Category Archives: Football

Report: Darrin Kirkland likely to stay at Tennessee

Um, that report that Tennessee linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. would be leaving Rocky Top for another school as a graduate transfer? Never mind (maybe):


As I said, maybe. We’ll see. Who knows?

If true, it’s great news. It’s odd, though. The report that Kirkland was leaving came straight from his own Twitter account. That account has since been deleted. So, all we have is a tweet from the guy himself from an account that has now been nuked, and a subsequent tweet from a guy based on an unnamed source that the guy has changed his mind.

Intrigue!

As I said in our post earlier this week, we’d mentioned in our Vols preseason magazine just how important Kirkland’s healthy return could be to the team, and I still believe that. If he has reconsidered after meeting with both his family and Pruitt, then that’s a good thing for the team.

 

Remembering Bill Nowling, Willis Tucker, Rudy Klarer and Ig Fuson: Four Tennessee Legends You Need to Know

It’s easy to remember Peyton Manning, Reggie White, Doug Atkins and Johnny Majors for their on-the-field achievements, and they all have legitimate reasons for having their names and jersey numbers enshrined, retired and hanging on the facades of Neyland Stadium for the rest of time.

But you may not know that much about Bill Nowling, Rudy Klarer, Willis Tucker and Clyde “Ig” Fuson, whose Nos. 32, 49, 61 and 62 hang alongside those of the other four. It’s their contributions off the field that led to former athletic director Mike Hamilton’s decision to retire their numbers for good in 2006.

It was one of the few good things Hamilton did as UT AD.

Because, while Manning, White, Atkins and Majors may have been Tennessee legends, Nowling, Klarer, Tucker and Fuson are national legends. They paid the ultimate sacrifice, dying for our country in battle so that we can remain free.

This Memorial Day, while we are all enjoying our lake trips and weenie roasts, we need to remember what the holiday is actually for. And, it would be good for you as a Tennessee fan to remember a little about the four former Vols who left this world ensuring we can have the same rights we enjoy today in ours.

Hopefully one day when your child is sitting beside you in Neyland Stadium — hopefully watching a worthwhile football team again — and he or she looks up and asks you about these men, you’ll be able to tell them a bit about them.

 

Back in 2009 on our old Rocky Top Talk site, I wrote essentially this same article in our “100 Days of Vols” series. I’m writing it again. It will never be enough to say thank you. Then, I wrote:

Bill Nowling, Rudy Klarer, Willis Tucker and Clyde Fuson are names that don’t immediately come to mind when you think of the Tennessee greats. A few years ago when we counted down the top 100 Vols of all-time on my old blog, 3rd Saturday in Blogtober, none of those guys made the list. But they’re the biggest heroes to ever wear the orange and white.

Nowling (No. 32), Klarer (No. 49), Tucker (No. 61) and Fuson (No. 62) gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom in World War II. They died so we could be free and so we could stand out there today, eat hot dogs, have cold beverages, shoot fireworks and practice our beliefs — whatever they may be. They died for more than a petty football game. It’s easy in the South for football to be “life” and “death.” We talk about plays killing us and about the field of battle and use all these sports cliches to describe what we see on those yard lines.

But a lot of us have no idea what true battle, true war, is. The ones of us who do know that a football game is just a football game.War is war. Life is life. And when you put that precious life on the line for a bunch of strangers, and you lose that life, that’s the most selfless act imaginable. Nowling, Klarer, Tucker and Fuson did that. For you. For me.

UTSports.com provided a little information on them all when they were honored back in ’06.

Nowling played from 1940-42 for General Robert Neyland (whose rich war history you should read about, as well). According to the article, Nowling was a three-year starter at the all-important position of fullback. In ’40, the Vols were the national champions, and Nowling was a big part of that. Those were some of the best teams in school history. Just how good?

The Vols lost just four games during Nowling’s three seasons.Nowling was a St. Petersburg, Florida, native who died August 9, 1944, while serving in World War II at the age of 23.

Klarer was a teammate of Nowling who played in 1941-42. He started in his final year for the Vols after serving as a backup his first season.

The native of Louisville, Kentucky, was a key member of the 1943 Sugar Bowl champions, but he left the team immediately after the win over Tulsa for Officer’s Training in the Army at Fort Benning, Georgia, according to the UTSports.com article. “Klarer was a 2nd Lieutenant and platoon leader in Germany during World War II. He was killed in action on Feb. 6, 1945, and Klarer received the Silver Star citation posthumously,” the article states.

Tucker was a hometown boy, a Knoxville High School graduate who played two years on the offensive line for a pair of dominant UT squads in 1939 and ’40.

He was a backup at center and guard on the undefeated ’39 team, and then Tucker earned a letter on the national championship team the next year while also standing out as a sprinter for the track team. Tucker, who was named the top track athlete in Tennessee from 1900-50, lost just two games during his career at Rocky Top, and never lost a regular season game, according to the UTSports.com article.

Tucker was killed in action in Germany just prior to the Battle of the Bulge on Nov. 28, 1944, at the age of 26.

Finally, Fuson played just one season for the Vols, sharing time with Nowling at fullback on the 1942 team that finished 9-1-1.  He, like Klarer, was a Kentucky native, hailing from Middlesboro. He enlisted in the Army in 1943 and was killed in action in Germany on Dec. 4, 1944, while serving with the 84th Infantry Division.

“These four courageous men made the ultimate sacrifice for this country,” Hamilton said at the time he made the decision to retire the numbers. “We recognized them in the past, but this is a good opportunity for us to recognize their families on the field. It is of significance the ceremony will be during the Air Force game, when UT plays one of the many honorable branches of the military.”

These four men are legendary, just as are the others who died fighting for us throughout the years. Hollywood may glamorize death, but those that come in battle are often gruesome, gritty and heartbreaking to those left behind. It’s easy to think of football as a safe haven, no matter how violent it is, but the bottom line is these are 18-22-year-old kids “battling” on our television sets. During World War II, these were the same kids who were dying by the thousands on foreign soil.

So, enjoy your day off tomorrow. Enjoy all the trappings of freedom that we have. But find a soldier and thank him or her for the sacrifices they and their families make every single day. Then think of those who didn’t make it home to hug their loved ones one last time.

We may “live and die” with every Vols play. But these men literally died protecting us, preserving our way of life and honoring what it means to be an American. Thank you all, gentlemen — and to all the ladies and gentlemen who serve us still.

You are the legends, in the truest sense of the world.

Tennessee linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. to transfer

Vols linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. announced via Twitter late this afternoon that he is electing to leave Tennessee for another school as a graduate transfer:

 

First of all, best of luck to Kirkland.

But there’s no getting around it: This is a big loss for Tennessee. Here’s what we wrote about Kirkland in our Vols preseason magazine this year:

Perhaps the biggest key to the success of the Tennessee
linebacking corps this fall is the return of Kirkland. Kirkland
made the All-SEC Freshman Team in 2015 after playing
in all 13 games and starting 10 of them. After injuring his
ankle in the second game of the 2016 season, he played in
only eight games and wasn’t the same even when he was on
the field. Last fall, a knee injury in fall camp sidelined him
for the entire season. This offseason, he had another minor
knee surgery, but made it back onto the practice field late in
spring camp. He’s expected to be back and healthy this fall,
but whether he can stay that way is the question weighing on
everyone’s minds. If he can, he will be a difference-maker.

So much for that.

And so much for Brad’s “Hey, at least nobody’s transferred!” post from yesterday. Yes, we’re blaming him, and so should you.

Gameday Today: When Al Wilson gets hyped, it’s time to get hyped

Football

We are (probably!) under 100 days (or so!) away from football season!

When Al Wilson gets hyped, it’s time to get hyped. And Al Wilson is hyped about the return of Phillip Fulmer and the arrival of Jeremy Pruitt.

News Flash. An anonymous opposing coach tells Lindy’s that Butch Jones didn’t do a good job last year. If I was still 14, I would say, “Duh.” If I was 8, I’d say, “A-doy.”

Good news. Brad thinks that the lack of expected post-coaching-change attrition may signal that the players currently on Tennessee’s roster actually want to be coached.

A year early, but we’ll take it. Jimmy Hyams hits the gas by reminding Vols fans of the first-year-to-second-year jumps at LSU by Nick Saban, at Alabama by Saban, with Mark Richt and Kirby Smart at Georgia, and Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. He then slams on the brakes:

But you wonder if Saban or Richt or Stoops or Smart faced at their new schools what Pruitt faces at Tennessee.

Yeah.

Saturday Down South asks Pruitt some interesting questions, including his thoughts on how recruiting has changed recently and which positions he thinks have the best opportunity for early playing time.

Coach Pruitt continues to Say Stuff during his Big Orange Caravan Tour, and he’s apparently making more of an effort to not rub fans the wrong way.

Also this: GoVols247 is ranking the entire Tennessee roster. Here’s Nos. 45-31. . . . The Vols have hired VFL CJ Fayton as Director of VFL Programming.

Hoops

Tennessee’s basketball team will play Gonzaga in Phoenix on December 9 this fall. It should be a good one, as the Vols are No. 3 in Gary Parrish’s preseason Top 25 and Gonzaga is No. 5. Tennessee is also likely to host either Kansas (No. 1) or West Virginia (No. 17) in this season’s Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Awwww. Admiral Schofield got up at 4:00 a.m. to watch the royal wedding with his mother.

Other fun stuff

Ladies and gentlemen, Terry Fair:

Tennessee is winning at APR.

SB Nation has everything you need to know about the recent Supreme Court ruling on sports betting.

Maybe These Vols Want to Be Coached, After All

 

The Tennessee Vols are soft, they said. They haven’t been coached. They’re awful. The program is in shambles. There’s going to be a mass exodus of players this offseason once the new sheriff comes to town.

Right?

Well, we’re waiting.

Where are they?

Still waiting…

You haven’t seen it yet? Me, either. Instead, what we saw was a bunch of the same ol’ Vols going through spring drills, getting the tough love dished at them every day from new coach Jeremy Pruitt and his no-nonsense staff. And, while there may yet be several defections — there always are every year, after all — we haven’t seen any. All we’ve heard is praise, folks buying into the new way; what little we heard from the players this spring.

It’s enough to make me think that we won’t see anymore than the normal attrition that every major college football program has every year, regardless of — and especially when there’s — a coaching change. Has it occurred to anybody that maybe these Vols wanted to be coached, all along?

Has it occurred to you that maybe it was the former UT coaching staff that was soft, and not the players?

After all, Butch Jones and crew are the ones who did these kids a disservice by employing three strength and conditioning coordinators in the past three years, one of which who was a glorified intern, at best. These are the ones who fudged the injury list every game after the ridiculous cloak-and-dagger game that included, many times, blatant lies to the media about players who were hurt. (Anybody tripped over a helmet lately???) These are the ones who threw their players under the bus at times, talking around the idea that eventually, the coaches stop and the players must play.

But what if players aren’t taught how to play?

Part of player development is teaching young men how to be men. That includes playing when you aren’t feeling at your best, reaching down and grabbing a little more that you didn’t think you had in you, pushing the limits and digging for that something extra that made them, in a way, transcend what they thought they could be. For all the talk about 63 effort — about making three effort plays within the six-second timeframe that a standard play takes — how much effort was the former staff putting into pushing these kids?

Not only did they do them a disservice getting them ready to play football, many times, they erred on the side of not playing on the field any time there was a minor issue.

Listen: This is football; there are injuries. Players get hurt. We saw plenty of them this spring, and it’s not always easy for people to realize the difference between being injured and being hurt. That line was too often blurred during the Jones era, and that goes in both directions. Ask Brett Kendrick about playing through a concussion.

Like he proved in every aspect of the game beyond promotion, Jones was in over his head.

But we’re not just talking about injuries here. We’re talking about literal development — player improvement over the course of time. Jones proved he couldn’t do it, and though Pruitt hasn’t proved he can either as a head coach, his assistant resume speaks for itself. So do the many players his staff have placed in the league over many years across many programs.

You think guys don’t see that? You think they don’t want it? What Todd Kelly Jr., Shy Tuttle or Jarrett Guarantano wouldn’t have given to actually be coached the first few years of their careers. For players such as Khalil McKenzie and Jashon Robertson, the transition came too late. Whether Kelly, Tuttle, Jonathan Kongbo, Kyle Phillips [and similar talented, underutilized, undeveloped players] can surge enough in 2018 to salvage the semblance of what they were expected to be in college remains to be seen, but they can do a lot to help UT have a respectable season this year and salvage something for the program’s future.

So far, Quay Picou has left the program. That’s really about it. Again, there will be more, sure. But we aren’t seeing the floodgates open. If Keller Chryst comes in and starts over Guarantano, you could make an argument that he could leave. But, really, if he can’t beat out a graduate transfer in Year 3, can he really blossom into an SEC star, anyway?

Pruitt said after the Orange & White Game that some players “flat-out quit.” He didn’t call out any names, but he alluded to there being difficult conversations post-spring that would essentially be “come-to-Pruitt” meetings. I personally expected five or six dudes to hit the road soon after those drills ended. They didn’t.

Hey, listen, they may still. We may see a deluge of guys exit the program over the next couple of weeks, and I’ll look back at this column and feel like an idiot. Truthfully, there are probably a few guys — if not more than “a few” — hanging around the program who should leave if they ever want to play a down of football. Pruitt even experimented the last week-plus of spring putting players out of their comfort zones, trying them in other positions. Part of that reason is to see if there was any “hidden talent” that could help the team right away. Part of the reason was he realized some of the dudes he moved simply weren’t every going to contribute where they were.

Tis the nature of the game.

Some players will go; move on to lesser programs where they can play. But after the “soft” Jones era, I expected a bunch of his recruits to see that things were going to be my-way-or-the-highway under Pruitt and say, “Screw this, I’m taillights.”

That hasn’t happened. I’m kinda proud of that.

Maybe a lot of these kids want to learn to play football, after all.

Tennessee hires VFL CJ Fayton as Director of VFL Programming

Tennessee AD Phillip Fulmer announced yesterday that he has hired VFL CJ Fayton as Director of VFL Programming.

What, exactly, does a “Director of VFL Programming” do, you ask? Fayton will reportedly be responsible for helping current student-athletes (in all sports, not just football) with career and professional development and also for keeping other VFLs actively involved with Tennessee. He’ll work under the direction of Fulmer and interact with alumni relations and the marketing department.

As a wide receiver at Tennessee from 2002-05, Fayton earned SEC All-Academic Team honors twice. He also played on the basketball team a short time during the 2000-01 season. He received a degree in Sport Management in 2005, a Master’s degree in Recreation Administration in 2008, and a juris doctorate in 2014. He’s also served as a development assistant with Tennessee’s VASF staff, a recruiting assistant and graduate assistant for the football program, an assistant coach at Norfolk State (2010-11), a compliance assistant at Vanderbilt (2012-13), and a law clerk a year before getting his law degree from UT Law School in 2014. Most recently, he was Associate Athletics Director at Maryville College.

 

Tennessee Recruiting: Vols Stay Hot; Gain Pledge from Top JUCO LB Lakia Henry

 

Things may have gotten off slowly for new Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt in 2019 recruiting, but things certainly have picked up lately. The Vols received a huge pledge on Sunday, getting a commitment from Lakia Henry.

The nation’s top-ranked JUCO linebacker according to the 247Sports composite rankings visited Knoxville this past week and followed it up with trips to Nebraska and Ole Miss. But he couldn’t get Rocky Top off his mind.

Now, though he told GoVols247’s Ryan Callahan that he still plans on taking some trips, he chose to commit to Tennessee, Pruitt and lead recruiter Kevin Sherrer. The defensive coordinator recruits South Georgia, where from where the Dodge City (Kansas) Community College prospect originally hails, and the two have established a strong bond. The Vols will continue to recruit Henry with teams such as Alabama and Texas A&M hot after him, too, but Henry is in the house with a verbal pledge.

You can give an assist to UT graduate assistant Joe Osovet, a former JUCO head coach who was instrumental in luring Henry.

He told Callahan that UT is “the place I want to be.” That’s a big deal considering the Vols desperately want him, too. He’s the nation’s top-ranked JUCO LB and the third overall transfer pledge in the class. With Pruitt trying to rebuild and reload the Vols in a hurry, he immediately fits what Tennessee needs.

Henry is 6’0″, 233 pounds, can fly, and arrives with a vengeance. He is a versatile ‘backer and a weapon that looks like an Alabama or Georgia linebacker, much like J.J. Peterson, UT’s big ’18 commit of the Pruitt regime. Henry can play sideline-to-sideline, and the Vols should be able to use him much the way Pruitt did with Reuben Foster at Alabama.

Much like the Vols have done with virtually all their pledges of the Pruitt regime, Henry adds to the size on the roster. Tennessee must essentially revamp its roster, purging it from the Butch Jones mentality of speed and eschewing size. Pruitt needs bigger bodies for his 3-4 scheme, and he wants bigger bodies on the offensive line and at tight end and the skill positions to run a pro-style scheme. Henry continues that trend.

He’s the third commit for Tennessee in the past nine days, joining tight end Sean Brown and wide receiver Ramel Keyton. The Vols’ recent surge began with 5-star offensive lineman Wanya Morris, and the run in Georgia started then, too. All of the mentioned prospects hail from the Peach State, which is going to be a major part of UT getting back to where it wants to be.

Tennessee continues to inch up in the SEC rankings, moving to 15th nationally and eighth in the conference with the latest pledge. Though this isn’t supposed to be a huge class, the Vols currently sit in a favorable position with some of the nation’s top players.

Five-star running back/outside linebacker Quavarius Crouch and 5-star offensive lineman Darnell Wright, 4-star cornerbacks Tyus Fields, Devin Bush and Jaydon Hill, 3-star outside linebacker/defensive end Terrell Dawkins, defensive end Savion Jackson, weak-side defensive end Khris Bogle, running back John Emery, wide receiver Jalen Curry, receiver Khafre Brown, linebacker Kane Patterson, athlete Ronald Thompkins and more hold the Vols in high regard.

It’s going to be interesting to see the class shapes up over the next few months. Some storylines to follow are what the Vols are going to do at quarterback, if they begin to surge with running backs and if they can continue the momentum they’ve built with Crouch and Wright.

One thing is clear: Pruitt is recruiting with the big boys, and Henry is the latest example. UT’s class is really just starting, and the Vols are filling it with some elite playmakers. They’ll have to battle to keep Henry, but this is a big piece of the puzzle who should be able step right in and play immediately.

 

Comparing Non-Conference Schedules in the SEC

Earlier this week we all went a few rounds on Tennessee’s non-conference scheduling habits; I argued if you don’t want to schedule the likes of Oklahoma but you don’t want to schedule the likes of Kansas, the Vols should look at short drives to non-Clemson ACC schools as well as teams like Washington, Michigan State, and Stanford we’ve never faced before. That conversation got me thinking about how Tennessee’s scheduling practices compare to the rest of the league.

Here’s a look at every SEC team’s biggest non-conference regular season opponent since expansion in 2012. Obviously Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and South Carolina have annual rivalries that make up much of the list; kudos to the Dawgs for scheduling additional marquee games in four of the last six years.

Tennessee faced three ranked non-conference teams (on gameday) in the last six years, plus a Virginia Tech team in 2016 that finished the year that way. Florida, Kentucky, and South Carolina all faced more than three ranked teams specifically due to their rivalries. Again, Georgia deserves credit for scheduling up outside of their friends from Atlanta: the Dawgs went home-and-home with Clemson in 2013 and 2014, played North Carolina in the Georgia Dome in 2016, and traveled to South Bend last year.

Outside of teams with annual rivalries, only Georgia, Alabama, and Auburn played more ranked non-conference teams in the last six years than Tennessee, at four each. Three of Auburn’s four came from Clemson. Alabama, who has played neutral site season openers only the last six years, faced ranked teams four times.

Where Tennessee’s non-conference schedule really carries weight is in Top 10 teams. The Vols traveled to #2 Oregon and #4 Oklahoma in Butch Jones’ first two years (then hosted #19 Oklahoma in year three, a future playoff team). That ties Tennessee with Alabama, Auburn, and Florida in having faced two Top 10 non-conference foes in the last six years; South Carolina leads by virtue of playing four Top 10 Clemson squads at the end of the year.

Additional notes from this exercise: Missouri has not played a ranked non-conference team in the regular season since joining the SEC. And Mississippi State has played only one in the last six years, #13 Oklahoma State in 2013.

Here’s the slate for 2018:

  • Alabama: vs Louisville (Orlando)
  • Arkansas: at Colorado State
  • Auburn: vs Washington (Atlanta)
  • Florida: at Florida State
  • Georgia: Georgia Tech
  • Kentucky: at Louisville
  • LSU: vs Miami (Arlington)
  • Ole Miss: vs Texas Tech (Houston)
  • Mississippi State: at Kansas State
  • Missouri: at Purdue
  • South Carolina: at Clemson
  • Tennessee: vs West Virginia (Charlotte)
  • Texas A&M: Clemson
  • Vanderbilt: at Notre Dame

 

Tennessee Recruiting: Ramel Keyton is a Vol

On the surface, Wednesday’s decision by 4-star wide receiver Ramel Keyton to pick Tennessee over Auburn, Florida and others is big-time news. The nation’s No. 188-ranked overall player and the No. 31 receiver in the class, per the 247Sports composite rankings, is always going to be a nice addition to your haul.

Dig below the surface, however, and the 6’3″, 186-pound pass-catcher’s pledge is even more vital to the Vols’ success in the 2019 class and perhaps even further.

Not only does this signify that coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff is going to have a resounding presence in the Peach State [Georgia can’t keep all those studs, after all] but it also paves end-roads into one of the richest talent beds for the next two classes.

It’s essentially just as big of a get from the relationships standpoint as 5-star offensive lineman Wanya Morris, who hails from Grayson High School, which produces a slew of playmakers each year. Though Owen Pappoe committed to Auburn on that same day, the Vols are still going to try to flip him to Rocky Top.

Keyton is a gateway to another talent-rich school: Marietta High.

His pledge marks the seventh known UT commit in this class, and now four of those hail from Georgia [tight ends Sean Brown and Jackson Lowe as well as Morris]. The Vols are going after several more studs in a state that led the nation in NFL draft natives this year with 29 players selected hailing from the fertile grounds of Georgia, according to Rivals.com’s Chad Simmons.

They aren’t just gearing up for this class, either. The Vols are already hot and heavy after 2020 quarterback Harrison Bailey, who really likes UT at this early juncture. He may be the top target on the board at the all-important position, and having Keyton can’t hurt. Stud tight end Arik Gilbert, safety Rashad Torrence and defensive end B.J. Ojulari are on that team too.

Tennessee wants all those kids, and Keyton can help recruit them — this year and when he’s on campus in the future.

As for Keyton, the prospect, he’s an excellent prospect in his own rights. He’s big and physical, and though nobody will mistake him for being the fastest kid on the field, he plays faster than he runs in camp settings. He’s big enough at 6’3″ to go up and get balls against smaller corners, and he runs good enough routes to get open over the middle and provide mismatches. Because he’s never going to be a burner, it wouldn’t hurt him to add 20 or more pounds to his frame.

Though he probably doesn’t have quite as high of a ceiling as A.J. Brown, he’s not dissimilar in stature or skill set. Everybody always wants to say, “He’s like Dez Bryant,” with big-bodied receivers, and obviously, that’s best-case scenario, but the bottom line is Keyton fills a big role in this offense. He’s exactly the kind of player UT needs on its roster. If you want a fair comparison at this point, Tennessee leading receiver Brandon Johnson wouldn’t be a bad comp.

Keyton can be a dynamic player for the Vols if he comes in, works hard, improves and continues to listen and develop his skill set. He also can be the kind of vocal presence around the Atlanta area that UT needs, a guy who can trumpet what Pruitt and Co. are selling perhaps better than Morris, who seems to be a quiet, lunch-pail kid.

Keyton told the media on Wednesday that Tennessee was “going to win a championship” while he’s in school. That seems like a long way away, but getting the caliber player with the skills and connections he has is a great start.

247Sports director of recruiting Barton Simmons told GoVols247’s Ryan Callahan he believes Keyton could be an “elite” player who could come in and make an instant impact. That’s high praise from a guy who’s proved he knows recruiting.

This is a big win on the recruiting trail.

Tennessee Football: Heaping Expectations on the Unexpected

 

Tennessee first-year football coach Jeremy Pruitt told the media before his Big Orange Caravan stop in Chattanooga this past week that he expects the 27-30 players the Vols will infuse into the roster who didn’t help this spring will totally change the complexion of the team.

According to GoVols247’s Patrick Brown, Pruitt said:

“I think if you looked at the guys who participated in the Orange & White Game and you count the signees and you count the guys that was injured, there could be anywhere between 27 and 30 guys who didn’t participate in the Orange & White Game that’ll be there in the fall, which will completely change our football team.”

UT hopes — and expects — that change will be for the better. If star offensive lineman Trey Smith, returning receiver Jauan Jennings, graduate transfers Keller Chryst and Madre London, linebackers Daniel Bituli and Darrin Kirkland Jr., safety Todd Kelly Jr. and others can live up to expectations, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Tennessee can go from an eight-loss team to a bowl participant.

That’s not even counting JUCO players like Dominick Wood-Anderson, Kenneth George Jr., Jahmir Johnson and Emmit Gooden.

But what about some of the guys who are already on the roster and went through spring? Who needs to take a major step forward? Who are some under-the-radar Vols who are capable of catapulting from obscurity to dependability?

The Vols simply need to get production from unexpected areas to leap back to respectability. Let’s take a look at some candidates.

K’Rojhn Calbert

You’ve got to love a story like Calbert’s, the massive McMinnville, Tennessee, native who camped for Butch Jones’ staff, eagerly awaited an offer from the Vols despite having offers from schools like South Carolina and Florida. And, when he got one, he committed quickly thereafter.

Leg problems (mostly knee issues) plagued much of his high school career and his freshman year at UT, but he began to improve and ultimately shine this spring. The redshirt freshman was a pleasant surprise in the Orange & White Game, and he looks like he can help Tennessee right now. Calbert is one of the few big, physical linemen on the roster who is athletic enough to be a difference-maker. He looks the part, works hard, and — if he can stay healthy — could be a major asset to the offensive line.

This is an area that was atrocious under the Jones regime, but with long-time quality assistant Will Friend leading the way, the unit was decent this spring. There are some players there, and Calbert — who can play tackle but likely should be a guard — emerged. If he can continue to take strides in strength and conditioning, he could become a starter this year and thrive.

Chance Hall

Talk about raising from the dead …

What a major help for the Vols Chance Hall would be if he could come back from his chronic knee problems that threatened his career. The Virginia native started as a true freshman against Alabama, Georgia and others and looked like a budding star and long-time starter on Rocky Top. Then came the injuries that began back in his high school days (much like Calbert’s). Much of the past two years have been lost.

Now, Hall is back. But is he all the way back? That’s a major question mark. If he’s just working on the sideline at practice, then big whoop. If his rehabilitation is complete this summer and he rounds back into form, that’s basically a quality player that’s the equivalent of house money. At least from a fan’s perspective, nothing else was expected of Hall in his career. Now, we’re looking at the next couple of years of eligibility believing that if he can somehow recapture the stuff that made him a go-to guy as a first-year player against some of the SEC’s best teams, he could solidify the exterior of the line while Pruitt builds back the unit.

That’s a tantalizing thought.

Will Ignont

Don’t go back and watch the Orange & White Game looking for Ignont highlights. It was bad. Really, really bad.

He missed tackles, led with his head, struggled to make any plays and generally looked like he lacked any physicality. The Buckhorn (Ala.) High School product looks like the prototypical 3-4 inside linebacker, but he played an awful spring scrimmage. Plus, when Bituli and Kirkland gets back, Ignont’s going to have a difficult time finding starting reps. JJ Peterson will further crowd the center of the defense as well.

But it isn’t all bad for Ignont. He was in position to make A LOT of plays in that spring-ending scrimmage. He’s big, he’s fast, and if he ever gets motivated, he’ll be a player for UT — whether it’s this year or next. If the light comes on under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer, he can be a difference-maker as early as this year. I’m that high on his potential.

But Ignont has to dedicate himself to being the type of player who can make an impact on the field. That starts off the field — in the weight room, film room, and out of trouble. Then, he’s just got to let his instincts take over. When he does that, he’ll shine. Will it be in 2018?

Theo Jackson

Perhaps the least-surprising player on this list is Jackson, who may not even belong. After this spring, the Nashville native has firmly put himself in position for some quality reps this fall, if not a starting role. He can play Star (his most likely spot) or safety, but he’s too aggressive to keep on the sideline.

The thoughts of a defense that boasts him and Nigel Warrior flying around on the back end is intriguing, especially if Micah Abernathy can return to as good as he was as a sophomore two years ago.

But Tennessee doesn’t just need a “starter” or a “contributor” on the back end. It needs a star. It needs somebody who can obliterate guys with the ball, force turnovers, make plays. Warrior needs to be that guy, but there needs to be more than just him. Jackson is a difference-making candidate, and if he is, that can change UT’s defense.

Pruitt is a known defensive back developer, and Jackson looks like the perfect ball of clay. That transition from “just another potato” to use a Dooley-ism to a stud needs to start right away. The Vols need playmakers on the back end stat.

Tim Jordan

Another player that won’t sneak up on anybody anymore is sophomore running back Jordan, who showed up and showed out in a spring game that simply didn’t have many stars. He showed the ability to hit a hole, drag a defender and make plays.

Is Jordan going to be as dynamic as Ty Chandler? No. Is he the type of hard-nosed, between-the-tackles bruiser that Michigan State transfer Madre London is? Uh-uh. But Jordan is perhaps the best combination of the two. He can do a lot of things, and he deserves reps because of that. Nobody is expecting a 1,000-yard season from Jordan, but to get through the rugged SEC season, you need two or three quality rushers, at least. Jordan is pretty big and pretty fast and can do a lot of things with the ball.

What you saw isn’t an aberration; he’s a good-looking back who had a great film and looks like he can be a good SEC player. Can he do it against good defenses, though? We’ll all see that this fall because he should get some opportunities.

Marquill Osborne

What the heck happened to Osborne? You remember when he committed to UT in September of his junior year, giving the Vols and Jones one of his biggest early commits? Even when powerhouses like Clemson and Ohio State came calling, Osborne stuck with UT.

Where is that player?

So far at UT, the North Carolina cornerback hasn’t made a blip on the radar screen. Much like Abernathy was the player coveted by OSU and Georgia as a prep player, the Vols need those guys to live up to their potential. There are two cornerback spots wide open on UT’s roster. Nobody has staked a claim to them. Freshman Alontae Taylor looks like a natural and could be fine there if he stays on defense, and Baylen Buchanan did some nice things this spring.

But Osborne has that pedigree. Why can’t he flash? Is he just a bust, or will the light come on and he surprise some folks? The Vols need for the latter to happen. They need somebody who can neutralize opposing receivers. I’m not sure Osborne is that guy, but a lot of good programs once thought he may be.

Is all he needs coaching?

Austin Smith

Where art thou, Derek Barnett? The Vols certainly missed their all-time sack leader a year ago as he was off winning a Super Bowl with the Eagles as a rookie. The pass rush was stagnant at times and nonexistent at others for UT a season ago. When you look up and down the roster, there aren’t a lot of exciting players who look capable of getting after quarterbacks.

Maybe Darrell Taylor will flash from the second level. Perhaps Jonathan Kongbo and Kyle Phillips can have breakout senior seasons after ho-hum careers.

But Smith is a guy I’m excited to see. There were times throughout his career where the former staff tried him at defensive end, where he was too small. They moved him to linebacker, where he was perhaps too big for a 4-3. Now, in a 3-4 scheme, he may have found a home.

The Vols would love for a guy like JUCO Jordan Allen to emerge and be a pass-rushing threat, but Smith could be hard to keep off the field. The bad thing about UT is he’s not going to be a film-flasher. Maybe he’s steady, and maybe he’ll make some plays. But is he going to make big plays?

This is his junior year. If he’s ever going to do it, it needs to be now.

Latrell Williams

Other than maybe the linebacking corps, the position group that stands to see the most improvement in 2018 is wide receiver. After all, it’ll be hard not to improve on the less-than-stellar coaching chops of Kevin Beard. Before him, Zach Azzanni never really developed anybody but Josh Malone, either.

When you’re running horizontal routes in the boring Butch offense, it’s hard to establish any playmakers.

With David Johnson coming over to coach receivers from Memphis, though, the group could see a huge boost.

Everybody is excited about getting Jennings back on the team to go along with Marquez Callaway and Brandon Johnson. That’s a quality trio right there. But UT needs a guy with game-breaking, difference-making chops with the ball in his hands.

Tyler Byrd doesn’t look like he’s ever going to be that guy. Jordan Murphy is young. Josh Palmer needs to learn how to consistently catch the ball after running his strong routes.

Williams is this year’s “pick to click.” He has blazing speed, and though he’s battled injuries during his freshman season, he got a redshirt and has three years left to shine in Knoxville. He may be raw and won’t always run the best routes, but UT is going to have a lot of guys to do those things. If Williams and whoever is quarterback can find a way to just get the ball in Williams’ hands, the Florida speedster can do some things with it that most can’t.

It’s going to be interesting to see if this offense can get guys in space where Jones’ offense failed. If they can, Williams could really emerge.