Gameday on Rocky Top

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

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

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

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

Let’s take a look at running backs.

RUNNING BACKS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So what about this year?

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

6. Marquez Callaway

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

5. Jarrett Guarantano/Keller Chryst

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

4. At least two RBs at all times

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

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

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

3. The non-Trey Smith OL starters

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

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

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

2. Jauan Jennings

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

1. Trey Smith

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

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

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

#2: Cornerback

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The bad news: Tennessee opens with West Virginia.

10 Questions for 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Let’s start with quarterbacks

QUARTERBACKS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

JT SHROUT, 6’3″, 210-pound freshman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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