Category Archives: Football

2018 Orange and White Game Recruiting Preview

Going into the 2018 Orange and White Game the Tennessee Volunteers currently sit with four commitments for the class of 2019 and one commitment for the class of 2020.  And while the commitments have certainly come more slowly than Vol fans are used to under the former staff, what one can rightfully say is that those commitments are from the kind of prospects that Tennessee needs to land in order to get back to contending for SEC East and conference championships as quickly as possible.  In OL Jackson Lampley, TE Jackson Lowe, and DL LeDarrius Cox and DL Darrel Middleton, Tennessee has a group of 2019 commitments for whom they have beaten out SEC powers, and who at the same time represent both Coach Jeremy Pruitt’s commitment to fixing Tennessee in the trenches and also simply recruiting more physically imposing players.

Having been on the job just a handful of months, the O&W Game is Pruitt’s first real chance to showcase two of the Tennessee Football progam’s competitive advantages: Neyland Stadium and the Volunteer fanbase.  Although the latter is still in a bit of a “prove it” mode with Pruitt after being burned to a degree by Butch Jones, there is a palpable sense that we’ve got a real football coach on our hands, and I expect that to be reflected in the attendance on Saturday.

Also in attendance on Saturday will be a really nice collection of recruits, some of whom will be taking advantage of the new NCAA rule that allows earlier official visits than ever before.  The Vols will host three 4-star official visitors in OL Wanya Morris, WR Jalen Curry, and DE Khris Bogle, and while Curry and Bogle are certainly prospects that Tennessee would love to have, without a doubt it is Morris who will have all eyes on this weekend.

Morris is a borderline 5-star and a true offensive tackle, making him the kind of recruit around whom you can center an entire class.  And with Lampley already in the fold and the Vols very much in the thick of it with 5-star OL Darnell Wright, adding Morris, who is set to announce his decision on May 1, would set Tennessee up for a potentially monster OL class.  Morris has had Tennessee and Auburn as his finalists for a while now, and while there has been a feeling that he was leaning to the Vols going into the weekend, it seems clear at this point that no decision has been made yet. He’s been to campus multiple times and clearly sees a chance for immediate playing time in Knoxville, and at the same time has bonded really well with both Pruitt as well as OL coach Will Friend.  Unfortunately, there’s a strong likelihood that no matter how well this weekend’s visit goes Morris will still take his official visit to Auburn the following weekend, immediately before his announcement date.  Now, one could make the case that if the Vols are indeed the leaders going into this weekend then they have a chance to move so far ahead of Auburn that they cannot be caught.  At the same time, if Tennessee is going to burn its OV in April then the Vols are better off with Auburn doing the same, as long as Morris does end up committing to the Vols in May.  On the other hand, you’d certainly prefer him to simply commit this weekend and completely shut it down; unfortunately that’s unlikely to happen.  So, the Vols will need to absolutely knock Wanya’s and his parents’ socks off and lock down what would be a foundational piece of this class.

The list of unofficial visitors is equally impressive, and there are three in particular who could be on commitment watch while on The Hill:

2019

TE Sean Brown: This weekend will mark the fourth time Brown has been to Knoxville since March, and Tennessee would love to add him to fellow big-bodied Georgia Jackson Lowe to form a highly-ranked and potentially instant impact set of TEs to this class

WR Ramel Keyton: Even more so than Brown, Keyton is no stranger to Knoxville, and this weekend will make at least six visits to campus – notably this will be his third since Pruitt and Co. came to town. Keyton even named the Vols his leader last summer, but that fell off as the Butch Jones era ended.  He’s one of the best WRs in the class, as he proved recently at The Opening Atlanta, and while it may be a bit presumptuous to think he pops this weekend it’s far from beyond the realm of possibility.  Notably, Keyton hails from the talent-laden Marietta HS in Marietta, GA, also home to Tennessee’s #1 QB prospect in the 2020 class Harrison Bailey

DB Jaydon Hill: Hill has recently blown up on the recruiting trail after being named one of top performers at The Opening Atlanta.  He’s the kind of long CB that Pruitt covets, and he’s also a track athlete – running the 100 meters and relays.  South Carolina is thought to be his leader, but Austin Price from Volquest.com has been hinting that Hill could be one to watch this weekend and AP has good sources.  This will be Hill’s second visit to Tennessee since an early March Junior Day, so there is definitely high interest there.  We’ll see if anything happens this weekend or if the Vols simply entrench themselves at the top of his list

The other unofficial visitors, while likely further from making decisions, nonetheless make up a strong group of prospects:

RB Eric Gray: The four-star APB from Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis is visiting on Thursday and it’s unclear how long his visit will be.  Gray is a bit on the smaller side for what Pruitt generally prefers.  That said, he’s a dynamic back with a Stanford offer who currently has a Mid-South Top 3 of Ole Miss, Arkansas and Mississippi State.  How hard Tennessee pushes while he is on campus will likely determine what kind of player the Vols end up being

RB John Emery: Emery is a larger back at 6’0, 200 that has a laundry list of suitors that includes SEC bluebloods like homestate LSU and Alabama, who Tennessee “beat out” to get the visit this weekend.  While he is the son of former Vol DE John Emery Sr. (who played for Tennessee in 1993-94), it’s unclear how important that is to him.  That said, the Vols are among his top group so getting him to campus for what should be a big weekend is a good sign

DB Shyheim Battle; Like Hill, Battle fits the mold of a Jeremy Pruitt CB, only Battle is even taller at a legit 6’2.  His multi-day visit started Thursday and will culminate with the O&W Game on Saturday.  While the Vols are in his Top 5 despite being the only school on that list he has yet to visit, Clemson currently holds the lead with Ohio State and NCSU also near the top.  Tennessee will hope to impress him and set itself up in this recruitment for the long haul

DB Tyus Fields: Yet another highly recruited CB, Fields is returning to Knoxville after just having visited in late March (along with a visit last summer).  He’s smaller than Hill and Battle but makes up for it with toughness and ball skills.  Fields has a brother at Clemson, and the Tigers have offered; however, his current Top 5 is UNC, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Ohio State and Penn State

ATH Devin Boddie: A high-academic kid (offers from UVA, Vandy, and GT) who is making his second trip to Rocky Top since March despite not holding a Vol offer, Boddie is listed as an Athlete but likely is being recruited by Tennessee as a WR.  He’s also getting interest from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, and Miami, and could emerge further if he has a big camp season and follows it up with a strong senior year.  It’s good for Tennessee to get him to campus again so they can continue to evaluate him and “keep him warm”

DB Keveon Mullins: Recently committed to hometown Memphis despite multiple SEC and P5 offers, Mullins is a good looking big-bodied DB prospect.  It’s unclear if he is taking this visit just to hang out with his Memphis Whitehaven teammates or if there is genuine interest from either party.  We’ll see what he has to say after comparing his official visit to Memphis with seeing more people at a Spring Game in Neyland Stadium than he would ever see in Liberty Bowl Stadium (unless Tennessee was playing there)

OL Melvin McBride: A large OG prospect with some decent offers, it’s likely that the Tennessee staff will size McBride up while he’s on campus and go from there

2020

Tennessee has been working the 2020 class hard, and as the aforementioned Austin Price has said multiple times it should be the class where Pruitt and is staff really break through.  After hosting what was effectively a “Sophomore Day” last weekend, the Vols will entertain a smaller but no less impressive group of 2020 prospects:

DL Tyler Baron (Midstate)

LB Bryson Eason (Memphis Whitehaven)

LB Martavius French (Memphis Whitehaven)

OL Bryn Tucker (Knoxville)

DB Rashad Torence (Georgia)

Tennessee Football: Pruitt Offering No Clues About Quarterback Competition

 

It’s kind of hard to have a full-tilt quarterback competition when only half of your quarterback arsenal is on campus.

So, it isn’t [only] that Jeremy Pruitt has been stubborn with information so far this spring; it’s just that he isn’t able to see the entire picture yet, so there’s no reason to give us any information regarding a hotly anticipated quarterback competition that could ultimately be the difference in this Vols team sputtering along again or climbing toward postseason eligibility.

Throughout Pruitt’s first six press conferences this spring, he mentioned Jarrett Guarantano’s name only once, according to Knoxville News-Sentinel reporter Blake Toppmeyer. Though that number has gone up, you’d still be hard-pressed to find anywhere where the first-year head coach praised Guarantano or competitor Will McBride.

Though Guarantano — who started six of Tennessee’s final seven games a season ago — is expected to be a frontrunner for the job, you wouldn’t know it by spring buzz. Pruitt speaks of the redshirt sophomore and McBride (a true sophomore) together, refusing to signal anybody out. He mostly just sidesteps any discussion about individual performances, offers scant praise and talks about both needing to be more consistent.

Practice reports on the pay sites whisper here and there information from sources talking about Guarantano being much sharper more consistently than McBride. Though receivers have dropped their share of passes this spring, Guarantano’s deep ball reportedly has been praised. Just don’t expect to hear that from Pruitt, or his assistants considering Pruitt rarely lets them talk, either.

So, you’re starved for information? Join the club. This has been the least newsworthy spring in my lifetime. That’s probably the way Pruitt wants it, too, considering UT isn’t in any shape to be competing for anything of any substance right now and needs all the practice it can get to return to respectability. But it’s difficult squeezing any morsel of information out of practices that see 80 percent closure and a coaching staff that doesn’t try to control the message; they simply don’t give one at all.

While Guarantano and McBride are on campus and have begun the battle, a key piece of the puzzle awaits. Stanford graduate transfer Keller Chryst is a big-bodied, rugged signal-caller who has been in some important games for the Cardinal. He’s a pro-style passer, which fits more closely with offensive coordinator Tyson Helton’s philosophy. So, while it would be a mistake and short-sighted to call Chryst the favorite for the job, he at least will have a say-so in the competition. He’ll get to Knoxville this spring, and he’s expected to be Guarantano’s primary competition for the starting gig.

Then there’s incoming true freshman J.T. Shrout. The former California commitment isn’t really expected to factor into the QB battle this year, but given how open it is, it’s not out of the question. If Helton thinks this year is about building for the future and he finds Guarantano isn’t the answer, Shrout is a wild card if he catches on quickly. Still, as turnover-prone as he was in high school, that’s a long shot. He likely needs a year to learn the system, get bigger and get coached up.

Spring practice is offering some glimpses into some position battles and some players who are taking advantage of opportunities. With Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Daniel Bituli limited this spring, junior Quart’e Sapp and sophomore Will Ignont have shined at linebacker. Nigel Warrior looks like a star-in-the-making while other defensive backs such as Baylen Buchanan, Theo Jackson and Cheyenne Labruzza have taken positive steps forward. Shy Tuttle looks like the man in the middle of the line for the Vols, and there’s a lot of excitement around Darrell Taylor.

Offensively, Marquez Callaway and Ty Chandler are exciting players, and even though the offensive line is still searching for depth and cohesion, it’s a positive development that star Trey Smith has done work on the sideline while K’Rojhn Calbert, Chance Hall and Nathan Niehaus are at least back in pads trying to shake off rust from injuries.

It’s not like spring has been devoid of news; it’s just not the news we hoped.

With the spring game looming not too far from now, we’ll all have to wait and see who looks like they’ve grown from the quarterback position. Is Guarantano’s internal clock better, or is he still taking too many sacks? Does he realize when to tuck and run, and does he trust his arm to make all the throws in a vertical attack? Does McBride even fit this system in the least, or is he just valuable depth? Can he see over defenses, and is his pocket presence improved?

These are important questions that will go a long way in determining the quarterback battle. The answers won’t be found in Pruitt’s comments or in practice reports (because there are no visible important sessions on which to report). We’ll be watching at the spring game, hoping to catch a glimmer of what to expect, but even then, it’s going to be impossible to judge anything with the QBs in black jerseys going against a defense that was so bad a season ago.

Pruitt, Helton and Co. are getting an idea how this quarterback battle stands. It helps Guarantano and McBride that they’re on campus getting reps in front of the coaches. It helps Chryst and Shrout that they’re more the types of quarterback who look ready to run a pro-style system.

Which one wins out? We’ll have to wait to find out. We sure aren’t getting any clues this spring.

SEC Coaches in Year One

Setting a reasonable expectation is never easy in college football, especially in a new coach’s first year. For Jeremy Pruitt, five wins would be a literal improvement; six and a bowl berth would probably earn a nod of approval. But it’s not exactly the same as in Butch Jones’ first season, when a bowl appearance would have been the first in three years and a ranked win the first in four.

In a coach’s first year fans are more free with grace and more reliant on hope. The former will be there, particularly if recruiting is going well. And any opportunity you get to cash in on the latter can carry a coach and a program well into the future.

To help us figure out what a reasonable expectation for Jeremy Pruitt is in 2018, here’s a look back at the last year one for each of the 14 SEC schools. There’s quite the spectrum here, teaching us again that you just never know how these things are going to turn out. We’ve included Bill Connelly’s S&P+ data, which is helpful in showing the distance between a former coach’s final year and a new coach’s first year, especially when the records are often similar. Take a look:

ALABAMA: Nick Saban, 2007

  • Record: 7-6 (57th S&P+)
  • Previous Two Years: 6-7 (31st S&P+), 10-2 (15th)
  • Meaningful Wins: #16 Arkansas, #21 Tennessee
  • Bad Losses: Louisiana-Monroe
  • Was year one a success? Eh. It probably would have been considered one before the November 17 loss to ULM.
  • What did they build on? Recruiting, but also margin of defeat. Alabama lost all six games by one possession, three of them to ranked teams.
  • Did it work out long-term? I think so.

ARKANSAS: Bret Bielema, 2013

  • Record: 3-9 (67th)
  • Previous Two Years: 4-8 (39th), 11-2 (15th)
  • Meaningful Wins: none
  • Bad Losses: Rutgers
  • Was year one a success? No, though this was a tougher assignment following basically a lost year in 2012 with the Bobby Petrino scandal.
  • What did they build on? A late season surge: after losing their first six SEC games by at least 10 points, the Razorbacks lost to Mississippi State in overtime and to #15 LSU by four points.
  • Did it work out long-term? No. Bielema had the surest track record of any SEC hire in 2013, but never did better than 8-5 and was fired last fall after going 4-8.

AUBURN: Gus Malzahn, 2013

  • Record: 12-2 (5th)
  • Previous Two Years: 3-9 (73rd), 8-5 (43rd)
  • Meaningful Wins: Beat five ranked teams including #1 Alabama, won the SEC Championship and played in the BCS title game.
  • Bad Losses: none
  • Was year one a success? Definitely. It helps to inherit recruiting classes that finished 5th, 11th, and 10th from 2011-2013.
  • What did they build on? When you almost win the national championship in year one, what don’t you build on?
  • Did it work out long-term? Mostly. Auburn is only 33-20 in the last four years, but has a pair of New Year’s Six appearances and won the SEC West in 2017.

FLORIDA: Jim McElwain, 2015

  • Record: 10-4 (30th)
  • Previous Two Years: 7-5 (24th), 4-8 (33rd). Will Muschamp’s teams lost seven one possession games in his last two years at Florida.
  • Meaningful Wins: Tennessee, #3 Ole Miss, Georgia
  • Bad Losses: None, but did lose to Michigan 41-7 in the Citrus Bowl
  • Was year one a success? Definitely, but the end of the year soured it some and the loss of Will Grier would make a huge difference.
  • What did they build on? September and October, before the offense died.
  • Did it work out long-term? No. McElwain won the East again in 2016, but didn’t seem to be a good fit and was relieved of his duties after a 3-4 start in 2017.

GEORGIA: Kirby Smart, 2016

  • Record: 8-5 (68th)
  • Previous Two Years: 10-3 (45th), 10-3 (4th)
  • Meaningful Wins: #22 North Carolina in the season opener, #8 Auburn
  • Bad Losses: Vanderbilt
  • Was year one a success? Eh. It’s a tough ask for a coach to improve on back-to-back 10-win seasons in his first year.
  • What did they build on? Recruiting, and they were right to.
  • Did it work out long-term? Definitely. Mark Richt’s own recruiting left plenty of talent in Athens, and Smart cashed it in with a textbook year two surge last fall, one play short of a national championship.

KENTUCKY: Mark Stoops, 2013

  • Record: 2-10 (84th)
  • Previous Two Years: 2-10 (75th), 5-7 (93rd). Not all 5-7’s are created equal; UK was actually worse play-for-play in 2011 than 2012.
  • Meaningful Wins: none
  • Bad Losses: Western Kentucky
  • Was year one a success? No.
  • What did they build on? Recruiting.
  • Did it work out long-term? It’s been a slow burn, but Stoops went 5-7 the next two years, then 7-6 the last two years.

LSU: Ed Orgeron, 2017

  • Record: 9-4 (19th)
  • Previous Two Years: 8-4 (4th), 9-3 (11th)
  • Meaningful Wins: #10 Auburn
  • Bad Losses: Troy
  • Was year one a success: If we count Orgeron’s 6-2 run as the interim in 2016, maybe. If we count last season…it’s indistinguishable from the end of Les Miles’ tenure in results, and the quality of play on the field was worse in S&P+.
  • What did they build on? The coach’s personality?
  • Did it work out long-term? DaCoachO has to wait and see.

OLE MISS: Hugh Freeze, 2012

  • Record: 7-6 (19th)
  • Previous Two Years: 2-10 (76th), 4-8 (56th)
  • Meaningful Wins: Auburn, #25 Mississippi State
  • Bad Losses: none
  • Was year one a success: Definitely, and relatively speaking maybe the biggest one of this group of 14. Not only did Ole Miss make its first bowl game in three years, three of their six losses came by six points or less. This was a huge jump from a 2-10 season the year before.
  • What did they build on? All of this, plus recruiting.
  • Did it work out long-term? It definitely did until Hugh Freeze had to be fired for off-the-field issues.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: Dan Mullen, 2009

  • Record: 5-7 (33rd)
  • Previous Two Years: 4-8 (95th), 8-5 (55th)
  • Meaningful Wins: #25 Ole Miss
  • Bad Losses: Houston
  • Was year one a success: The answer to this might be “eh”, but look at the jump they made in S&P+. Sylvester Croom’s last team lost four games by at least 25 points. Mullen’s first team only had two such losses despite playing five ranked teams, three in the top seven. Even though they didn’t get bowl eligible, that Egg Bowl win was a huge note to end on.
  • What did they build on? Competitiveness
  • Did it work out long-term? Yes.

MISSOURI: Barry Odom, 2016

  • Record: 4-8 (69th)
  • Previous Two Years: 5-7 (83rd), 11-3 (28th)
  • Meaningful Wins: Arkansas
  • Bad Losses: MTSU
  • Was year one a success: No. Odom wasn’t in year one because the previous coach didn’t work out, but the Tigers did slightly improve in S&P+.
  • What did they build on? …I’m unsure, I think we all thought this one wouldn’t work.
  • Did it work out long-term? Mizzou was 7-6 last year, so we’ll see. Odom’s fate may now be tied to Derek Dooley’s as offensive coordinator.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Will Muschamp, 2016

  • Record: 6-7 (89th S&P+)
  • Previous Two Years: 3-9 (85th), 7-6 (40th)
  • Meaningful Wins: #18 Tennessee
  • Bad Losses: none
  • Was year one a success: Compared to 2015, definitely. Compared to South Carolina’s resume from 2010-13, less so.
  • What did they build on? Recruiting
  • Did it work out long-term? Carolina bounced to 9-4 last year, in line with the expectations Steve Spurrier created.

TENNESSEE: Butch Jones, 2013

  • Record: 5-7 (47th)
  • Previous Two Years: 5-7 (38th), 5-7 (30th)
  • Meaningful Wins: #11 South Carolina
  • Bad Losses: none
  • Was year one a success: As was the case with most of Butch Jones’ tenure, almost.
  • What did they build on? Recruiting
  • Did it work out long-term? It almost did, and then it really didn’t. Critical for Jones in year one were a pair of missed opportunities against Georgia and Vanderbilt, either of which would have earned bowl eligibility and a significant dose of early credibility.

TEXAS A&M: Kevin Sumlin, 2012

  • Record: 11-2 (2nd)
  • Previous Two Years: 7-6 (8th), 9-4 (22nd). Very sneaky sir: Mike Sherman’s last team lost four games to ranked teams by a combined 10 points, one of them in four overtimes. They also lost to Missouri in overtime and blasted #20 Baylor by 27 points. We didn’t know it in their first year in the SEC, but these guys were already a great team in disguise. Add in Johnny Manziel, and you get 11-2.
  • Meaningful Wins: Four ranked teams, including #1 Alabama
  • Bad Losses: none
  • Was year one a success? Definitely
  • What did they build on? Johnny Football
  • Did it work out long-term? Surprisingly, no. Sumlin went 9-4 the next year, then three straight 8-5’s, then 7-5 before A&M made a change.

VANDERBILT: Derek Mason, 2014

  • Record: 3-9 (110th)
  • Previous Two Years: 9-4 (68th), 8-4 (55th). Franklin’s teams didn’t set the world on fire in S&P+, but this is still the steepest year one drop for any SEC team on this list.
  • Meaningful Wins: none
  • Bad Losses: Temple, 37-7 in the season opener
  • Was year one a success? No.
  • What did they build on? No idea.
  • Did it work out long-term? He hasn’t been James Franklin, but Mason improved to 4-8, 6-7, and 5-7 the last three years.

What can we learn?

Gus Malzahn and Kevin Sumlin can create unrealistic expectations; Malzahn could rely on Top 10 talent, Sumlin on a Heisman Trophy winner with a team that was already close. The Vols have some talent left behind from Butch Jones, but not enough to expect the unexpected in terms of this team’s ceiling.

The better comparison is in the state of Mississippi. Dan Mullen didn’t get MSU to a bowl game in his first year, but secured a lasting memory by beating Ole Miss and made his team far more competitive. Hugh Freeze got seven wins from a group that won just two the year before and backed it up with elite recruiting, getting his team to 8-5 the next year then two straight New Year’s Six appearances.

Tennessee finished 107th in S&P+ last year, worse than any team on this list when it made a coaching change. Five of Tennessee’s losses came by 18+ points. In many ways there’s nowhere to go but up. We’ll learn more about Pruitt’s recruiting between now and September 1. But just as important as the final record between 5-7 and 7-5 is how the Vols get there: are we more competitive, and can Pruitt create a lasting memory to build on in year one?

Tennessee Football: Will the Pruitt Way Be the Winning Way?

You’re a Tennessee fan, and you’re skeptical. The two things may as well be synonymous after what we’ve been through for the past decade-plus, especially after what our dysfunctional administration put us through this offseason.

New head football coach Jeremy Pruitt doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt yet, and, quite frankly, he probably doesn’t want it. Like everything else in his career, he realizes he has to earn it, too.

You shouldn’t give him the benefit of the doubt, either. You should be in wait-and-see mode.

After all, most of us talked ourselves into Derek Dooley and Butch Jones, even while the nation around us warned that they were reaches, at best. As the program burned all around us, we were like that meme, stuck in the middle of the room on fire, saying, “This is fine.”

This isn’t fine. 4-8 isn’t fine. Winless in the SEC isn’t fine. The roster being in such shambles that Pruitt and his coaching staff having to experiment with position changes galore just to find diamonds in a field of quartz isn’t fine.

But it’s what we have. It’s what Pruitt inherited, and nobody hears him complaining, even if you don’t hear him heaping praise, either. Instead — unlike the past two regimes — everybody in the nation is telling us to hold tight, because Pruitt and this great staff he assembled know what they’re doing, and they’ll get Tennessee back on the right track.

We’re not seeing a used-car salesman of the highest order in Knoxville anymore. Butch Barnum has left the circus tent.

There are covert practices taking place in Knoxville, mainly because Pruitt learned at the knee of Nick Saban, and we’re all starved because we know very little about what’s happening at practice, and our reporters are seeing very little to know what to report. Truth be told, there’s probably little to see. We all should know what Tennessee football is going to be in 2018, and it isn’t going to be a pretty picture. It’s going to take more than an offseason to wash the Butch Jones stink off the program.

But you can bet one thing: Pruitt is putting his fingerprints all over this program.

Is that a good thing? We certainly don’t know yet, but we know one thing for sure. It isn’t the same as Jones’ fingerprints. And we know that isn’t bad, don’t we?

The reports from spring practice are about what you’d expect. Gone is the blaring music at drills. It seems that the coaching staff is actually more interested in the players hearing what they have to say than listening to Lil’ Wayne (or whatever kids are listening to these days). There isn’t as much hype or hyperbole. Instead, it’s just straight talk, and not all of it is what we want to hear. But I think we all probably believe it’s the truth, because Pruitt isn’t the type of guy who’ll sugarcoat anything.

Players are talking little, and assistants are talking less. Pruitt is controlling the message and has mentioned to reporters he wants everything to be about getting better this spring and for players to be in full-on business mode. Maybe that gums up the conduit between the program and the public, but none of that matters if they wind up better than we think they’ll be, now does it?

Pruitt is not going to come out and say there are a lot of orange turds in the punch bowl, but you can tell by the way he’s shuffling and trying to find some more puzzle pieces that fit what he wants to do that this roster isn’t in the shape he wants it. This spring has the feel of, “Well, we’re going to do whatever it takes to get to six or seven wins.” Am I reading between the lines? Well, yeah. Aren’t we all?

I don’t think the “Pruitt way” is hoarding graduate transfers or hitting up JUCOs for players. I don’t think the “Pruitt way” is moving kids all over the field to try to find a place where they may play the best. And I don’t think the “Pruitt way” is stripping all the fun away from football.

I think the “Pruitt way” is winning. And I know he’s done it before at the highest level and believe he knows what it takes. I believe he sees the roster is in shambles, knows to recruit at the highest level he has to show marked progress on the field and is trying to piece together a team in ’18 that can compete, and I believe he’s trying to use some of what he has to get there and sprinkle in others he doesn’t have.

So if Alontae Taylor is better at cornerback (where he’s getting a look right now during practice and where Pruitt recruited him to play while at UA) or LaTrell Bumphus is better at defensive end than tight end — and both have a clearer path to help the Vols in 2018 at those positions — that’s where they’ll play. Both of them may go back to offense, but why not look?

It’s part of a pedigree of success, a pedigree of toughness and a pedigree of championships. Butch didn’t have it. Dooley didn’t have it. The biggest difference in those guys and Pruitt, is the new guy does.

“It was very exciting (when Tennessee hired Pruitt), just seeing all the national championships he’s won, and especially with the coaching staff he’s brought in,” senior defensive lineman Kyle Phillips told GoVols247’s Patrick Brown. “We have a great coaching staff here, and I’ll believe we’ll be successful for it.

“This coaching staff, they’re definitely being tough, especially after a bad season last year, they want us to get the most out of this upcoming season. They believe that we have the talent in the room to do it. And I think we can do it, if we buy in.”

What is the “most” out of the season? Six wins? Seven wins? Could Tennessee somehow get to eight? Few probably think the latter is in the question, but the coaches and players aren’t limiting themselves, and that’s what you want to hear. There’s a reason why it’s exciting that players like Quart’e Sapp, Will Ignont, Jarrett Guarantano and others are bigger and more athletic. There’s a reason to be excited about UT’s personnel fitting a 3-4 scheme better than a 4-3. There’s a reason to be excited about throwing the ball vertically more and having bigger running backs who can get tough yards between tackles.

We have to hope in the little things because the Jones era didn’t leave Pruitt anything big to inherit. We have to find solace in what left with the previous regime.

Gone is the unfolding rusty lawn chair offense of Jones that appeared allergic to vertical routes, tried to work East and West to run from defenders, and make 1st-and-goal from the 2 1st-and-goal from 8 by lining up in shotgun formations.

Maybe this team will play some real football on offense and some real football on defense. Maybe we’ve got a real football coach this time. As my good buddy Wes Rucker said, “Coach Pruitt is the kind of guy who’ll put a dip in and sit in the field house and just talk ball with a high school coach for a couple hours.”

All of us who played ball can appreciate that. Pruitt has worked for every job he’s ever gotten, and he’s been successful every step of the way. He fully expects to be successful at Tennessee, too. But anybody who is expecting an overnight sensation is fooling himself. Get ready to scoff and hear the snide remarks, to feel like “this is the same ol’ Tennessee” as the losses pile up in 2018. Just be ready.

But don’t be surprised if it changes soon. The culture is already changing. Players’ bodies are already changing. Recruiting is already changing.

With Phillip Fulmer in charge of the athletic department and Pruitt in charge of the football program, there feels like an old-school approach to things around UT. Will that include winning? We’re all eagerly awaiting that to happen. We all hope it will happen, and while we all yearn for it to happen quickly, common sense and a look up and down the roster tell us we’re going to have to be patient yet again. You can blame Pruitt — and you probably will at some point in 2018 — but that isn’t his fault. When you make awful hire after awful hire, you rebuild every four or five years. Otherwise, the hires wouldn’t be awful, would they?

I’d love to sit here and tell you, “Be patient because the wins will come.” But I can’t. All I can tell you is expect to win soon. Why?

Because it’s the “Pruitt way.” And everything else so far is being done the way he wants.

Tennessee Recruiting Efforts Show Commitment to More Beef

This past week might be more indicative of what we should expect from the Jeremy Pruitt regime, as the relationships he’s taken time to build manifested itself in a flurry of commitments.

One common theme throughout most of these new pledges is that they’re bigger than the players currently on campus. That’s no surprise. Pruitt mentioned several times over the course of his first few months that he wanted to see the Vols get bigger — both in the weight room and on the recruiting trail with the type of athlete they were recruiting.

Not only have we noticed in drills that a lot of the players are bigger (guys like quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and linebacker Quart’e Sapp) but also, the guys Pruitt is bringing in are elevating the average size of the roster.

The week started with an expected pledge from Cartersville, Georgia, tight end Jackson Lowe, who Tennessee loved and had high atop their list at the tight end position — a major need for the team in this recruiting cycle. At 6’5″, 242 pounds, Lowe is athletic for his size, can catch passes and looks to be a strong inline blocker. He’s used to catching passes and pass-blocking, as his quarterback a season ago was top-ranked signal-caller Trevor Lawrence, a player who grew up high on the Vols but ultimately chose Clemson because of failures by the previous regime.

Lowe was coveted by many of the top teams in the country, including Clemson, but fell in love with the Vols, Pruitt, tight ends coach Brian Niedermeyer and commitment Jackson Lampley.

Tennessee continued the trend with a defensive tackle pledge from LeDarrius Cox, a 6’4″, 305-pound defensive tackle from McGill Toolen High School in Mobile, Alabama. He had offers from Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and others, and he will be a high-rising recruit. Though he’s just a 3-star prospect, he’ll see his interest surge. It’ll be interesting to see what happens if Alabama or Auburn pulls the trigger because everybody knows how hard it is to pull players out of the Yellowhammer State, especially with the way both those instate teams are currently surging.

Earlier in the week, Tennessee pulled 2020 athlete Kristian Story from Alabama, a 6’2″, 207-pound athlete who is one of the nation’s top 200 players in that class. He’s expected to be one of the top overall players from the state in that group, which could be Pruitt’s best class with all the time to build relationships.

Tennessee followed up Cox’s recruitment with a commitment from an old name. JUCO defensive end Darel Middlelton, who chose UT while he was an underclassman at Powell High School. He transferred to Oak Ridge, had some off-the-field issues and wound up at East Mississippi Community College. He was once a 240-pound tight end prospect, but now he’s a 6’7″, 290-pound defensive end. It’s unclear whether he’d be part of the 2018 or ’19 class for the Vols, who are trying to get him in, but he’s an elite athlete if he can make the grades.

Sure, he’ll be rough around the edges, but a player of that size is somebody Tennessee can’t afford to turn away. Pruitt liked him when he was at Alabama, and teams like LSU and Georgia showed a lot of interest in him, too. If Tennessee can start getting big bruisers like him and 300-pound JUCO commitment Emmit Gooden in school, that’s a positive development for a program that looks like it finally wants to start competing to play SEC football.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Tennessee is going after all these big-name prospects who are bigger in stature, too. Pruitt immediately noticed the size discrepancy when he got to Rocky Top. Simply put: There were times a year ago when UT didn’t look like an SEC team, and that goes for the team throughout the roster.

That’s why the Vols vowed to get bigger, and they did at places like running back where they recruited 6’2″, 220-pound Jeremy Banks and received a graduate transfer from Michigan State power runner Madre London, who is 6’1″, 220. Heck, even Keller Chryst, the graduate transfer quarterback, is 240 pounds.

It just so happens the nation’s top-ranked player is a running back/outside linebacker from North Carolina named Quavaris Crouch, who is a monstrous 6’2″, 224 pounds and who has already visited Tennessee for a multi-day visit. Of course, the Vols will have plenty of competition for him, but they’re going to be in the race for the long haul.

For those looking for a quick fix in Knoxville, you’re probably going to be disappointed. The roster deficiencies Butch Jones left are prevalent. The argument can be made that the roster — at least in places — is worse than the one he took over when Derek Dooley was fired, which is crazy considering the good recruiting Jones did at times. That speaks to his failures in player development, and it’s why UT fans hold out hope that the new staff can get the most out of players who were expected to play better than their careers have proved thus far.

But you simply can’t play SEC football with a finesse scheme on either side of the ball. That was evidenced by all the injuries the Vols suffered the past few years and also by the fact that Tennessee had few players on its team that made any game-breaking plays on either side of the ball. They were kind of just … there.

When you see Alabama and Georgia step onto the field, you see physical freaks flying around all over the field, making tackles or breaking tackles, making plays and forcing turnovers or scoring touchdowns. Tennessee isn’t there, and the ’18 version of the Vols probably won’t be, either.

But Pruitt has seen it up close and personal while with the Tide and Dawgs. Heck, he recruited a lot of those players making those plays. So, he knows what it takes.

The Tennessee transformation has begun.

Tennessee Spring Has Sprung: 5 Intriguing Vols Storylines to Watch

The Jeremy Pruitt era officially began Tuesday as the Tennessee Volunteers took to the practice field for the first of 15 spring practices. Coming off the program’s worst year in history and a winless slate in the SEC, hope is all we have.

Hope of improvement. Hope of development and actual coaching. And hope that some new blood injected in the program will produce enough wins to get back to bowl eligibility.

After back-to-back 9-4 seasons under Butch Jones, 2017 spiraled out of control. Now, the Vols appear in shambles from a roster standpoint, in worse shape, arguably, than they were when Jones took over for Derek Dooley.

This is the early 1980s all over again.

But, we have to start somewhere, don’t we? You aren’t going to beat Georgia and Alabama for recruits until you prove you can win football games. The Vols can’t do that this spring, but they can take steps toward being a better team. There are miles and miles to go before we play.

Let’s take a look at five things to watch as we embark on the spring.

 

Can Jarrett Guarantano get separation?

Throughout the miserable end of the 2017 football season, Tennessee’s talented redshirt freshman quarterback showed flashes of growth. What’s he going to do once a real quarterbacks coach gets a hold of him now that Tyson Helton is in town?

There’s a reason why Guarantano was the nation’s top-rated dual-threat quarterback according to the 247Sports composite rankings in the 2016 class. The only questions are will he ever get to prove it behind an adequate offensive line, and how will his skill set fit within the framework of this pro-style offense?

Experts said that during his high school days, Guarantano was a pass-first quarterback, and he never proved to be the type of freelancing runner Joshua Dobbs was, anyway. There’s nothing wrong with being able run a little when the pocket collapses, but quarterbacks have to be able to throw the deep ball and the intermediate routes consistently. Guarantano needs to prove he can, or he won’t be the guy.

Keller Chryst is standing over there, watching, and he didn’t transfer from Stanford for his final season to stand on the sideline. He’s coming in to start, and Guarantano will have a battle on his hands once Chryst gets on campus. JG likely won’t have an issue beating out Will McBride, who seems like a poor fit for this scheme, but Chryst is a different story.

Last year, Guarantano’s major issues dealt with timing and accuracy. He struggled being on the same page with his receivers, and the internal clocks quarterbacks need to keep them from getting drive-killing sacks didn’t exist. A lot of that is because of a lack of maturity, but he’ll get lapped if he doesn’t pick it up quickly.

Chryst is right there waiting, JT Shrout is a talented freshman who might be the future, and this staff is going to go after elite signal-callers every year. In other words, Guarantano had better embrace the competition this spring, assert himself as the definitive guy right now and get a head start on Chryst.

If he does that, it’ll be big for his future and, more importantly, for Tennessee’s present.

 

Position changes steal the spotlight

One of the things we always stayed frustrated about during the Jones era was maximizing the potential of the roster. Sometimes, it was elite prospects not getting any better. At others, it was players we thought fit better at other positions who were locked at places where they were either buried on the depth chart or couldn’t reach their potential.

The perfect example of this, of course, is Tyler Byrd. The South Florida product flipped from Miami on National Signing Day’s eve two years ago, and we all waited to see whether he’d be a safety or a cornerback on the next level. Basically everybody who was anybody recruited him to play defense.

Yet, he’s been wasting away on the second- or third-string at wide receiver during his first two years.

This spring, he’s getting a crack at cornerback, and that’s an exciting development. Also, his best friend and high school teammate, Carlin Fils-aime, is getting the opportunity to play corner as well. He showed flashes at running back a season ago, but he was going to be buried on the depth chart there, especially with Michigan State graduate transfer Madre London coming in. With Ty Chandler, Tim Jordan, Trey Coleman and Jeremy Banks on the roster, CFA wouldn’t going to be a factor. Why not put him somewhere where he can? I like it.

When Latrell Bumphus committed to Tennessee over a bunch of nice offers, it was unclear whether he’d play tight end or defensive end. Though some schools (like Jeremy Pruitt at Alabama) was recruiting him to play defensive end, the Vols let him start on offense. Now, Bumphus has grown to nearly 280 pounds, and he is getting a look as a 3-4 defensive end. With his speed and explosion, he’s at least worth a look at a position of need.

An exciting development that transpired today was the news that this coaching staff is high on Princeton Fant, a player who was an afterthought in last year’s class after an injury-riddled senior season. He came in as a wide receiver, moved to tight end, was thought to be able to play linebacker, and nobody was sure where he was going to play or if he was. Pruitt and Co. are giving him a seven-practice look at running back. That’s an intriguing thought considering Fant is a nice-looking athlete who is around 6’2″, 220 pounds. Those guys don’t grow on trees, and if he develops a knack for the position, he’s got four years left to grow.

Ja’Quain Blakely, who was a linebacker under Jones, is moving over to tight end to get a look there. Also — even though this was to be expected — some players who were defensive ends will drop back and play outside “Jack” linebacker in a 3-4. The perfect player for that position is Darrell Taylor, but Austin Smith is another guy who can get a look there.

 

Talent rejuvenation

So, who is going to flourish under Pruitt?

Aren’t you sick of the days of guys like Kahlil McKenzie, Todd Kelly Jr. and Jonathan Kongbo coming in as highly coveted recruits and never getting any better? Thanks, Butch. Hopefully, those days are over. UT’s coaching staff has been lauded by virtually everybody as being an experienced, excellent group of developers.

Some candidates to come out of the woodwork and reach their potential are Taylor and Kongbo. I think we could see both of those guys come through and be dependable players in 2018. Though Nigel Warrior arguably was Tennessee’s best player a season ago, he could blossom and be the defensive leader this year.

As for guys who’ve not really done much who could thrive? Receivers Jacquez Jones and LaTrell Williams are a duo of guys with speed and ability who could turn heads and develop under receivers coach David Johnson. Both of those guys are same type of player as Memphis stud Anthony Miller, who Johnson helped from a lightly-recruited no-star to a guy who’ll assuredly get drafted this year.

The Vols desperately need a couple of offensive linemen to step up, and with such a slim group out there this spring, it’s a great opportunity for freshmen Jerome Carvin and Ollie Lane as well as redshirt freshman Riley Locklear. I like their potential, and at least one (and probably two) of them will be rotational players in ’18.

Defensively, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about redshirt freshman Theo Jackson and junior Marquill Osborne. One of those guys never got the chance to blossom under Jackson, and Osborne — who was heavily recruited by Clemson, Ohio State and others — hasn’t reached his potential. Can he be a playmaker for the Vols? He’s got the talent to be.

 

Passing the test

Having a vertical passing attack is a nice theory. If the Vols can do that, it’ll open some things up on offense and give UT an element it never really had under Jones.

But you can’t pass the football if you don’t have anybody who can catch it.

It’s massive news for the Vols that Jauan Jennings is back (for now) and even though he is out for this spring battling injuries, he’s got the potential to be one of the top receivers in the SEC if he can stay healthy and keep his head on straight. But UT needs more than just him.

We’ve already mentioned Jones and Williams as a couple of possible breakout stars. But UT has other players who are capable of doing nice things with the ball in their hands. Rising junior Brandon Johnson led the team with 482 receiving yards a season ago, and everybody knows how good Marquez Callaway can be if he consistently gets open and can get the ball. He doesn’t always get separation, and he and Guarantano wasn’t on the same page a season ago, but if they can get there, this receiving corps has a lot of potential.

Just think of Jennings, Callaway and Johnson as a trio if they live up to their potential. That would give UT a backup corps of Jones, Williams, and we haven’t even mentioned Josh Palmer, who proved to be the Vols best receiver at getting open a season ago, even if he struggled to catch the ball consistently.

Jordan Murphy has some potential too, and the redshirt freshman will get a chance to prove it this spring. We also haven’t mentioned Alontae Taylor, who may well be Tennessee’s top offensive recruit from the ’18 class, and he’s on campus ready to try to crack the two-deep rotation. Cedric Tillman will get here this summer, so that’s another possibility in the rotation.

This is an exciting group to watch, and, yes, they were terrible a season ago. But they will get great coaching from Williams, and in this offense, a few of them could shine. That starts this spring.

Where do the defensive pieces fit?

Finally, we all want to know where everybody is going to fit as the Vols transition to a 3-4 base package.

As I’ve mentioned, Taylor and Smith will drop back and be outside linebackers who’ll get after the quarterback. JUCO transfer Jordan Allen, who certainly looks the part in pictures after coming in from San Francisco in the early signing period, will battle for a starting outside ‘backer position, as well.

The Vols already have a great middle linebacker in Darrin Kirkland Jr., but he’s yet to prove he can stay healthy. There’s a big opportunity for Alabama sophomore Will Ignont, who belongs in the section above regarding breakout players. He’s a big, fast linebacker who looks like he belongs on the Crimson Tide roster, and he’ll get the opportunity to win a spot at inside ‘backer as well. Don’t forget about Daniel Bituli, who was one of Tennessee’s biggest playmakers a season ago. He’ll have a shot to win a spot, too.

It’s going to be interesting to see who plays the all-important “Star” position in Pruitt’s defense, which was so dynamic during Pruitt’s days with the Tide. Theo Jackson and Osborne could get looks there, and Jackson seems like a perfect fit for that spot. Shawn Shamburger could wind up being a guy who gets a look there, too. He’s simply too good to keep off the field, and if he doesn’t play at that spot, he will at cornerback.

Opportunities abound, and it’s going to be interesting to see where guys like Kongbo and Kyle Phillips fit on the defensive front, too. How about Alexis Johnson? He and Shy Tuttle look like they’ll be nose guards in this scheme, but are they big enough? Can Eric Crosby be conditioned enough to make a difference inside? Is Matthew Butler going to break the rotation at defensive end?

A lot of these questions need to be answered, and we’ll start finding them out during spring.

Gameday Today: VFL Pro Day roundup

Yesterday was Pro Day on Rocky Top, and several former Vols football players were in action hoping to improve their NFL Draft stock.

Rashaan Gaulden

Rashaan Gaulden, of course, had to answer for probably the 100th time a question about his double-bird to the Alabama fan section last season and had what I consider to be a nearly perfect answer:

“It’s just, you know, I’m a very passionate guy when I step on the field,” Gaulden said. “I hate Alabama, and that’s just how it is. But at the same time, I’ve got to know that there’s no place in sports for that kind of thing to happen.”
“I obviously don’t want to be remembered that way at Tennessee,” he said. “I feel like I made a lot of plays and different things like that, so that’s not how I want to be remembered, but I’m gonna have to live with it. But I’ve definitely matured since then.”

More from Gaulden:

John Kelly

John Kelly had an important, if somewhat ambiguously-defined, answer for what he wanted to put up as his 40-time:

“Something that’s not slow,” he said, smiling.

More from Kelly:

Evan Berry

Now that kick return specialist Evan Berry is his own man, he’s decided to take matters into his own hands and put himself on offense:

“I was planning on doing both [offense and defense],” Berry said after his workout. “But then around mid-January, I decided that I just wanted to put all my focus into one thing and do that to the best of my ability without having to worry about two things at one time. I just chose one. Life is too short, and I chose what I really felt comfortable with and what I really wanted to do. That’s how I narrowed it down. I was pretty much determined to do it.”

More from Berry:

Kahlil McKenzie

Not to be outdone, defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie also put in some time on the offensive side of the ball:

“A couple of coaches asked me if I’d be willing to do the drills,” McKenzie said after finishing his Pro Day workout at the Anderson Training Center, “and I told them it’s good with me, so I just went out there and did some of the O-line drills.
“That’s the first time I’ve been asked to do an offensive line type of stuff. (NFL Scouting) Combine, I did strictly D-line things. I get questions all the time sometimes about offensive line stuff, but you know, you just kind of focus on what you’re getting asked to do.”

More from McKenzie:

Trevor Daniel

And we’ve heard all of the legends about punter Trevor Daniel’s freakish athleticism (for a punter), but he says it’s doing nothing for him with the NFL Scouts:

“It doesn’t mean anything, honestly,” he said. “I just did it to do it. They’ll tell you they don’t really care that I got 23 reps on the bench. That doesn’t matter. They just want you to kick good.”

More from Daniel:

Other guys

More select quotes from the players can be found here.

Tennessee Gets Michigan State Transfer Running Back Madre London

 

Tennessee needs immediate-impact playmakers all over the field, and that’s why the Volunteers are such an attractive option for graduate transfers.

A week after getting Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst, UT added another player who figures to get important touches on Sunday night when Michigan State senior transfer Madre London announced via Twitter that he’ll finish his career at Tennessee.

Just this week, I wrote for Bleacher Report that London was looking to leave the Spartans, and I predicted he’d wind up with Notre Dame, only because there hadn’t been any buzz out there on where he’d go. In that same piece, I predicted (wildly guessed) the Vols would go after and get Clemson running back C.J. Fuller. I had it right that the Vols would go after a runner, but I got the wrong one.

Instead, London wanted to go somewhere and get started. That’s why the Vols were a perfect fit.

There’s no question London wanted to go somewhere where he could get vital carries, and there’s also no doubt the Vols need a power back who can churn out yards. Just like UT wants to go to a more downfield passing attack, they also want a power running game, and with John Kelly off to the NFL, there aren’t any proven options there. Incoming freshman Jeremy Banks will serve that role in the future, but will he be ready in 2018?

That’s why London was necessary.

It appears London was wanted by the Vols all along, at least according to ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg:

Sophomore Ty Chandler should be the starting running back, but London brings with him valuable reps in the Big Ten. He’s not going to be a guy who can break off 40- or 50-yard runs, but he played three years in East Lansing, finishing with 924 yards and eight touchdowns in three seasons.

He looked like he may be the Spartans’ primary back as a freshman when he had more than 500 yards, but he got injured, and LJ Scott took over; he’d never relinquish the job. In that span of time, Scott had 2,591 yards and 25 touchdowns, and with him returning for his senior year, London was going to be the backup again. So, he’ll go to Tennessee where he can carve a niche for himself.

He averaged four yards per carry in his career, and at 6’1″, 218 pounds, he’s a between-the-tackles player who can move the chains in short-yardage situation. That’s exactly what UT needs; the Vols don’t need an every-down back, but they need somebody who can get tough yards.

Getting London will allow the Vols to bring Banks along slowly and also to work in Chandler and Tim Jordan. With Carlin Fils-Aime moving to cornerback this spring to work on that side of the ball, depth was an important need for the Vols at the position, and London brings it.

“They (have) been letting me know the situation I can be a part of this fall,” London told GoVols247’s Ryan Callahan recently. “They feel like I can play a big role in the offense, and they were looking for a player that is used to playing in big games and that is used to playing in front of a big crowd.”

Grad transfer Keller Chryst commits to Tennessee

Former Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst announced on Twitter last night that he has committed to Tennessee, and he used an awesome picture to do it:

GoVols247 confirmed the news with Chryst himself.

Chryst will graduate from Stanford this June with eligibility remaining and plans to enroll at Tennessee soon thereafter. His decision comes on the heels of an official visit to Tennessee last weekend.

The third-best pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2014, Chryst redshirted as a freshman for the Cardinal and then played four games (0 starts) as a sophomore, 12 (6-0 as the starter) as a junior, and 7 (all starts) this past season before giving way to KJ Costello after a 5-2 start.

Chryst, whose father Geep is the tight ends coach for the Denver Broncos and whose uncle Paul is the head coach at Wisconsin, will compete for the starting quarterback position immediately against redshirt sophomore Jarrett Guarantano, sophomore Will McBride, and incoming freshman JT Shrout.

Tennessee earned Chryst’s commitment on the power of its new coaching staff, as Chryst, immediately after his official visit this weekend, specifically mentioned running backs coach Chris Weinke and offensive coordinator Tyson Helton as part of a group of “guys from all over that have a good background and football history.” That the Vols will be running a pro-style offense in the SEC was also factor.

Check out Chryst’s 2017 highlights. If you’re like me, you’ll find the play at 1:15 amusing.

See? He LINES UP UNDER CENTER AT THE GOAL LINE TO RUN THE BALL LIKE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO . . . oh, wait, he threw a touchdown instead. Okay, that works, too.

Per VolQuest Report: Trey Smith Out for Spring

Good football news has been hard to come by in Knoxville the past few weeks, and Saturday brought another blow as VolQuest.com’s Austin Price and Brent Hubbs reported all-star sophomore offensive lineman Trey Smith will miss spring drills to deal with a “medical issue.”

Fortunately for the Vols, it doesn’t appear to be something that will keep Smith out for the 2018 season, but this is not good news for a UT team that needs Smith to take a pivotal step forward.

The 6’6″, 320-pound former top-ranked recruit emerged easily as UT’s best player on the offensive line a season ago, having the ability to play a lot of different positions. It was not uncommon for him to maul everybody he went against.

Though Smith needed to become more consistent, he was well on his way to being an All-SEC and All-American performer. Now, at the very least, Smith will have to knock off the rust when fall drills come around.

If there is a silver lining to this news, it’s that Tennessee will have the opportunity to get its newcomers as many reps as possible. Though JUCO offensive tackle Jahmir Johnson won’t be enrolled early — something that would have helped him and the Vols considerably — freshmen Jerome Carvin and Ollie Lane are. They will need to improve dramatically along with incumbent players Marcus Tatum and Drew Richmond.

When Smith returns, hopefully he will be at full-tilt. If so, the extra time and attention for the youngsters may wind up being a good thing. But in an all-important offseason, make no mistake: This is bad news for Smith and Tennessee as they try to perform for a new coaching staff and improve as a unit.

Riley Locklear, K’Rojhn Calbert, Devante Brooks, Ryan Johnson and others must become viable candidates to be SEC-caliber linemen, something they’ve yet to prove. With their leader on the sideline now for an undetermined amount of time, that becomes even more crucial.