A community of reasonable fanatics.
. . . make it this, from ESPN:
Wherever you might’ve placed Emmit Gooden on your “least afford to lose” list, his presence there at all speaks to the problem of his out-for-the-season absence. Two things we’ve been saying all off-season:
Well, now the first part is even more true, and the second part is probably a lie.
Darnell Wright and Wanya Morris are Tennessee’s two highest-rated signees. You have to go further down the list to get to Savion Williams, Darel Middleton, and Elijah Simmons. If you’re looking for good news, that’s two JUCOs and an 18-year old that looks like this:
(Like me and my almost-two-year-old son, that dude’s head circumference is in the 100th percentile. “He’s so good he doesn’t need a neck!” – Idiot Optimist by next week, probably.)
So, potential remains on the defensive line for Tennessee. Now you just need it to show up immediately.
The only good thing about early fall camp injuries is the amount of time you have to get over them before facing live fire. More newcomers (hopefully including Aubrey Solomon) will get more reps, along with important returning pieces like Matthew Butler, and we’ll re-calibrate as best we’re able.
But it’s okay to say, 3+ weeks from kickoff, that this sucks. Especially because it keeps happening to one of those defensive guys on the least afford to lose list.
Butch Jones is long gone, so we can say this without it sounding like an unnecessary defense of him: this is the fourth time in five years the Vols have lost one of their best defensive players for the year before the calendar hits October:
You can argue whatever percentage you like between bad luck and the revolving door to the strength and conditioning department, but still…man. These posts are getting old.
“You know unfortunately last night Emmit Gooden suffered a knee injury and won’t be with us this year.”
Jeremy Pruitt, 8/7/19
Heck of an opener there from Jeremy Pruitt yesterday. I didn’t see the video, so I can’t say for sure what his demeanor was, but from a cold reading of the text, that’s some remarkable restraint addressing some remarkably bad news.
What is Pruitt thinking? I mean, with the exception of quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, Emmit Gooden was probably the guy the team could least afford to lose to injury this season. As Patrick Brown said this morning, Gooden was the most proven player on the team’s most unproven unit. I’m relatively certain that every conversation I had or heard about the Vols this offseason included an unequivocal statement that the defensive line was the team’s biggest question mark. And now, the one thing we do know is that we can’t count on one of the guys we were counting on. Sigh.
If you’re counting the lost productivity, here’s how it all adds up. Defensive linemen Kyle Phillips, Shy Tuttle, and Alexis Johnson all started all 12 games last season, and they have all graduated. Today, you can add to that ledger that of the team’s most-productive back-up in Gooden, who started a game, played in all 12 and had 33 tackles, 7 TFLs, and a sack last season. You can probably also add any productivity from Kurott Garland to the mix, as he is making doe eyes at other schools through the transfer portal.
But here’s the thing. Pruitt does not sound distraught at all, pointing out that he still has “10 guys there right now.” Here’s what he’s talking about:
| 48 | Ja'Quain Blakely | DL | R-Jr. | 6-2 | 284 |
| 50 | Savion Williams | DL | Jr. | 6-4 | 304 |
| 51 | Elijah Simmons | DL | Fr. | 6-2 | 340 |
| 53 | Dawson Stephens | DL | R-Jr. | 6-1 | 306 |
| 54 | Kingston Harris | DL | R-Fr. | 6-3 | 306 |
| 55 | Gatkek Kueth | DL | R-So. | 6-2 | 253 |
| 79 | Kurott Garland | DL | R-Fr. | 6-3 | 304 |
| 88 | LaTrell Bumphus | DL | Jr. | 6-3 | 273 |
| 90 | Greg Emerson | DL | R-Fr. | 6-3 | 309 |
| 93 | Emmit Gooden | DL | Sr. | 6-3 | 290 |
| 94 | Matthew Butler | DL | Jr. | 6-4 | 285 |
| 97 | Darel Middleton | DL | Jr. | 6-7 | 311 |
| 98 | Aubrey Solomon | DL | Jr. | 6-5 | 299 |
| 99 | John Mincey | DL | So. | 6-3 | 271 |
Apologies appear to be in order for Dawson Stephens and Gatkek Kueth, who apparently aren’t top-of-mind for Pruitt despite making the roster as DLs. But even without the walk-ons, that’s 12 guys. Take out Gooden and one other, and those are the 10 Pruitt’s counting on. Please, please, please let him be counting Garland as gone and Solomon as here.
At this point, I think it’s wise to trust Pruitt and to mirror his lack of panic concerning the loss of Gooden. Here’s why:
Losing Gooden is most certainly not good news. But all is not yet lost. We still have the prospect of Solomon, and we have brute bulk and strength at a position for which that’s 90% of the job.
So, I’m not panicking. I would not be surprised to find that these guys do just fine this fall. Go get ’em.
. . . make it this, from 247Sports:
Everything Jeremy Pruitt said after Wednesday’s practice
The big news in there is that (1) nose tackle Emmit Gooden has torn his ACL and will be out for the season, and (2) offensive lineman Nathan Niehaus has left the team.
Keon Johnson’s commitment gives Rick Barnes three of Tennessee’s eight highest-rated signees in the modern recruiting era (247’s commitment list goes back to 2003):
Johnson is the second-highest in-state player in that group behind Hubbs. If Josiah James isn’t a one-and-done this season, the 2020-21 Vols will be one of the most talented teams in terms of recruiting stars we’ve seen around these parts.
In terms of wattage in an individual class, the 2020 group could also be in the mix as an all-time great. We don’t think of them as being in the same class today, but it’s hard to top Tobias Harris and Jordan McRae in 2010. Harris was a one-and-done who went 19th in the 2011 NBA Draft; McRae appeared in only ten games that season and played more than four minutes only thrice (via Basketball Reference), but became the dominant scoring option in Cuonzo Martin’s tenure. He’s played in 86 NBA games including 27 last season with the Washington Wizards.
The one that felt most important in the moment was in 2006: while Bruce Pearl was leading one of the most impressive year one turnarounds in SEC history, he also signed Duke Crews, Ramar Smith, Wayne Chism (#13 all-time among Tennessee signees) and Marques Johnson (#21, transferred to NC State). Only Chism would finish his career at Tennessee, but the first three were a part of two Sweet 16’s and a number one ranking in 2007 and 2008.
That 2006 group, on the heels of earning a number two seed in the NCAA Tournament helped change our impression of what Tennessee basketball could be. We’re seeing more of the same from Barnes now: a number three and number two seed in the last two tournaments with teams featuring four players who fought their way to the NBA after coming in ranked 36th (Jordan Bone), 40th (Grant Williams), 53rd (Admiral Schofield), and 62nd (Kyle Alexander) among Tennessee signees all-time. Also in that group: Jordan Bowden (54th). Lamonte Turner stands out at 28th!
What Barnes and that group have done is transform Tennessee basketball, already earning a month atop the polls and missing the program’s first number one seed by a hair while earning a winning record against Kentucky. The steps left to take are few, and the Vols are paying their head coach to be in the company of schools who take them. And now the Vols are earning commitments from the kind of talent that gets you a top five class.
In basketball.
With the news that former 5-star OLB Brenton Cox has decided to transfer (or, if you believe Georgia homers, has been dismissed) from UGA the logical question is of course where will he end up. He’ll obvious be heavily coveted, assuming he doesn’t have serious skeletons in his closet, as he’s not only a former bluechip recruit but also comes with a full year of playing experience at the highest level of college football. Last year he played in 13 games for the Dawgs, making 20 tackles including two tackles for loss and one sack. He also started the Sugar Bowl and has 6 tackles in UGA’s loss to Texas.
Cox was ranked as the #23 overall player in the 2018 class by the 247 Sports Composite and at 6’4 245 with elite athleticism is exactly what Pruitt and the Vols are looking for in an OLB. While they are absolutely in the mix for elite edge prospects like BJ Ojulari, Reggie Grimes, and Savell Smalls in the 2020 class, to date they have not succeeded in bringing in a prospect of Cox’s caliber at the position and reasonably believe that it’s a major missing piece to get the Tennessee defense to another level. Again assuming the reasons for his leaving UGA aren’t of the violent/felonious nature, the Vols should be all-in on trying to land him.
The good news is that Tennessee has a major tie with Cox, as Pruitt was Alabama’s lead recruiter for him when he was their Defensive Coordinator. And while he eventually signed with UGA after decommitting from Ohio State, Pruitt got Cox to take an official visit to Alabama in early December right before getting the Tennessee head coaching job and the Tide were thought to be his leader until Pruitt indeed left. Given Pruitt’s reputation as a recruiter whose biggest strength is relationship building, one can assume that he and Cox had formed a pretty strong bond considering where Pruitt had gotten the Tide in that recruitment. It’s also fair to assume that while current Tennessee ILB Coach Kevin Sherrer wasn’t Cox’s lead recruiter while at UGA that he and Cox are also very familiar with one another. OSU could end being a player given Cox’s prior status as a Buckeye commitment, but with Urban Meyer having departed Columbus they might be less of a factor.
Either way, the expectation should be that every national power at least kicks the tires to gauge both the issues surrounding Cox’s departure and then his interest. From there it will either be a quick decision – as some of these things end up being – or knock down drag out fight for an immediate impact player. Tennessee should be a factor here un the latter scenario if it wants to be. Should they land Cox that would go a LONG way towards addressing one of the biggest needs in the 2020 class and he would be penciled in as an instant starter next season. Stay tuned…
We’ve taken a look at the potential for the 2019 Tennessee team were its former bluechip recruits on the offensive and defensive side of the ball to play up to their rankings. When you look at it from that angle, there is reason for some optimism if you put a any amount of faith in Coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff to coach them up. However, we’ve also stipulated that regardless of whether or not that elevation in play from former 5 and 4-stars happens, the team does not have enough quality depth across the board despite Pruitt’s relatively strong efforts in his stub 2018 class and first full class of 2019.
Yesterday we took a look at the true Juniors and RS Sophomores from the class of 2017 as well as the handful of seniors and RS Jrs on the offensive side of the ball who, if they step up and play the best ball of their respective careers, can have a meaningful impact on the 2019 season. Whether its providing quality depth and rest for the first-teamers or even better make big plays when the opportunity presents itself, shoring up the bottom portion of the roster (from a star ranking perspective) with play that exceeds what anyone is expecting from them would simply be huge for Tennessee.
Below we look at the defensive side of the ball from that perspective:
DL
Matthew Butler (Jr)/Latrell Bumphus (Jr)/Jaquain Blakely (RS Jr)
There is expected to be greater overall depth on the DL this season after Tennessee leaned (too) heavily on three since-departed seniors. However, there is a big difference between a player who can provide actual quality depth and “Just A Guy.” Butler is without a doubt the Vols are counting on to if not push for a starting role than be a first off the bench kind of player. Bumphus and Blakely, both of whom have played TE in their time in Knoxville, are big guys with athletic ability – if that can translate this season into meaningful skill and ability on the DL such that they can give the starters some real rest without a huge dropoff that would be big
OLB
Deandre Johnson (Jr)/Kivon Bennett (RS So)
Johnson has shown flashes and has actually played a lot of football. Bennett hasn’t played much on Saturdays but had a strong spring. These two, along with former 4-star JUCO Jordan Allen, are going to be given every opportunity to take the OLB spot opposite Darrell Taylor. Whoever does win that job will also probably get a lot of 1-on-1 chances as the hope is that Taylor is commanding double teams on every play. If either, or preferably both, of them can step up and grab the opportunity and be legit pass-rush threats while also effectively setting the edge in the run game that would take the defense to another level and give DC Derrick Ansely much more freedom and flexibility with his back 7
ILB
Shanon Reid (Jr)
Solon Page (RS So)
Reid was a breakout star in the spring, having completely reshaped his body (read: got a lot bigger) while not losing any of the speed that was his calling card in high school. At this point it seems like the Vols are counting on him to if not start at ILB – pending what a stud freshman like Henry To’oto’to can do – than at least give them a ton of high-quality snaps.
Page on the other hand still hasn’t found his niche on defense and is likely a special teamer. However, there’s a ton of value there too, and if he can make some big plays throughout the course of the season on coverage teams, etc, that would give the Vols a big boost
DB
Shawn Shamburger (Jr)/Theo Jackson (Jr) – sdafadsf
Cheyenne Labruzza (RS So)/Terrell Bailey (RS So) – asfads
Shamburger and Jackson have played a lot of football for Tennessee in their careers – unfortunately it’s been on two of the worst teams in the program’s history. However, they both do have talent, and Jackson in particular could be in line to start at S. That’s particularly the case depending on what happens with the Nickel position, where there’s a real chance that Nigel Warrior could slide down and take snaps there.
Labruzza and Bailey have not played at all on defense in their respective careers to date, and it remains to be seen if they will. That said, Labruzza has generated some buzz in the offseason and does have a pretty solid pedigree as a prospect and is also finally healthy. He’ll be in the mix at Nickel and will also play teams for sure. Anything the Vols can get from these two would be counted as a bonus and would boost the overall play of the team
It’s the first day of practice, a preseason NFL game was on last night, and Madden releases today. Welcome to August.
The power rankings for individual off-season days used to be topped by the release of that year’s NCAA Football game. By the time actual practice started you could throw for 3,500 yards and go undefeated with any Vol quarterback from Heath Shuler to Justin Worley. I think I only bought Madden in 2000 when the Playstation 2 came out, and in 2005 on the Xbox 360, when you had to wait a whole year for a next-gen release in the college game. But since 2013, we’ve been stuck with Madden; child-like imaginations might find their way to an orange-tinted team (maybe the Browns this year!), but it ain’t the same.
Without the video game atop the off-season rankings, maybe your favorite day is the first time you get your hands on Phil Steele’s magazine (or Gameday on Rocky Top’s!). SEC Media Days always let you know things are getting closer. The announcement of kickoff times for the first three weeks lets you make tangible plans.
We don’t get an inside look at the first day of Tennessee’s practice, though Fan Day is available on Sunday. We’ll wait for names to pop in sound bites and behind paywalls, and hope some of those names are on the defensive line.
But, at least for me, one of my favorite days this time of year is driving through the neighborhood and seeing your local high school team practicing. I haven’t lived in Knoxville for 14 years now, and still miss the way orange slowly increases in the community over the course of August. But that idea of a group of people coming together around a team is still alive and well on every high school field this time of year.
This is the month when reason gives way to hope. Reality sets in for everyone in September. But no matter how long it’s been – and it’s been a while for us – hope is undefeated in the month of August.
We’ll start finding out what kind of hope this August will bring today.
Go Vols.
We’ve taken a look at the potential for the 2019 Tennessee team were its former bluechip recruits on the offensive and defensive side of the ball to play up to their rankings. When you look at it from that angle, there is reason for some optimism if you put a any amount of faith in Coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff to coach them up. However, we’ve also stipulated that regardless of whether or not that elevation in play from former 5 and 4-stars happens, the team does not have enough quality depth across the board despite Pruitt’s relatively strong efforts in his stub 2018 class and first full class of 2019.
That said, despite the coaching change there has been relatively little attrition, which not only lends credibility to the belief that the players in the program have bought into what Pruitt is trying to build but also leaves a base of older players – even if they weren’t bluechip recruits – who could just be looking for the kind of development that was sorely lacking during Butch Jones’s tenure. Specifically, the much maligned class of 2017 – Jones’s final class – is now made up of true Juniors and RS Sophomores, and as can be seen below there are still quite a few of them – eighteen to be exact. A handful of seniors and RS Jrs also dot the list below.
Along with getting the most out of its most talented players, squeezing as much juice from the former 3-star proverbial Big Oranges, who have contributed to varying degrees during their time on campus, would go a loooong way towards helping the 2019 team get over the current hump and win 7, 8, even 9 games this season.
RB/HB
Tim Jordan (Jr) – battling for the #2 spot with Jeremy Banks and Eric Gray behind Ty Chandler, Jordan brings a specific set of strengths and limitations to the Vol RB corps. If he’s improved his vision and straight line speed while keeping and even building on his natural strength and tackle-breaking ability, that would go a long way towards solidifying the position
Princeton Fant (RS So)/Austin Pope (RS Jr) – two guys who’ve bounced around position-wise, each of Fant and Pope have the size and skill to be a Swiss Army Knife HB weapon for Coach Chaney. Fant in particular just looks like former Vol Chris Brown, and if he can approximate that level of production it would open up a ton for the Vol offense
WR
Josh Palmer (Jr)/Jordan Murphy (Jr)/Brandon Johnson (Sr) – likely the #3/4/5 WRs in the rotation pending Jajuan Jennings’s health, these guys are being counted on heavily. Palmer in particular oozes NFL potential with his size/speed combo and ability to high point the ball. If he takes another step this season he could absolutely jump to the WR1 spot
Jacquez Jones (RS So)/Maleik Gray (RS So) – two guys who haven’t done anything yet in their two years on the Hill, were one of them to jump up into the rotation and give Chaney and Jarrett Guarantano another option or two at the position that would be huge. More likely for these two is special teams duty where – especially given the small talent differentials between Tennessee and quite a few teams on the schedule – a big play or two could swing the season
OL
K’rohjn Calbert (RS So)
Marcus Tatum (RS Jr)
Nathan Niehaus (RS Jr)
Riley Locklear (Jr)
Calbert is far and away the most physically gifted of the four OL listed, yet has played the least amount of football. He will be in the mix for a starting RG spot when fall camp kicks off. And while the other three have all started and played quite a bit, the best case scenario for the Vols is that the younger and more talented players earn starting roles and these guys provide the kind of high quality experienced depth that Tennessee hasn’t had on the OL for most of the last decade
Given the volume of players at each position, it’s easy to see both the necessity for the Vols that some of these players step up as well as how big it would be. Even if none of them become starters but just provide quality depth and rest for the first-teamers or even better make big plays when the opportunity presents itself, shoring up the bottom portion of the roster (from a star ranking perspective) with play that exceeds what anyone is expecting from them would simply be huge for Tennessee.
While the 2019 OL class was built around 5-star OTs Wanya Morris and Darnell Wright, the Thursday commitment of James Robinson – to go with earlier commitments Javontez Spraggins and Cooper Mays – gives Tennessee an outstanding threesome of interior roadgraders around whom they are building this class to complement last year’s OT haul. While Mays appears to be pegged for Center, both Robinson and Spraggins look like they can play both Guard positions and Robinson even appears to have at least some potential to kick out to Right Tackle. At least at first, however, he’ll likely be paired on the inside with the aforementioned classmates. All three are well known for their nasty dispositions and bring the size to back up the attitudes.
Robinson likely caps off Tennessee’s interior OL class as long as they can hold onto Spraggins, whose recruiting is still in the midst of blowing up, especially since the class of 2019 also featured two interior OL in Jackson Lampley and Chris Akporoghene. Therefore OL Coach Will Friend and the rest of the staff will now turn their focus to much needed OTs. Tackles are always a hot commodity every cycle, but for the Vols their an even bigger need despite last year’s stud tandem because the roster is still thin there. Top options there include the following:
Chris Morris is currently in a heated battle the Vols and Texas A&M, with Tennessee probably trailing the Aggies at this point. He took his OV to Knoxville for their Cookout recruiting event in late June before the Dead Period began, then visited College Station unofficially after the Dead Period ended and has been there quite a few times. Tennessee will undoubtedly need to get him back to campus, ideally for a game and then again for another unofficial in December, since A&M still has their OV available
Marcus Dumervil spent 3 days in Knoxville in mid-June after having OV’d to both LSU and OU in the spring. He took an UV to instate UF when the Dead Period ended last weekend and the Gators have made a move there. He does have ties to Vols via Josh Palmer and Kivon Bennett from St Thomas Aquinas HS. This is going to be a bigtime battle but the Vols are definitely in play here and look like a likely OV destination for him in the fall
JUCOS Tariq Stewart and Antwan Reed have ties to Vol staffer Joe Osovet from his days as the former head coach at their Junior College. Stewart has an offer from Maryland after earning a UT offer when he and Reed camped in June. Reed was a Penn State commitment before academic concerns caused him to sign with Western Michigan before ultimately heading to JUCO
Tyson Wannamaker is a longtime South Carolina commitment with a tie to Chris Rumph via a longtime relationship with Tyson’s father. He visited the Vols for their Cookout event in late June before the Dead Period began and Tennessee continues to be in contact with him and the family. That one is likely an uphill battle for the Palmetto State native and longtime Cocks commitment, but the Vols will look to hang around and get him back to campus for an OV
