May Could be Big Month for Vols for Both Near and Short Term

After a successful recruiting weekend for the Orange & White Game that brought in a slew of high level 2019 and 2020 prospects, Tennessee heads into the month of May with a 2019 class that is relatively small on quantity but impressively high on quality.  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 – 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.

Depending on the decisions of a handful of players, May could be a month where things significantly heat up on the recruiting trail for the Vols in which the pattern of beating out bigtime programs for elite-level players would continue.  Below is a quick look at prospects who will make May decisions and where the Vols stand:

2019

May 1: OL Wanya Morris – The saga is pretty well-known at this point, with Morris seemingly going back and forth between his finalists Tennessee and Auburn on a daily basis.  As of this writing the Vols have the momentum coming out of his official visit to Knoxville last weekend and subsequently cancelling his previously scheduled trip to the Plains.  He is scheduled to announce his decision on the first day of May along with a handful of his Grayson HS teammates, and right now things look good for the Vols.  This could certainly take some more twists and turns between now and then though, and regardless of his pronouncements (publicly and, apparently, privately) that once he commits he will completely shut it down, it’s hard to believe that the “loser” on May 1 will simply roll over.  The bottom line though is that Morris would be a foundational piece of this class and with Lampley already in the fold and the Vols very much in the thick of it with 5-star Darnell Wright among highly regarded OL like Bryce Benhart, Triston Miller, and others

May 12: TE Sean Brown: Another Tennessee-Auburn battle is brewing for the physical TE prospect from Georgia, and Tennessee would love to add him to Jackson Lowe to form a highly-ranked and potentially instant impact set of TEs.  Brown has been on campus three times in the last month or so including last weekend for the O&W Game and is set to announce in a few weeks.  He could end up visiting Auburn again before then but right now all the money is on the Vols for Brown

May ?: WR Ramel Keyton – Keyton made his sixth trip to campus and his third since Pruitt and Co. came to town this past weekend and immediately after announced that he ready to decide sometime in May. Yet again the Vols are head to head with Auburn, and yet again at this point Tennessee looks to be in good position.  He’s one of the best WRs in the class, and is the kind of big physical pass-catchers that Pruitt loves.  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 as well as fellow 2020 5-star 2020 TE Arik Gilbert (who recently named UT his leader) and 2020 DB Rashard Torrence (who visited for the 3rd time this spring last weekend).  Adding Keyton would further aid the Vols in their pursuit of these other studs

Grad Transfer CB Nick Harvey

A Grad Transfer, Harvey is a former four-star prospect and U.S. Army All-American.  He appeared in all but one game during his first three years at Texas A&M and then started 12 games in 2016, but sat out last season and tearing his ACL during the offseason. He’s already taken official visits to Arizona, Auburn, and South Carolina, and is deciding whether or not to take one more, to either Florida or Oklahoma State, before announcing his decision on May 11. Were the Vols to land him he would be an instant impact addition to the 2018 team, bringing talent and SEC experience to a CB room that sorely lacks both.  Adding him to the top group of CBs made up of Baylen Buchanan, Shawn Shamburger, Alontae Taylor and Marquill Osborne would increase the odds that Coach Terry Fair and Pruitt can cobble together a solid secondary.  It would also reduce the pressure on newcomers to the position (Carlin Fils-aime and Maleik Gray) and to the team (Treveon Flowers, Kenneth Gaines, and Brandon Davis

With coaches on the road and some prospects simply tiring of the process and deciding they are ready for it to be over, there could certainly be others who pop in May.  With a relatively small class – which could get smaller if Pruitt decides to take any further grad transfers in a bid to make his first season as successful as possible – it will be interesting to see how Tennessee’s staff manages the numbers.  So far it’s safe to say they’ve done a great job of taking only impact players and positioning themselves for a good number of others to fill out the remaining spots.

The 5 ‘Musts’ For Tennessee Football To Succeed in 2018

 

Most of us are realists who realize that six wins in 2018 is going to be a chore. That doesn’t mean we’re going to be satisfied with it or even give coach Jeremy Pruitt a pass if he coaches the Vols to it, because no matter how much the failures of the past decade-plus want to change us, we still expect the best.

It’s part of the diabolical frustration that comes with being a Vols fan.

We know that it’s going to be hard to get bowl-eligible, but asking for three conference wins [or just two and an upset of West Virginia] shouldn’t be too much. Pruitt is looking for quick-fixes with hopeful plug-and-play transfers like Keller Chryst, Madre London, Kenny George Jr., Jahmir Johnson, Dominick Wood-Anderson and Jordan Allen.

So, if those guys pan out, it’s because Pruitt thinks they can help the Vols get closer to where they want to be.

The question everybody wants to know in the post-Butch Jones, near-apocolyptic roster situation is this: What’s it going to take for Tennessee to be good again in 2018?

First, it depends on your definition of “good.” It would be stunning for the Vols to get to eight regular-season wins, but “good” for this year after ’17’s 4-8 debacle would be a 7-5 regular season. That won’t be “good” deeper into Pruitt’s tenure, but given what he has to work with, it’d be fine in 2018. Probably not good enough for him, and definitely not good enough for us to be pumped, but it would be fine.

Here are five things UT must have happen if it’s going to reach seven [or, heck, even six] wins in 2018.

1. Quarterback play must be much-improved

Jarrett Guarantano got much better this spring. He had a long way to go, but he took some steps forward. The redshirt sophomore from New Jersey is going to have to continue to get better and even thrive in Tyson Helton’s offense if he’s going to be the man in ’18.

Stanford transfer Keller Chryst is coming this summer, and he’ll elevate the play at the position just by being the type of quarterback tailor-made to run a pro-style offense. Is Chryst a star? No. He has accuracy issues and hasn’t proven he can lead a top-shelf team, but neither has Guarantano.

Last year, Tennessee simply didn’t have a player at the position who could take over a game. Now, the Vols must find somebody who can advance the ball downfield, take care of possessions and make all the throws. This has to be a more vertical team if it’s going to keep defenses honest and balance things. Also, with the expected offensive line issues, running the ball against good defenses, at times, will be tough. So, Tennessee has to get the ball in the hands of potential playmakers like Jauan Jennings, Marquez Callaway and Brandon Johnson.

That will fall on the shoulders of Guarantano or Chryst. One of them must take a massive step forward if the Vols’ offense is going to be stout. There’s no way around it. This team doesn’t have enough talent on the roster to win with mediocre quarterback play.

That’s a harrowing reality for this team that has yet to prove it has anybody dependable throwing the ball.

2. The rush defense has to see a dramatic turnaround

Tennessee’s rush defense in ’17 — and in Bob Shoop’s entire two-year tenure — was atrocious. It was one of the worst marriages of any team and coach in recent memory. The Vols were dead-last in the SEC a year ago, allowing 251.25 yards per game. They were 126th nationally, which means just four FBS teams were worse.

That’s pathetic.

Quite frankly, the Vols didn’t look much better in the Orange & White Game, either. Shy Tuttle played one of the worst games I’ve ever seen him play in the scrimmage game, and while I hate to call out kids, he’s an upperclassman and cannot be showing up like that. It was really bad. With possible starting inside linebackers Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Daniel Bituli out, that unit was bad, too. Quart’e Sapp was ineffective, and Will Ignont — who everybody hoped would take a major step forward this spring — looked like he was playing patty-cake out there. Maybe they’ll get a wake-up call when they review the film. It was bad.

How bad was the rush defense? The first-team defense allowed 140 rushing yards, even against an offensive line that was missing many of its top players.

I don’t know how you improve that rush defense that much, but you can’t do what Tennessee has been doing in the SEC in recent years and have success. Getting Kirkland and Bituli back will help. Getting Darrell Taylor acclimated to a new position will help. Having Tuttle play like he can will help. Kyle Phillips and Jonathan Kongbo need to be much better. Newcomers like JJ Peterson and Kurott Garland could help. Something has to, or it’s going to be another long, awful year.

3. A patchwork offensive line must overachieve

Tennessee got some players back this spring as guys like K’Rojhn Calbert, Chance Hall and Nathan Niehaus did some things in pads. That’s huge for an offensive line that desperately need them all and for them all to surge.

Hall’s knee issues have derailed a once-promising career that began with him having some dominant SEC games as a true freshman. Can he return to that form? If so, it’ll be a MASSIVE help to the exterior of the offensive line. Who knows what Niehaus will give the Vols, but though we don’t know too much about Calbert, he’s big and athletic. He played a lot this spring, and once the redshirt freshman matures, he could be a force. He actually looks like an SEC tackle.

True freshman mid-term enrollee Jerome Carvin definitely looked like he could help the team out right away this spring, and there are other important “musts” like Drew Richmond playing like he was expected to when he came in as a blue-chip prospect, Marcus Tatum being able to put on and add weight and play at a consistent level, and JUCO prospect Johnson to come in and thrive.

But the biggest thing the Vols need — without question — is for superstar sophomore Trey Smith to return.

He’s battling an undisclosed medical issue that kept him out all spring, and though Smith worked on the sideline, his future is very much up-in-the-air. Folks around the program and my sources are optimistic that he’ll be able to play again, but that isn’t a guarantee. If he does, he automatically becomes an anchor that is not only a potential All-SEC player but a possible All-American.

He’s that good, and he can help the Vols right away immensely. First, he’s got to get out there. If he doesn’t, it’s hard to envision this line being SEC-worthy.

4. The Vols simply can’t have injuries

There really aren’t any words to describe the bad luck Tennessee had in the injury department the past couple of years. On one hand, you had to believe players struggled to learn the difference between “hurt” and “injured” during that tenure. It may sound harsh, but it’s true. Some players were accused on being “soft” during that regime, and it manifested itself on the injury report.

But, even in that, I blame Butch.

After all, there were four strength and conditioning coaches in this program in five years. That’s pathetic. It’s a disservice to the kids and the assistant coaches who lost their careers because of coaching malpractice. Different strength coordinators — like coaches — have different philosophies. But when that happens and you’re changing them year after year, you’re screwing around with players’ bodies. That’s what’s been happening in Knoxville.

One year, the Vols may want to get bigger; the next faster. One year, the Vols may want to work agility-heavy, and the next, there would be an emphasis on power-lifting. There’s no consistency, no continuity, and bodies broke down.

That shouldn’t happen under Pruitt, who has been part of the program with the best strength & conditioning program in the nation. UT is paying Craig Fitzgerald a ton of money to make sure that doesn’t happen. This team needs to get healthy after a few offseason surgeries and some clean-up from the Jones tenure.

Once they get there, they need to stay there.

5. They’ve got to find a pair of quality cornerbacks

Let’s close back on the field. That’s where the Vols desperately need to find some cornerbacks who can stick with some of the top receivers in the SEC.

The league is a bit down at pass-catcher in ’18 which helps the Vols, but they’re still going to have to contend with players like Ryan Davis, Deebo Samuel, Bryan Edwards and the stable of Mizzou receivers.

This spring, junior Baylen Buchanan blossomed into a guy Pruitt believes he can trust. Is he a true No. 1 cornerback? Eh, I wouldn’t go that far. But he took some big steps forward, and he has the NFL pedigree and the potential to be a very solid player. Also, Marquill Osborne’s time to shine is now or never for the Vols.

But while Buchanan could emerge, there are vacancies. And it isn’t like he has a spot locked down. Pruitt is a defensive back guru, and he wants to find some guys back there on which he can depend.

Alontae Taylor is intriguing. Though he wants to play receiver, the top UT prospect and true freshman moved over to the defensive side to get a look and showed instant promise. That’s where Pruitt wanted him when he was with the Crimson Tide, and it’s where UGA wanted him, too. That’ two pretty good defenses that saw massive potential from Taylor at corner, and he showed why quickly. Will he stay there? Could he play on both sides of the ball some? Don’t rule anything out.

Two other names to watch are incoming JUCO transfer Kenneth George Jr., who was a late addition to the class and boasts 6’0″, 200-pound size. There’s also Treon Flowers, from the Atlanta area, who UT beat out Clemson for in one of a few late-signing period victories.

Both of those guys have the potential to step in and be forces in the race to be starting cornerbacks. The opportunity is now here.

Post-Spring, 2018 Heavily Dependent on “Ifs” at Two Key Positions, Part II

Coming out of the spring, the 2018 Tennessee football team looks like it certainly has some talent on the roster, but depth at most positions and overall attitude (expecting to win, being willing to compete on every snap, etc.) are the biggest issues.  So in late April when evaluating the team and its prospects for 2018, let me start by stipulating a few things:

  • I do not expect this team to compete for the SEC East Championship in 2018
  • I think a reasonable expectation for Year 1 under Coach Jeremy Pruitt is 6 wins and a bowl game, and given the schedule I think 7 and even 8 wins are not beyond the realm of possibility with some breaks
  • Due to the huge upgrade in coaching; the recruiting pedigree of many of the players on the team; and the simple fact that Pruitt has had a bigtime defense everywhere he’s been, Vol fans should have some confidence that the defense will be much improved over the past two seasons
  • At the same time, and for many of the same reasons, there should be reason for optimism at the skill positions of QB, RB, and WR/TE
  • Related to #2/#3, there are incoming players that should be able to contribute immediately at a variety of positions, including but not limited to graduate transfer RB Madre London (Michigan State); JUCO All-American TE Dominick Wood-Anderson; JUCO DL Emmitt Gooden; LB JJ Peterson; and CB Treveon Flowers

All that said, easily the two biggest areas of concerns heading into the summer are the Offensive Line and Cornerback.  And everyone knows the old adage that “the SEC is a line of scrimmage league,” while at the same time many of the offenses in this league – not to mention that of opening game opponent West Virginia – are well suited to exploit a weak secondary.  So, where does that leave Vol fans looking for some optimism about the upcoming season?  It’s a game of “Ifs” at these two crucial positions, and after looking at the OL over the weekend, below we’ll take a look at the Cornerback position

Secondary Will Depend on Coaching Upgrade, Talent Development

Much like the 2017 Offensive Line, last season’s secondary was simply bad.  And like the OL, Coach Pruitt has not just upgraded the coaching talent with new CB Coach Terry Fair, new Safeties Coach Charles Kelly, and himself, but also experimented with a number of position changes to the secondary.  He appears to think there is talent there – although there isn’t the number of former four and five-stars that are at other positions – and has also been adamant that he is going to coach the guys to play the press-man to man style he wants to play.

The good news is that from an overall secondary perspective there is some help that the Cornerbacks can get from the Safety position, and Nigel Warrior looks like he is in ready to combine the coaching upgrade he’s getting and two season’s worth of experience to become the kind of future NFL player everyone who watches him for 5 minutes knows he can be. Battling it out for the spot next to Nigel will be two experienced veterans in Todd Kelly Jr. and Micah Abernathy and Theo Jackson.  The key for the first two will be returning from injury and bringing his playmaking ability for TKJr and simply stepping up his overall play for Micah Abernathy. Jackson has meaningfully less experience than the two seniors but no doubt possesses better athletic ability, and as his opportunistic interception in the Orange & White game showed he’s got some playmaking ability of his own.

Here are 8 “Ifs” that the Vols will need to see come through for the Cornerback position to be strong enough for the Vols to reach their ceiling in 2018:

  • IF Baylon Buchanan can build on his strong spring that saw him stake a claim to a starting CB spot
  • IF the Vols can sign Texas A&M Grad transfer Nick Harvey, who would bring talent, production, and SEC experience to a CB room sorely lacking in all three
  • IF Alontae Taylor sticks at CB, spends the summer learning the actual craft, and applies his elite athleticism and “dog” mentality to the position
  • IF Shawn Shamburger, who Jeremy Pruitt recruited while at Alabama and showed out when he got an opportunity last season, can take a step
  • IF Marquill Osborne can use his strong spring game performance as a jumping off point to reach his 4-star pedigree
  • IF Carlin Fils-aime and Maleik Gray can continue to make the transition to CB and showcase their athleticism and physicality
  • IF the Vols can get any contributions from newcomers Kenneth George, Treveon Flowers and Brandon Davis – guys Pruitt has brought in himself
  • IF Louisianans Cheyenne Labruzza and Terrell Bailey, who both had nice recruiting pedigrees but had a quiet spring, can find their way

Like the OL, Tennessee doesn’t need 100% of the above things to happen.  That said, landing Nick Harvey would go a long way, as he would upgrade the CB room a ton. From there it needs talent development from specifically the most physically talented among the group, which includes Taylor, Shamburger, Buchanan, Osborne and Gray.  Those 5+Harvey could make a better than average CB corps with the right development and coaching.  Getting anything from its three newcomers would be a bonus. IF that were to happen I think there is enough talent throughout the rest of the roster that, along with what should be a very strong coaching staff, Tennessee can have a successful season in Pruitt’s first year and serve as a springboard to quickly getting back to competing for championships.

The Cold, Hard Truth About Tennessee Football

Our Tennessee Vols are not a good football team.

That doesn’t mean they won’t be or they can’t be. But they were awful in 2017, as we all know. And they didn’t look a whole lot better on Saturday.

They may say that you can’t tell a whole lot about a spring football game, and they’re right. But if you’ve been watching football as long as I have, you can tell when a team doesn’t have what it takes. This Vols team doesn’t. Yet.

Sure, quarterback Jarrett Guarantano looked much improved from a season ago, and there were times throughout the day when the first-team offense moved the ball well. That’s a good thing. It’s encouraging to see a player like senior Kyle Phillips look better after such a struggle-filled, injury-riddled career. He’s responded well to this new coaching staff, and it was evident Saturday. There’s good reason why Guarantano won the game’s MVP and Phillips was the spring’s top defensive performer.

But the Vols were very vanilla schematically with what it wanted to do. That makes the dreadful performance by the defense even more worrisome. Injuries was one main hindrance, and when some of the new guys get on campus this summer, they’ll help UT get a little better, too.

The SEC isn’t going anywhere, though, folks. First-year coach Jeremy Pruitt knows that. So, when he chided some of the players for quitting Saturday, it wasn’t without meaning or merit. As a matter of fact, the poor-mouthing was rampant in the postgame press conference, but what do you expect with what he was left with?

 

Ouch.

But what do you want him to say?

Do you want him to blow smoke and say we’re going to be good; to act like things are hunky-dorey? Do you want the Bob Shoop comments about a stud defense only to watch the tire fire that UT trotted out there the past couple of years? Do you want orange sunshine and unicorns trotting all over Rocky Top on a hillside strewn in lies?

I actually read several message-board posts today from fans who were perturbed with Pruitt calling out some of the fans for not filling Neyland Stadium on a beautiful spring afternoon. Still, a crowd of nearly 66,000 came to watch a bad team play in hopes that maybe what we had last year and what we thought we had this spring could magically improve before our eyes.

It hasn’t.

Say what you want about Pruitt chirping that some of the fans could have come and didn’t. After all, you can’t expect a proud group of fans fed up with failure to be fed McDonalds year after year and show up like they’re getting filet mignons. But even Pruitt’s comments for the fans weren’t all that bad. And they were weren’t false.

Pruitt wants the fans to come out and embrace something he can’t abide: A team that isn’t up to standards. I think the majority of us will once the season starts, but there’s really no reason to chide the fifth-largest attendance in school history for a practice game, especially when it was to watch a team you just spent the entire postgame press conference ripping.

They need to be ripped, though. And it’s a breath of fresh air that Pruitt is doing it. I don’t understand what some of you want. If you think he hasn’t “earned the right” to be so negative yet, to spend so much time talking about what Tennessee isn’t rather than trying to fix what it is, I think it’s obvious that’s what he’s ultimately trying to do. Is he a little surprised the roster is so bad? Sure, I think so. I mean, he watched the Vols get thrashed by his ‘Bama teams the past two years, but every coach has to believe they can come in and sprinkle some of their own secret sauce on the new team and have things improve.

The Vols may actually get better. Heck, I thought they were better on Saturday than they looked at any time during a historically horrible 2017 season. But they still aren’t anywhere near being where they need to be to be competitive in the SEC. Pruitt knows that, and he isn’t used to it. It’s going to take time for him to realize that it’s going to take a lot of time to get the Vols up to the standards he wants.

Pruitt has to recruit better than he’s currently recruiting. He needs to learn on the job the PR side of things — it took far too long for UT and the coaching staff to promote this spring game, and the mad dash to get the word out and try to “sell out” was too little, too late — but the football side of things will be fine. He isn’t going to tolerate quitting, and he isn’t going to tolerate failure when it comes to execution.

That’s why Saturday wasn’t acceptable to him. And while we all wanted a feel-good story to sweep us into the offseason, there simply isn’t one. There aren’t holes to fill as much as craters. There aren’t leadership gaps as much as gulfs. There isn’t a handful of players who’ve failed to live up to their recruiting rankings as much as the majority.

Thank Butch Jones for that. Seriously. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: This is the worst shape of any roster left by any coach since Bill Battle. It’s worse than what Phil Fulmer left Lane Kiffin after a few bad years of recruiting at the end. It’s much worse than what Kiffin left Derek Dooley, and I think it’s even worse than what Dooley left Jones.

There might be three players on this team that would start for Alabama. Three. Perhaps that’s generous. Trey Smith and Jauan Jennings (neither of which played Saturday) could, and maybe Nigel Warrior would. That’s it. That’s all.

So, pardon Pruitt’s frustration if he sees what we all should and fails to sugarcoat it. The time for looking through orange-colored glasses is over. This is a bad football team, and we all have to hope Pruitt’s time with Nick Saban will help him fix that. Our new coach has a lot to learn, and he certainly has a lot to prove. But he’s proved before that he can identify talent, recruit it, and develop it.

There isn’t a whole lot of development that has gone on in Knoxville the past few years, and that’s the painful, obvious takeaway from Saturday. Pruitt may be able to squeeze the most out of these guys yet, but how high is that ceiling? If Saturday was it (and I’m not saying I think it was), but IF it was, we’re in for another long season.

Post-Spring, 2018 Heavily Dependent on “Ifs” at Two Key Positions, Part I

Coming out of the spring, the 2018 Tennessee football team looks like it certainly has some talent on the roster, but depth at most positions and overall attitude (expecting to win, being willing to compete on every snap, etc.) are the biggest issues.  So in late April when evaluating the team and its prospects for 2018, let me start by stipulating a few things:

  • I do not expect this team to compete for the SEC East Championship in 2018
  • I think a reasonable expectation for Year 1 under Coach Jeremy Pruitt is 6 wins and a bowl game, and given the schedule I think 7 and even 8 wins are not beyond the realm of possibility with some breaks
  • Due to the huge upgrade in coaching; the recruiting pedigree of many of the players on the team; and the simple fact that Pruitt has had a bigtime defense everywhere he’s been, Vol fans should have some confidence that the defense will be much improved over the past two seasons
  • At the same time, and for many of the same reasons, there should be reason for optimism at the skill positions of QB, RB, and WR/TE
  • Related to #2/#3, there are incoming players that should be able to contribute immediately at a variety of positions, including but not limited to graduate transfer RB Madre London (Michigan State); JUCO All-American TE Dominick Wood-Anderson; JUCO DL Emmitt Gooden; LB JJ Peterson; and CB Treveon Flowers

All that said, easily the two biggest areas of concerns heading into the summer are the Offensive Line and Cornerback.  And everyone knows the old adage that “the SEC is a line of scrimmage league,” while at the same time many of the offenses in this league – not to mention that of opening game opponent West Virginia – are well suited to exploit a weak secondary.  So, where does that leave Vol fans looking for some optimism about the upcoming season?  It’s a game of “Ifs” at these two crucial positions, and below we’ll take a look at the OL

Offensive Line Will Depend on Health and Overall Improvement

Tennessee’s Offensive Line was nothing short of atrocious last season, suffering numerous injuries and attrition that led to virtually non-existent pass protection – and the resulting near death of QB Jarret Guarantano on multiple occasions – and a run game that was below average at best despite an NFL RB in John Kelly.  This spring has shown some faint glimmers of hope though, as Pruitt has doled out some of his very rare compliments to the OL, at least in terms of their relative improvement over the course of the five weeks of practice.  The OL as a whole, with some minor exceptions, has managed to avoid the kind of daily injuries that it suffered last spring and even into the fall, while at the same time some players who were thought to be lost for good to injury have made reappearances.  However, there are still more than a few things that will need to happen in order for Tennessee to field an average OL, which it will need to if it wants to improve on last season’s disastrous 4-8 record.  So looking to the fall, here are 10 “Ifs” that the Vols will need to see come through:

  • IF Trey Smith, Tennessee’s best OL and an anchor for the entire team, can come back healthy and pick up where he left off last season
  • IF K’rohjn Calbert can shake off the rust from his multiple injuries to bring his physical presence, matched only by Trey Smith on the entire OL, and make a play for a starting spot
  • IF Chance Hall can come back from missing the last two seasons and regain at least some of the form that made observers think he was a possible 3-years-and-done Tackle
  • IF Drew Richmond, on his 3rd OL coach in three seasons, can unlock his 5-star pedigree and become an above-average LT
  • IF Marcus Tatum can combine the weight gain that’s finally got him over 300 lbs with his better than average athleticism to become the kind of player the previous staff (and UF’s) thought he could be at RT
  • IF JUCO Jahmir Johnson can get to campus having put weight on his relatively light frame and show up ready to contribute immediately
  • IF Ryan Johnson, Riley Locklear and Devonte Brooks can leverage their experience gained last season and the reps they’ve gotten in the absence of Smith and Calbert to take a large step in their respective games
  • IF Jerome Carvin and Ollie Lane can leverage the massive amount of reps this spring as early enrollees to become contributors
  • IF either spring practice position changers Greg Emerson or Eric Crosby can stick on the OL and become contributors
  • IF Nathan Niehaus can stay healthy and push for rotational snaps, at least in out of conference games like ETSU, UTEP, and Charlotte to give starters a breather

Tennessee doesn’t need 100% of the above things to happen, although getting Trey Smith is as close to a must as there can be.  From there it needs some combination of health and talent development among its maximum 15 scholarship OL (the above plus true freshman Tanner Antonutti, who I expect to redshirt) to field an average unit that can allow it to compete in each of its twelve scheduled games.  IF the right combination happens I think there is enough talent throughout the rest of the roster that, along with what should be a very strong coaching staff, Tennessee can have a successful season in Pruitt’s first year and serve as a springboard to quickly getting back to competing for championships.

Rough Draft Depth Chart with Orange & White Game Rosters

If tomorrow’s game actually is a 1’s vs 1’s, 2’s vs 2’s situation, the release of the rosters today may tell us more about how Jeremy Pruitt’s first team will look than the actual Orange & White Game itself:

With the Orange team representing the first team offense and second team defense and vice-versa with the White, we can create a rough draft post-spring depth chart. The Vols chose to include injured players like Jauan Jennings in the mix, so we will too:

QB Jarrett Guarantano RSo Keller Chryst RSr
RB Ty Chandler So Tim Jordan So
WR Marquez Callaway Jr Josh Palmer So
WR Jauan Jennings RJr Latrell Williams RSo
WR Brandon Johnson Jr Tyler Byrd Jr
TE Eli Wolf RSo Austin Pope RSo
OT Trey Smith So Marcus Tatum So
OG Riley Locklear So Greg Emerson Fr
C Ryan Johnson RSo Nathan Niehaus RSo
OG Jerome Carvin Fr Ollie Lane Fr
OT Drew Richmond RJr Chance Hall RJr
DE Jonathan Kongbo RSr Matthew Butler So
DT Shy Tuttle Sr Alexis Johnson RSr
DE Kyle Phillips Sr Deandre Johnson So
LB Daniel Bituli Jr Quart’e Sapp RJr
LB Darrin Kirkland RJr Austin Smith RJr
LB Darrell Taylor RJr Will Ignont So
CB Marquill Osborne Jr Alontae Taylor Fr
CB Shawn Shamburger So Carlin Fils-Aime Jr
NB Baylen Buchanan Jr Cheyenne Labruzza RFr
S Nigel Warrior Jr Todd Kelly Jr RSr
S Micah Abernathy Sr Theo Jackson So

A couple of notes and observations:

  • With Carlin Fils-Aime apparently sticking in the secondary, I’m assuming Tim Jordan being listed on the orange team behind Ty Chandler effectively makes him the current second option in the backfield.
  • With Jennings out, it looks like Josh Palmer will join Marquez Callaway and Brandon Johnson as the starters at receiver, which is essentially how the Vols line up most often last fall at that position.
  • There’s a whole bunch of guesswork on the offensive line, but these assumptions include Trey Smith back at tackle, as well as Chance Hall (though I listed him second team behind Drew Richmond for now). But even if that’s the case, the Vols are going to need something from someone young at guard right away.
  • The defensive line is the former recruiting stars capital of the team, where it’s easy to talk yourself into, “This coaching staff will finally get them to live up to their potential!” They might! But Kongbo, Tuttle, and Phillips will all graduate this year, so any progress on the defensive line will only be of the one-year variety in the starting lineup.
  • Tennessee needs more help at corner.

What am I interpreting incorrectly? What do you see here?

What to Watch For: Tennessee’s 2018 Orange & White Game on Saturday

 

With temperatures expected to be beautiful under sunny skies and a lot of top-notch recruits heading to Knoxville to enjoy the festivities, the biggest focus needs to be on Shields-Watkins Field.

The top recruits aren’t going to head to Rocky Top without marked improvement on the field.

The Vols have released Saturday’s starters.

 

So, what are some things you need to see if you’re heading to the Orange & White Game on Saturday? Let’s take a look.

Jarrett Guarantano’s Improvement

Guarantano has been locked in a “battle” all spring with sophomore Will McBride, but his real competition arrives this fall when Stanford transfer Keller Chryst gets to town. With so little practice opened to the public or the media and so little coming from the mouths of coaches, we’re left searching for clues about Guarantano’s development.

This was once, after all, the nation’s top-ranked dual-threat quarterback, known for being able to run away from pressure and have the arm strength to throw receivers open downfield.

The receiving corps should be much improved this spring, even without Jauan Jennings healthy yet. Also, it’s going to be intriguing to see Guarantano in a passing offense that is determined to throw some downfield and actually use (gasp!) vertical passing patterns.

Has Guarantano’s internal clock improved, or will he still take too many sacks? Has he developed confidence enough in his arm to make the vital throws downfield? Will he get any help from his friends on the perimeter? What will he look like since he’s put on 15-20 pounds of muscle? Has it helped his already-strong arm talent? Will he be able to tuck-and-run under pressure?

There’s so much we need to see. I believe Tennessee’s ceiling is tied directly to Guarantano’s development in offensive coordinator Tyson Helton’s scheme. This is our first look at him operating it.

About those friends…

If Guarantano (or Chryst) is going to have success this season, Tennessee’s receiving corps needs to be much better than it ever was under the Butch Jones/Zach Azzanni/Kevin Beard days. Though Josh Malone had a nice junior season in 2016, the Vols rarely had any splash seasons out of its targets. (That’s hard to do when you’re constantly running toward the sideline.)

With Helton calling plays and renowned receivers coach David Johnson coaching up the pass-catchers, the Vols could show a dramatic improvement at the position. If Jennings keeps his head on straight, he will be an excellent No. 1 option in his junior year. That pushes Marquez Callaway and Brandon Johnson — a junior duo who have shown flashes — to a support role, where they could thrive. That isn’t a bad trio around which to start your offensive rebuild. Jennings won’t be on the field tomorrow, but it’ll be good to see if Callaway and Johnson can look the part of consistent SEC playmakers.

Beyond those guys, there’s more talent still. LaTrell Williams’ speed is an X-factor if he can stay healthy in the slot, and Tyler Byrd is back on that side of the ball after a failed experiment in the secondary. Jordan Murphy was once a 4-star recruit from Mississippi who came in and redshirted last year as an undersized prospect. He’s reportedly looked good at times this spring. Jacquez Jones drew some praise at the beginning of camp, and Joshua Palmer was a kid who got a lot of key reps as a true freshman a year ago.

There are playmakers in that bunch. The Vols just have to find them. And that’s taking into consideration the possibility that freshman Alontae Taylor will stay at cornerback, where he’s been a revelation so far. If he doesn’t, he’ll play some snaps on offense.

Taylor time

It’s hard to find potential stars on the roster Jones left coach Jeremy Pruitt, but the freshman who wound up staying home and choosing the Vols rather than go to Georgia or Alabama may be one. He wants to play offense, but Pruitt moved him to cornerback where UT needs a ton of help, and he may emerge as a starter on that side of the ball.

If he does, will the former Coffee County High School star embrace the role at cornerback? Or will he want to go back to catching passes, instead?

It’s possible he could get snaps on both sides of the ball in the spring game, and he looks like a budding star. You should watch him closely, because he’s going to help the ’18 Vols in some capacity. His final destination is yet to be determined, and he may wind up playing everywhere.

Alontae Taylor is that good.

Who can we rely on up front?

Simply put: The Vols need Trey Smith, K’rojhn Calbert and Chance Hall to be healthy come fall to have any chance of piecing together an offensive line capable of winning important games (or, heck, any games) in the SEC.

Smith is an All-American waiting to happen who isn’t playing this spring as he deals with an undisclosed medical issue. His career is in jeopardy, and though there’s some hope around him playing, it’s not a guarantee. That would be a crucial blow to UT and a young man who has such an incredible future in front of him. Calbert is a physical specimen who looks the part as a redshirt freshman but needs his knees to hold up to be a factor. He will be eventually, but will it be this year? And Hall’s knee issues have kept him off the field for two seasons after such a promising start to his career. That’s cautious optimism at best, but he’s in pads this spring. Will it stick?

So, with those guys out, why even bother with the line? Well, there are players we need to take giant leaps forward. Drew Richmond was once a 5-star National Signing Day flip who looked like a future anchor of the line. Entering his junior season, it’s important he turns it up a notch after an awful year in 2017. With Will Friend coaching him now, the long-time veteran coach should squeeze the most out of him.

Others I want to see are redshirt freshman center Riley Locklear and true freshman mid-term enrollee Jerome Carvin. Those are two kids who may wind up relied on this year, and they both have the ability to be excellent linemen. How far can they progress? Marcus Tatum has added weight on the outside, and Ryan Johnson will get an opportunity to show what he can do as well.

This offensive line isn’t in great shape at all, but if they can develop and UT can get the three injured players back along with JUCO transfer Jahmir Johnson, the Vols could piece together an OK front. That’s a big “if”, but we need to see who can be trusted tomorrow.

Ty-no-mite

For all the talk Pruitt has dished out about loving and wanting bigger backs, this spring has been about Ty Chandler proving he is still the top playmaker on that offense, regardless of size.

Chandler played at 5’11”, 195 pounds a season ago and had 253 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a reserve role to John Kelly as a true freshman. Though the Vols will have several bigger runners getting carries like Michigan State transfer Madre London and the sophomore duo of Trey Coleman and Tim Jordan, this is Chandler’s offense.

He is more than 200 pounds now and can carry the load between the tackles. He’s also got another gear when he can get to the second level. Just how good of a year he can have depends on the development of the offensive line, but Chandler has a ton of talent. He’s the former No. 5 running back in the 2016 class, so he can play.

He’ll get his opportunity this year, and it’ll be exciting to see if he can break some plays tomorrow.

Not Shy about this need

One of the most important positions on Pruitt’s defense is the cog in the middle. There have been reports this spring of it being difficult for UT runners to find lanes. Is that because the offensive line is awful, or because the defensive line is playing better than expected?

This is Shy Tuttle’s final year in Knoxville. At times, he was UT’s most effective defensive lineman, but injuries derailed a once-impressive career. Last year, he was just OK in a Bob Shoop unit that was dreadful against the run. He’s found a second wind this spring, and though he isn’t the bulkiest lineman, he’s going to be the cog in the center of that defensive line.

The Vols need for him to hold his own, clog up the middle and push running plays to the outside. You must have a quality defensive line to compete in the SEC, and the Vols never had that under Jones. If they’re going to surprise on that side of the ball in ’18, Tuttle needs to be the glue guy in the center of the offense.

He may just be the most important puzzle piece over there.

A glimmer of hope on the second level

All the question marks surrounding the Vols are worrisome, but there appears to be excitement at linebacker, where they have a wealth of potential playmakers. Even with Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Daniel Bituli — two big ‘backers tailor-made for the interior of a 3-4 scheme — out for much of this spring, they’ve found capable players at the position.

Quart’e Sapp has always been fast, and he’s noticeably added weight and is making a ton of plays this spring. He appears to be a factor on the interior along with sophomore Will Ignont, a Buckhorn High School product from New Market, Alabama, near the Tennessee state line, who looks to be ideal for that position as well. Between those four battlers, the Vols are going to be stout on the interior of the linebacking corps, and all will play. Can Sapp slide over and play on the outside? He’s big enough to.

The Vols have a very good problem at that spot, and I’m excited to watch Sapp and Ignont in the middle tomorrow. They’ve drawn a lot of praise. Bituli is back and playing tomorrow, which is exciting, because he’s a big-time playmaker who looks like a great fit for this defense.

On the outside, Austin Smith is leading the battle against JUCO transfer Jordan Allen and others right now, and former defensive end Darrell Taylor is the pass-rushing Jack linebacker who has a lock on a starting gig. Deandre Johnson has enjoyed a nice spring and is starting at the other outside spot over Smith and others. That’s a big development.

Coveted recruit J.J. Peterson isn’t even on campus yet, so he will challenge Smith and Johnson. There are a lot of excellent options on the second level for the Vols, at a position that looks to be one of strength. We’ll hopefully get a glimpse of that tomorrow.

Who’s with Warrior?

Finally, Nigel Warrior looks like the bell cow of this defense on the back level. But who’s going to roll with him in the secondary?

We’ve already talked about Taylor’s emergence as Pruitt looks to find capable corners. Marquill Osborne hasn’t taken full advantage of his opportunity this spring like many hoped, but others have. Osborne did, however, come on at the end of spring and is listed as a spring game starter. Shawn Shamburger looks like the probable Star right now — a vital position in Pruitt’s defense. The Vols should have had senior Rashaan Gaulden at that spot, but he left for the NFL when he should have stayed. So, that’s a spot up for grabs.

Baylen Buchanan has emerged, and the junior from Lawrenceville, Georgia, recognizes his time to shine. He’s the son of former NFL All-Pro cornerback Big Play Ray Buchanan, and though he struggled a year ago, he did see the field as a true freshman, so this isn’t out of the blue. He looks to be a starter at corner.

Theo Jackson and Cheyenne Labruzza are two other players who’ll be able to help, but where and in what capacity? Shamburger and Jackson look like the two most capable players this spring, but do they have big-play ability? Micah Abernathy has been great at times during his career at UT but is coming off an awful season in Jones’ final campaign. If he returns to form and the Vols get Todd Kelly Jr. back healthy this fall, they’ll have some potential players in the secondary.

But cornerback is a major concern, and so is depth and youth. The Vols need to find players back there quickly. Trevon Flowers, Kenny George Jr., and Brandon Davis arrive this summer to hopefully help.

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.