2018 Tennessee Volunteers Football Preview
Opening Statement: The Vols did what had to be done after the 2017 season and moved on from Butch Jones, which was smart. What was not smart is the way that their coaching search turned into the debacle from hell before landing on Alabama DC Jeremy Pruitt as their next head man. Greg Schiano had been hired, only to be released hours later after Tennessee fan stormed the gates in disapproval. Rather than sticking with the hire, John Currie made the horrific mistake of giving up on it, and ended up being bounced in a coup perpetrated by none other than former coach Phillip Fulmer. Now the blood is squarely on Fulmer,because if this hire does not work out, he holds the bag. Tennessee is a program squarely in flux, as lacking on-field talent, a bad public relations look, and a total lack of on-field success, has all brewed into this moment. It'w win or go home now for this program moving forward, and there is no time to waste.
Breakdown Offense: The 2017 offense, in a word, was putrid. Tennessee averaged just over 19 points per game, 173 yards passing per game, and a paltry 117 yards rushing per game. That was not getting it done.
Jarrett Guarantano is back at QB, but he will have major competition in fall camp when Stanford transfer Keller Chryst shows up on campus to take the job from him. Will McBride is still in the hunt for the job as well coming out of spring. In short, this race is wide open, but Guarantano winning it outright is not a bet I would want to place right now, even as he returns after starting last season. Quentin Dormandy, who also played last fall, has transferred to Houston.
Finding some answers in the run game will be a priority as well. John Kelly departed for the NFL draft, but averaged just over 70 yards per game last fall. Ty Chandler is expected to step up and into the job in the fall, but Carlin Fils-aime willbe pushing him as well. Fils-aime is the better bet when it comes to breaking plays, but still has to win the job. Trey Coleman and Tim Jordan could play into the race as well, and freshman Jeremy Banks has some people excited as well.
The QB has some good news coming into the season, as the top two receivers from last season are back in Brandon Johnson and Marquez Callaway. They combined for 61 receptions last season in a bad offense. Josh Palmer is looking like the third receiver. Jordan Murphy, Latrell Williams, and Tyler Boyd are all looking for work as well. Jauan Jennings has re-enrolled at the school after leaving, but not much else will be known about his status until the fall. Jacquez Jones and Alontae Taylor could be in the mix as well.
Dominick Wood-Anderson is coming in as the top ranked JUCO TE in the nation, and could start from day one. Eli Wolf is in the mix, as are Austin Pope and LaTrell Bumphus. Jacob Warren has not been seen much, but he is in the ring as well at another wide open race.
Trey Smith and Chance Hall are back at the OG spots, but Smith could move to LT. He is looked at as a potential first round draft pick. Drew Richmond and Marcus Tatum could start at the OT spots as well if Smith stays inside at OG. Joey Cave is competing at LG as well, and Ryan Johnson, Riley Locklear, and Matthew Butler are also in the mix inside. Devonte Brooks and Joe keeler made things interesting at OT during spring ball as well. There are virtually no answers at C as of now, which will have to be a priority in the fall.
Breakdown Defense: The defense allowed 29 points per game last season, and the run defense got destroyed to a total of 251 yards allowed per game. The Vols were tight against the pass, allowing just 161 yards passing per game.
Improvement begins with the return of DEs Kyle Phillips and Darrell Taylor, who combined for just 8.5 TFLs last fall. If improvement is to come, they have to lead the way up front. Jonathon Kongbo, DeAndre Johnson, and Quay Picou will add some depth at the DE spots. Picou could find his way inside to DT as well to join Shy Tuttles. Alexis Johnson, Kingston Harris, and Eric Crosby could all be looking for time inside as well.
Quart'e Sapp is slated in at WLB, Colton Jumper at MLB, and Daniel Bituli is heading into fall as the starter at SAM. Darrin Kirkland is pushing for time as well in 4 LB sets. Look for Will Ignont, Shanon Reid, Austin Smith, and Dillon Bates to work their way into the competition as well. Princeton Fant adds some depth as a sophomore.
The secondary was strong last fall, but loses CB Emmanuel Moseley at CB, and Rashaan Gaulden at S. Shawn Shamburger and Tyler Byrd should line up at CB heading into the fall, while Micah Abernathy and Todd Kelley look to get work in at S, with Nigel Warrior looking for time as well. Maleik Gray and Theo Jackson will be heading into camp as key reserves, but could look to push their way into bigger roles in camp. Marquill Osborn could push at CB for a starting job, while Baylen Buchannon could get work in at NB.
Breakdown Special Teams: Brent Cimaglia heads into the fall as the starter at PK with the departure of Aaron Medley. Cimaglia struggled when given time last season, hitting just 8/13 FG attempts. The Punter job is wide open heading into fall camp, with the departure of Trevor Daniel, who was one of the best punters in the nation last year, averaging over 47 yards per punt.
Marquez Callaway is back to return punts after averaging 8.38 yards per return last fall, and Ty Chandler will be the leading kick returner after averaging 24.47 yards per return last fall.
Final Analysis: There is a ton of work to be done with this team heading into fall camp. The QB situation is mixed up, the run game has little depth, and the line is a boiling pot right now with a lot of pieces,but no clear designations. Defensively, the front seven needs a ton of work to learn how to stop the run, and a scheme needs to be ironed out as per how to best place the pieces that they have, and help them succeed, which is something that the staff under Jones never properly learned how to do on either side of the ball. It will take time to sort all of this out, so expecting too much out of Pruitt and the new staff in year one would be an enormous mistake. If Tennessee manages to find 6 wins in 2018, be happy and take it.
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