones the last five years is how much every play is worth. It’s why I find myself gravitating to things like S&P+ (and KenPom) more and more.

Don’t Waste Memories

This sport is about the outcomes, and the moments they create. Memories remain college football’s most valuable asset, for fans and for a coach seeking to earn another year. We wrote in the aftermath of the Georgia loss last year that Jones’ inability to create memories that lasted hurt him more than anything. His best wins are dragged down by the eventual disappointment of the seasons they came in.

Jeremy Pruitt will have the opportunity to make memories this fall. If one of those six wins is the Gators, we’re going to have a good time. Those memories feel like they get made in dramatic fourth quarter finishes. But the best way to truly make them is to focus on the ol’ process: being as efficient as possible on every snap.

What Will Progress Look Like?

We’ll measure Pruitt by the wins and the memories, but coming off last season there is plenty of progress to be made play-for-play. And especially now, how close the Vols are coming can be a great indicator.

Consider this: in Tennessee’s golden age from 1989-2001, the Vols lost five games by 17 points (three possessions) or more: Alabama in 1989, Florida in 1991, 1994, and 1995, and Nebraska in 1997. All five of those teams were in the Top 10, three in the Top 5.

Then the Vols jarringly lost four times by 17+ points in 2002, but at least all four of those teams were in the Top 20. In the next four years Tennessee lost one game each season by that margin, three to Top 10 teams and to #11 Arkansas in 2006.

In 2007, the Vols lost to #5 Florida and unranked Alabama by 17+. In 2008 it was #4 Florida, #2 Alabama, and unranked South Carolina, and Fulmer was out.

Kiffin had two such losses (unranked Ole Miss and #12 Virginia Tech). Dooley had nine in three years, though six of them came to teams in the Top 10. And Butch Jones had a dozen in five years. The first nine were against Top 10 teams – the schedule wasn’t kind, no doubt – but at the end of last season, the Vols were trounced by Missouri, #20 LSU, and Vanderbilt.

So after only five three-possession losses in 13 years, an aberration in 2002, then one-per-year through 2006, the Vols have lost by 17+ points 28 times in the last 11 years. Seven of those came to unranked teams.

Just being competitive won’t make a whole lot of memories. But in 2018, it would absolutely be progress.

Every play matters. And I think this coaching staff, with its pedigree from the top down, will do a better job understanding that, and calling the game accordingly.

There will be a bunch of little things we learn about Pruitt this fall, and an even longer list he’ll learn himself. It’ll take more time than this season to figure out what Jeremy Pruitt’s teams will teach us as fans. But we learned from Butch Jones’ teams that almost is especially painful and being satisfied with close games and the mysterious “we have a chance to win” is a treadmill in disguise. Every season is relative, telling its own story. But every play matters. I look forward to seeing how much Jeremy Pruitt can make them matter, this fall and beyond.

10 Questions for 2018

10. Which backups on the defensive line will be starters in 2019?

09. Can special teams make the difference in a coach’s first year?

08. What do we know about Tyson Helton’s offense from his time at USC?

07. Who’s the third/fourth wide receiver in an offense that will actually throw them the ball?

06. What about team chemistry with a first-time coach and a hodgepodge of players?

05. How much ground can the Vols gain in year one on the non-UGA SEC East?

04. Could the offensive line actually be a strength now?

03. Who wins the QB battle, and how will Pruitt manage it throughout the year?

02. Could two freshmen start at corner?

 

 

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 wide receivers and tight ends.

WIDE RECEIVERS / TIGHT ENDS

The Vols are going to get a major boost when a new old face returns this fall. Though he’s shaking a lot of rust off and reportedly hasn’t looked that much like his old self yet, redshirt junior receiver Jauan Jennings is back from injury, back from suspension, back from expulsion.

He’s back, and he’s expected to start once he gets all the way back and begins to play the way he’s capable. So, you can add him to this list, really. He wants this to be his final season in Knoxville, but in order to do that, he has to perform, produce and show NFL front offices that he can behave while doing it.

This is a huge year for him, and if Jennings has a huge year, the Vols will be a whole lot better because of it. Now, it’s onto the real new faces.

DOMINICK WOOD-ANDERSON, 6’4″, 257-pound Junior TE

Speaking of one-and-done hopefuls, the Vols won a massive recruiting battle in December when the nation’s top-ranked JUCO tight end decided he wanted to close his college days in Knoxville rather than Tuscaloosa.

He may wind up having the biggest impact of any JUCO transfer for UT since Cordarrelle Patterson. Yes, he’s that talented. Wood-Anderson is big and has exceptional hands. It’s almost a guarantee at this point that he is the starting tight end when the Vols open the season against West Virginia. Though he isn’t the most elusive player and won’t outrun a bunch of secondary members, he’s going to be a terror for linebackers.

Wood-Anderson runs great routes, and with the aforementioned hands, he’ll be a major threat for Jarrett Guarantano (or whoever wins the QB battle). There are several guys who could help Wood-Anderson out like Austin Pope, Eli Wolf and LaTrell Bumphus, but this is a guy who looks like he could be the next great Vols tight end.

It’s not out of the question that he could bolt for the NFL if he has a big year, and with the Vols not having any quarterbacks who can guarantee advancing the ball downfield, Wood-Anderson should be a major weapon who is targeted often.

CEDRIC TILLMAN, 6’3″, 212-pound Freshman WR

It looked like the 2018 recruiting cycle could have been a lot cause when you looked at the wide receiver position, especially considering prize recruit Alontae Taylor flipped to defense where he’s showing out as a cornerback early in fall camp. After all, on paper, all we saw was a really late, little-recruited receiver from Bishop Gorman High School who was thinking about walking on at other places.

On 247Sports, Tillman was a very low-ranked 3-star. On Rivals, he was a 2-star prospect. The Vols plucked him from Hawaii, UNLV and Weber State.

All Tillman has done this summer is show out in 7-on-7s, and it’s carried over into fall camp. He’s made some big-time plays, and though he’s raw and isn’t always consistent, it’s obvious the big-bodied first-year player is going to help. If not now, then soon.

He is big and can high-point the ball with the best of them, and Tillman also is getting open and is plenty fast. It’s baffling that a player of his ilk didn’t have a better offer sheet. It looks like he could be a true big find. Of course, he’s got to do it when it really counts, and nobody is anointing him a ’18 breakout star or anything, but there’s a solid foundation with which to work. David Johnson is known for getting the most out of his players, so Tillman could be the latest project.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to see him in the rotation soon. He was quite a late-cycle find that made up for some of the swings-and-misses.

JACQUEZ JONES, 5’10”, 169-pound RS Freshman WR

How well will Jones fit in with this new staff? That’s going to be interesting to see. The Florida product was a little-known player when Butch Jones and his staff took him a season ago. Jones should just be relieved that he was one of the few freshmen who survived the Jones era with all of his eligibility intact. Jordan Murphy (who you can’t remember making a play in 2017) wasn’t as lucky.

Jones is very small, but he is fast. He and Latrell Williams are dynamos who could excel in the open field with the ball in their hand. But how do you get the ball in their hands? He’s still slight, and he looks fully recovered from the knee injury that kept him out a season ago. But he’s behind Brandon Johnson and Jordan Murphy in the slot receiver position.

Can he help this year? We’ll see.

JACOB WARREN, 6’6″, 224-pound Freshman TE

Here is another player who needs to add some weight, especially if he’s going to go through the SEC battles at the tight end position. But when you talk about matchup nightmares, Warren could fit the bill.

His 6’6″ frame is exciting to watch develop, and if he can add 25-30 pounds, he’s going to be a force because he’s got great speed for his size and good hands, too. He reportedly made some plays during the Vols’ open practice Sunday and showed some flashes of things to come. Nobody is expecting him to go out and grab 20 balls in his first year, especially with at least three and maybe more tight ends in front of him.

But this is still a big year for Warren developmentally. With Jackson Lowe and possibly Sean Brown (if he doesn’t grow into a defensive end) coming in next year, Warren could get recruited over if he doesn’t prove he belongs. He’s off to a good start in showing coaches that he can do some things. Now, he’s just got to get bigger and stronger.

With his size and speed, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he can be a red-zone weapon this year, but he has a ways to go to do that, too.

JAMES BROWN, 6’3″, 229-pound RS Freshman TE

Taking Brown in last year’s cycle was an even bigger enigma than taking Jones. You haven’t heard much about him at all in his two years, and though former offensive coordinator Larry Scott recruited and liked him, it’s hard to see where he’ll fit in the rotation.

Brown didn’t play last year, and rarely do you hear of him this year, either. How will he fit in a traditional tight end role? You don’t want to ever call a kid a transfer possibility, but Brown has a lot to prove. The good thing for him is he’s got a fresh start and clean slate to prove it to a new staff.

He was never going to be an instant-impact player, but entering Year 2 of his career, he needs to take a big step forward and prove that he belongs in the SEC. We’ve got to hear a little about him to be able to write anything more than that.

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 running backs.

RUNNING BACKS

It’s very easy to overlook some of the “new” guys at the position who could wind up playing a role in the offense in a fullback role. In a scheme that seems to value pass-blocking and power football, the Vols could line up some in — (do you hear angels singing??) — an I-formation. If that’s the case, some of the tight ends or even bigger-bodied runners could play that role.

For now, let’s take a look at one major-impact player who will really help out sophomores Ty Chandler and Tim Jordan, battling those guys for reps. Then, there are also two high-potential players who fit what Jeremy Pruitt wants at the position, especially a true freshman who turned heads this offseason.

MADRE LONDON, 6’1″, 213-pound redshirt senior

When John Kelly left a year early for the NFL, the Vols needed some depth and talent at the position, so Pruitt went out looking for a between-the-tackles, yard-gobbler who could help the Vols bridge the gap from the Butch Jones era.

He found his answer in rugged graduate transfer London, who played his first three years at Michigan State. Though he isn’t the flashiest runner, he’s got a lot of reps in a hard-nosed conference, he has proved he can get tough yards between the tackles and he has a jolt of speed when he gets to the second level.

Though he could never win the Spartans’ full-time job after his freshman year, he’ll battle Chandler for the starting gig in Knoxville and get plenty of meaningful reps as UT tries to sustain possessions and help out their quarterbacks. London’s path is a winding one as he was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and played at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida before landing in East Lansing.

During his freshman year, he led the team with 500 rushing yards and had 60 on 12 carries in the Big Ten Championship Game against Iowa. He saw action in 11 games. Then, as a sophomore, he fell down the depth chart and wound up with just 120 rushing yards before rebounding for 300 a season ago. He just couldn’t re-earn the primary job under Mark Dantonio.

He was a factor in Michigan State’s offense each of the past three seasons, finishing with 1,024 yards and nine touchdowns on 243 touches for the Spartans.

Now, London will try to prove he is worthy of going to the next level, but it’s going to be a tough chore behind a rebuilding UT offensive line that needs to prove it is much better than it was a season ago. Having a bruiser like London who has been in some important games will help a ton.

JEREMY BANKS, 6’1″, 211-pound freshman

It may seem crazy that Butch Jones and Co. didn’t even really give an instate running back who wanted to come to UT a sniff in the recruiting process, but that’s exactly what happened with Memphis product Banks. Once Pruitt came in, he turned up the heat on Banks and teammate Jerome Carvin, an important piece of the puzzle as an interior offensive lineman who could start as a true freshman. Both committed to UT, and the Vols are better because of it.

Banks is a workout freak who can do a lot of things with the ball, and it’s going to be exciting to watch him grow and develop. Is he a big-play threat? It’s going to be interesting to see if he develops that aspect because he’s far from slow, but Banks is going to be a dependable player for the Vols.

Even with guys like London, Chandler, Jordan and maybe even Trey Coleman ahead of him on the depth chart, Banks could surge upward. He will have every opportunity to play an important role, and you know Pruitt would love playing a kid he recruited this early. He chose UT over Nebraska, UCLA, Iowa State and others.

He’s quick and he reportedly flashed in 7-on-7 workouts over the summer. It’s going to be fun to see if he can carve himself a role right away.

PRINCETON FANT, 6’2″, 222-pound redshirt freshman

Fant was recruited with teammate Maleik Gray out of LaVergne High School in the Midstate as a receiver, but neither has been able to find a role on the Vols yet. Last year as Fant battled injuries, he also moved around to different positions.

From receiver, the big-bodied prospect shifted to tight end and has also seen time at linebacker. This past spring, the Vols moved him to running back and saw enough out of him in his new role that they kept him there, and that’s where he is listed on the updated roster.

Can Fant develop into a jumbo runner who can be a force in short-yardage and red-zone situations? Or is he just a player who is going to take up a roster spot over the next few years but maybe flash on special teams?

That’s up to him. He has four seasons left to play, and with a brand new coaching staff in Knoxville, opportunity abounds.

Fant is a good athlete with a good attitude, and he has been a team-first player who has taken every position switch fine. He wants to help the team, and the staff is trying to find the best place he can do that. Thankfully for UT, he’s a good athlete who can at least make plays on special teams, and, if he’s healthy, he may have an offensive role.

Of the many things that went off the rails the last couple of seasons for the Tennessee Volunteers, injuries have to be near the top of the list. No doubt. there were many problems, but one of the biggest was that the Vols led the nation in most starts lost each of the past two years. According to Phil Steele’s compilation, the Vols lost a remarkable 52 starts in 2016 and somehow managed to even exceed that in 2017, losing a total of 58 starts. Injury-U, yo!

You can blame me for last year if you like, as I made the mistake of tempting fate with a series of posts this time last year titled Ranking the Vols Players Who HAVE to Stay Healthy. In my defense, I did knock on wood at every period, but now I’m thinking that that composite material comprising Office Depot desks is not actually wood but just a bunch of sawdust glued together.

Yeah, it didn’t go so well on the injury front last season. Just on the offensive side of the ball, only two of the players on last year’s Injury Uh-Oh list — Trey Smith and Ethan Wolf — actually started every game. John Kelly also didn’t miss any time due to injury. He missed one game because of a suspension, but it probably didn’t have much effect on the outcome of the season.

The rest, though, was a disaster. Jauan Jennings went out during the first game and essentially missed the remainder of the season, and both Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano suffered injuries and missed significant time.

And the o-line was an absolute mess. Jashon Robertson missed two games and three other linemen — Drew Richmond, Brett Kendrick, and Coleman Thomas — missed a combined 14 games. The historically-bad 4-8 season for Tennessee wasn’t entirely attributable to injuries on the offense, but having so many key guys miss so many games certainly didn’t help.

So what about this year?

With apologies once again to the superstitious for tempting fate to hit the trifecta, here’s a list of the most important offensive players to keep healthy this season, in reverse order because we all need some additional drama in our lives. Go find an actual tree and knock the sap out of that sucker.

6. Marquez Callaway

As much as it depended on him, Callaway stepped up in the absence of Jennings last season, grabbing 24 receptions for 406 yards and 5 touchdowns for a struggling offense. He basically took over the Georgia Tech game in the season-opener. If the rest of the offensive units are at least competent enough to get the receivers involved, Callaway’s role will become increasingly important, and his health will as well.

5. Jarrett Guarantano/Keller Chryst

Jeremy Pruitt said at SEC Media Days that the quarterback race would be a four-man competition between Guarantano, Chryst, Will McBride, and JT Shrout, but he also said that he knew he needed to make a quick decision. Most believe that the race will quickly be whittled down to Guarantano and Chryst, but which one of those two guys wins the starting gig is anybody’s guess at this point. Whoever wins, it would be best for the team for him to both do well and stay healthy, but it seems like the team would still be in good hands with the runner-up if it came to that. If both of them go out, though, neither of the two potential replacements will have much experience or practice time due to the presumed early decision.

4. At least two RBs at all times

Pruitt also said last month that he believes a team needs four to six running backs on the roster, presumably due to inevitable injuries and general wear and tear over the course of a grueling season. Coming out of last year, Ty Chandler had the inside track to himself to land the starting gig after the departure of John Kelly, and Tim Jordan, Trey Coleman, and Carlin Fils-aime provided the depth.

It quickly became apparent, though, that Pruitt wants bigger bruisers in his stable, and so this offseason saw a lot of guys moving around and switching positions with the goal of Pruitt finding those four to six guys that comport with his blueprint. In addition to moving a bunch of existing guys around – including Fils-aime to defensive back and former tight end Princeton Fant to running back, Pruitt also went out and recruited Jeremy Banks and secured the transfer of Madre London.

It will be extremely important to have at least two of Chandler, London, Banks, Jordan, Coleman, and Fant healthy at all times.

3. The non-Trey Smith OL starters

As the o-line goes, so goes the offense. Trey Smith is the most important guy there (spoiler: he’s coming up), but no lineman can protect the quarterback or open holes for a running back by himself. As Will pointed out last week, Pruitt has in a very short time somehow dramatically improved the outlook for the offensive line this fall. In addition to just taking good care of Smith, Pruitt signed 4-star Jerome Carvin and added JUCO Jahmir Johnson and Alabama transfer Brandon Kennedy. Chance Hall is back as well, and if he can get himself into playing shape and stay healthy, he’s a candidate to start.

But the unit really only begins to hum once the chemistry kicks in, and that generally only happens when there’s a good bit of consistency. That means, of course, that you need the starters to remain healthy. It’s good to have depth, because it will be needed, but the more often you can play with the same guys at the same positions, the better it is for the team.

So, in addition to keeping Smith healthy and on the field, the team really needs the other presumed starters like Kennedy, Drew Richmond, Ryan Johnson, Riley Locklear, Chance Hall, and Marcus Tatum to play and stay well.

2. Jauan Jennings

As one of the two main guys whose availability for this fall was uncertain for most of the offseason, Jennings now looks like a full-go. With the receiver position so dependent on other units – receivers need a quarterback to get them the ball, and the quarterback needs both an offensive line to provide him time to operate and a complementary running game to keep the defense guessing – it’s hard to put a receiver on a list of most important players to keep healthy and on the field. But the attitude, demeanor, and mentality that tends to keep Jennings just this side of trouble is the very same thing that makes him such a special player and so important to a team that is in need of an infusion of competitive spirit. The guy is important because he’ll make plays if the rest of the offensive units are merely competent, but what makes him crucial is the contagious passion with which he competes, assuming he can keep it dialed to just the right level.

1. Trey Smith

Simply put, offensive lineman Trey Smith is this team’s best player. A Freshman All-American and Freshman All-SEC player last year, he’s already been named to this year’s preseason All-SEC First Team and added to the 2018 Outland Trophy Watch List. The mystery of the health condition that kept his availability in question most of the offseason has now been resolved, but they’ll be keeping a close eye on him and his health all season. He’ll start, and assuming he remains healthy, he’ll be a huge difference-maker as a player and leader on a unit desperately needing a bounce-back year. If not, there’s a gaping hole to fill and a gigantic vulnerability for defenses to exploit to make Tennessee’s offense look inept.

Practice starts today. The quarterbacks will be the lead story, and the offensive line is moving from weakness to strength. My biggest on-the-field concern for 2018 is at corner.

It’s the one place where playing a true freshman seems like the option with the highest ceiling. And while it’s exciting to see a player like Alontae Taylor in his first action as a Volunteer, the lack of experienced options could create major problems for Tennessee this fall.

#2: Cornerback

Last year Tennessee was 126th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game and third in passing yards allowed per game. But neither number foreshadows much in 2018. Phil Steele picked Tennessee to have the most improved run defense this season; the Vols have the personnel up front, if healthy, to be significantly better there. But the Vols were third in passing yards allowed last season because they played Georgia Tech in the opener, then played from behind the rest of the year.

The Vols saw only 279 pass attempts last fall. Only Air Force saw fewer (243) among teams playing 12 games. Tennessee was okay in completion percentage (55.2%) and yards per attempt allowed (7.0), but again, not many teams had to go deep to beat the Vols. Georgia was 7-of-17 for 84 yards and rolled 41-0. Tennessee had just 3.08 passes defended (intercepted or broken up) per game, 117th nationally. Just five interceptions last season was the lowest season total at UT in at least the last 10 years.

And then the Vols graduated Justin Martin, Emmanuel Moseley, the little-used Shaq Wiggins, and saw Rashaan Gaulden turn pro.

The good news in the secondary is at safety, where the talent has been disproportionately skewed for several seasons. Nigel Warrior might be Tennessee’s best defender (and I wouldn’t be surprised if Pruitt finds ways to move him around, just as Monte Kiffin did with Eric Berry, to maximize his usefulness and protect some of the younger guys back there). Todd Kelly Jr. is Tennessee’s veteran presence, the longest-tenured starter. He knows a thing or two about contributing as a freshman after 33 tackles and three interceptions in 2014. Micah Abernathy has recorded 150 tackles in the last two years. Even Maleik Gray was Tennessee’s third-highest rated recruit in 2017 at safety, and Theo Jackson saw limited action last fall.

But at corner, the options are far more unproven. Shawn Shamburger led returning options with 19 tackles last season. Marquill Osborne and Baylen Buchanan had nine between them. Osborne in particular is a name fans hope can flip the switch via the new coaching staff. Cheyenne Labruzza is another option among returning players, but position-switch options like Tyler Byrd and Carlin Fils-aime didn’t generate much noise in the spring.

So the new faces – specifically Alontae Taylor and Bryce Thompson – will get their chances early and often. They were two of Pruitt’s three highest rated recruits. And we’ve seen previous Vol coaches throw new pieces into the fire in year one secondaries, most notably Cam Sutton in 2013 and Janzen Jackson in 2009.

There are options, young and old, and with Pruitt’s background you have to feel like he can get more out of the pieces to make a better whole.

The bad news: Tennessee opens with West Virginia.

10 Questions for 2018

10. Which backups on the defensive line will be starters in 2019?

09. Can special teams make the difference in a coach’s first year?

08. What do we know about Tyson Helton’s offense from his time at USC?

07. Who’s the third/fourth wide receiver in an offense that will actually throw them the ball?

06. What about team chemistry with a first-time coach and a hodgepodge of players?

05. How much ground can the Vols gain in year one on the non-UGA SEC East?

04. Could the offensive line actually be a strength now?

03. Who wins the QB battle, and how will Pruitt manage it throughout the year?

 

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 start with quarterbacks

QUARTERBACKS

We’ll give you a glimpse at who’s back as redshirt sophomore Jarrett Guarantano comes off some starting experience last year to battle for the starting gig again in ’18. True sophomore Will McBride will be in the mix for the job, too. Pruitt said on Thursday that, no matter what everybody thinks, it’s going to be a true four-man battle.

That means one of the two below guys could be under center to run Tyson Helton’s offense when the Vols take on the Mountaineers on September 1.

KELLER CHRYST, 6’5″, 239-pound redshirt senior

If the coaching staff is sold on Guarantano being the guy, they sure aren’t letting folks know. This past spring, with Chryst waiting to come to Knoxville after transferring from Stanford, the New Jersey product had the opportunity to get a head start on Chryst. That didn’t happen. So, now, it’s a free-for-all, and the former starting quarterback of the Cardinal will have a say-so in this battle before it’s all said and done.

So, what is UT getting from Chryst in his last year? Well, he’s a big dude who can take the punishment from an offensive line that will be far from elite. You have to love physicality at the QB position, and that’s what he brings. Chryst doesn’t have a big arm, and he wasn’t ever asked to stretch the field too much in a David Shaw offense that stresses ball control and the run game.

He developed a “dink-and-dunk” reputation with the Cardinal, and he’s shown that so far at UT. Other than the physicality and size, you have to like that Chryst is a winner. No, he couldn’t hold off Kevin Hogan or beat out KJ Costello for the job in Palo Alto, but he was 11-2 as a starter.

What doesn’t he do well? Chryst gets the ball out of his hand in time, but he’s not a terribly accurate passer, and though he’s athletic, he’s not real fast. He seems better-suited to run a pro-style offense than Guarantano, but he’s not going to move the pocket a whole lot and make plays outside the tackle box. He needs to be more accurate and more consistent to be a real difference-maker for the Vols.

But there are some aspects of his game that are intriguing, and it’s possible he’ll be better than anything UT has on the roster this season. It would still be a surprise for him to beat out JG.

 

JT SHROUT, 6’3″, 210-pound freshman

When Pruitt and Co. came on board, the Vols had a pair of good-looking quarterback prospects in the fold with Adrian Martinez and Michael Penix Jr. The staff wanted to keep Martinez, even if he wasn’t the ideal fit for the offense, and Martinez ultimately visited Nebraska when Scott Frost took over and wound up flipping to become the Cornhuskers’ quarterback of the future.

Penix and the Vols parted ways, and at last check, he was battling to be former UT offensive coordinator Mike DeBord’s starting quarterback with the Indiana Hoosiers this spring.

Instead, the Vols zeroed in on long-time California quarterback commitment JT Shrout, a Cali boy who seemed locked in with Justin Wilcox and the home-state Bears. Shrout visited Knoxville and decided to flip to Tennessee.

Now, the Vols are excited about Shrout’s future, even if he’s a long shot to win the job this year. “Long shot” doesn’t mean “no shot,” though. One thing that absolutely must improve his his ball security. It’s an eye-popping number when you see that he threw 25 — TWENTY FIVE!!! — interceptions as a senior against 27 touchdown passes.

Was he trying to do too much, or does he just not see defenders very well?

We’ll get the opportunity to see that before long. But Shrout has a loose, live arm and a great frame. Though he could stand to add 20 pounds of muscle, he has a nice physical basis for a collegiate frame.

Richmond Flowers III talked to Josh Ward (via GoVols247’s Patrick Brown) about how Shrout wowed NFL coaches at a camp before his senior year of high school.

“He came to our camp and the guys that were there as well — the No. 1 player in the country in (current Georgia freshman) Justin Fields and players like (current Ole Miss freshman) Matt Corral — well, some buzz started happening, the coaches started talking and what they saw is what they saw. That’s sort of up to them, and the reality is we had it covered by Yahoo! Sports and the sentiment got out about what they felt about JT Shrout.

“The benefit that JT received is just he was around some very quality folks that saw something that they see on daily basis relative to what they look for in the NFL. If you’ve got that, it’s just sort of taking that and honing it, because JT again only played his senior year. But certainly he has the qualities that coaches look for at the highest level.”

So, there are some moldable tools there. It’s just a matter of whether Helton and Co. can extract that from him and how long it will take.

It was Tennessee’s turn in Bill Connelly’s 130-team previews yesterday, and it included this terrifying statistic:

You still need a quarterback who a) does his part and b) stays upright. Sophomore Jarrett Guarantano took an incredible 26 sacks on just 165 pass attempts…

We thought the line would be question number one with this team, but thanks to good health and a couple of nice pickups by Pruitt and company, it might even be an asset this season. That brings us back to the QB.

#3: First-Time Coach with a QB Competition

Guarantano’s season totals weren’t terrible: 61.9% completion rate, 7.2 yards per attempt. If we’re leaning into optimism – August is just around the corner, after all – there’s some hope that the play-calling will be an obvious benefit, because in several instances last fall they didn’t let Guarantano do much of anything downfield:

• Georgia: 6-of-7, 16 yards
• South Carolina: 11-of-18, 133 yards, most of which came on the final drive
• Alabama: 9-of-16, 44 yards

There’s a bit of chicken-egg here, because one reason they didn’t do more downfield was the sack rate. If he’s taking a sack on 16% of his dropbacks, you have to limit the dropbacks. You can give Guarantano the benefit of the doubt, because Butch Jones was overly conservative by default and the offensive line was a mess by the time Guarantano took over. But he’s still got to get rid of the ball sooner. Again, statistically there were some bright spots. He was 18-of-23 for 242 yards at Kentucky.

Likewise, Keller Chryst had some bright spots at Stanford. In 2016 he was 19-of-26 for 258 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-27 win at Oregon. But his completion percentage and yards per attempt suffered last season, finishing worse than Guarantano on both counts at 54.2% and 6.7 yards per attempt.

Whatever will separate one from the other isn’t in the past, but the present: a critical fall camp begins this weekend. But for a first-time coach, the burden isn’t just in picking the starter for week one. It’s handling the decision over the course of a potentially-rocky season.

What can Pruitt learn from the last three Vol coaches in their first season, all of whom dealt with some version of a quarterback controversy?

Lane Kiffin: Sticking with your guy

Most of us assumed it would not be Jonathan Crompton. How could it be, after a 2008 season including a 51.5% completion rate, negative TD/INT ratio, only 5.3 yards per attempt and stat lines like 8-of-23 at Auburn and 11-of-27 against Wyoming? That all of it happened in the season that got Fulmer fired made it even worse.

But then it was Crompton, who dominated then-FCS Western Kentucky in Kiffin’s opener before going 13-of-26 for 93 yards (3.6 ypa) and three picks in a 19-15 loss to UCLA. He added two more interceptions in Gainesville, then was 20-of-43 in a loss to Auburn that dropped the Vols to 2-3.

And then, as if from nowhere, brilliance.

From our 2009 Georgia postgame at Rocky Top Talk:

At halftime, I told my friend next to me in Z11 that I didn’t want to see Crompton’s numbers.  There was a Raiders of the Lost Ark feel about it – “Shut your eyes!  Don’t look at it!” – because what #8 did in the first half was so totally unnatural, I feared that seeing 12 of 15 for 205 yards and 3 TDs and then having my brain try to comprehend it might, in fact, make my face melt off.

Two weeks later he was 21-of-36 for 265 against the vaunted Crimson Tide. Against Memphis that year he went 21-of-27 for 331 and five touchdowns.

Kiffin stuck with his guns and his guy, and ended up being right on the money. Crompton’s transformation was remarkable, and that game against Georgia is still one of the most surprising things I’ve ever see at Neyland Stadium. There was no stud freshman option at the time; Kiffin stayed with Crompton over Nick Stephens. It’s easier to stay the course, at least into mid-October, when that’s the case. The stud freshman case study would come the following year:

Derek Dooley: Knowing when to make the change

Tyler Bray got some spot duty early, but Matt Simms was Tennessee’s starter in the first eight games of the 2010 season. For the year he completed 57.9% of his passes at 7.5 yards per attempt, only eight touchdowns but only five interceptions. And he was also playing behind a ton of freshmen on the offensive line, which was one reason to keep the wiry Bray safe on the sidelines.

Tennessee was 2-5 at South Carolina in their eventual SEC East title year. And Simms was, statistically, having a good day: 10-of-13 for 153 yards and a touchdown. But a 10-10 game at halftime quickly turned when Simms was sacked and fumbled on the second play of the third quarter, giving South Carolina a short field and a 17-10 lead.

And Dooley chose this moment to make the change.

I was in the stands that day, and furious at the time. Simms was playing well, the Vols had a chance to win…and Bray promptly threw a pick six two plays later. An easy November stretch of Memphis, Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt was on deck; the Vols could’ve made the change the following Saturday.

But Bray became the story before the game was over. Two teardrops to Denarius Moore and a touchdown to Gerald Jones tied the game with 13 minutes to play. Though the Vols would ultimately fall, that initial change – 9-of-15 for 159 yards – set the tone for a record-setting November. Bray averaged 308.5 yards per game, 9.3 yards per attempt, and threw a dozen touchdowns as the Vols won four straight to get bowl eligible. The hype was real.

We don’t credit Dooley for much, and the 2010 coaching staff still wears the scars of the LSU finish. But this season was his best coaching job, and riding Simms through the teeth of the schedule was the right move. I think the move to Bray came at the right time, and there was no turning back.

Butch Jones: Don’t change for the sake of change

Plenty of words have been spilled, and too many by me, over the Justin Worley/Josh Dobbs conversation. But in 2013, with Dobbs and Riley Ferguson rightfully headed for redshirts, Jones had a decision to make between Worley and Nathan Peterman.

Worley was the choice in the first three games, two wins and a blowout loss at Oregon. Worley completed 61.4% of his passes for 6.5 yards per attempt; not great, but nothing was going to beat Oregon anyway. At Florida the following week, Jones put the ball in the hands of Nathan Peterman.

It did not go well, as you might remember: 4-of-11 for five yards and two interceptions. I’m not sure if Worley was going to beat Florida anyway (the Gators won 31-17), but this was the wrong kind of change.

For Jeremy Pruitt, there is no stud freshman on the roster right now. Keller Chryst can only represent the present, and if Guarantano can’t win the job over the next month there will be plenty of questions about his ability to win the job next season. With a quarterback battle, there are always more questions than who’s getting their name in the starting lineup. How Pruitt handles the entire situation will be one of the biggest tests of his first year.

10 Questions for 2018

10. Which backups on the defensive line will be starters in 2019?

09. Can special teams make the difference in a coach’s first year?

08. What do we know about Tyson Helton’s offense from his time at USC?

07. Who’s the third/fourth wide receiver in an offense that will actually throw them the ball?

06. What about team chemistry with a first-time coach and a hodgepodge of players?

05. How much ground can the Vols gain in year one on the non-UGA SEC East?

04. Could the offensive line actually be a strength now?