The countdown to kickoff continues, and along with that comes a warning to the Volnation. Prepare yourself for an earful of prognostications declaring Georgia and Florida the heirs to the SEC throne for the upcoming football season. Yes we have seen and heard it all before. It seems eerily similar to the hype surrounding both of those programs last year. Meanwhile, in Knoxville, UT is quietly toiling away….installing a new offense and propping the confidence of a defensive front seven which was a very shaky unit last year.

We learned today from a thread in the forum that the Athlon Sports 2008 SEC Football Annual showcases Eric Berry on the cover [click image for larger version]. This particular cover is the Tennessee-Vanderbilt version. The magazine will go on sale June 6, 2008 for a listed price of $5.99. You can pre-order them at AthlonSports.com.

Tennessee picked up their fourth football commitment for 2009 over the weekend from Milton High School (GA) running back Toney Williams.

It was announced yesterday the the basketball Vols will play in the 2008 Old Spice Classic on Thanksgiving weekend. Teams participating include Georgetown, Gonzaga, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Siena, Tennessee and Wichita State.

Two more former Vols were selected on the second day of the 2008 NFL Draft on Sunday raising the final tally to three. Tight end Brad Cottam was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round with the 76th overall selection and quarterback Erik Ainge was drafted by the New York Jets in the fifth round with the 162nd overall pick.

Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo, who decided to forego his senior season at Tennessee, was selected with the tenth overall pick in Saturday’s NFL draft by the New England Patriots. The position was a bit surprising since he had initially been given a second or third round grade by the NFL draft’s advisory committee.

Another round of spring ball has sprung and arduous wait for the fall has begun. Now Vol fans across the country are forced to brace themselves for high temperatures, summer gas prices, and the anticipation of what might be once the ball is kicked off in September. While there are a myriad of questions that will remain unanswered until then, the Volnation has one thing to look forward to. For the first time in two years there are some legitimate playmakers on both sides of the ball.

So far this spring the offense, and more specifically the quarterback play has been the story. Speculation about the new system continues to run rampant with the Tennessee faithful. In my attempt to understand the west coast offense, I have thoroughly researched its philosophy. As most of you know there are several variations of the west coast out there, but they all have one thing in common. They all use the passing game to set up the run.

“Non Factor”—i.e., does not matter, irrelevant.

These are the only words that were spoken yesterday morning during ESPN’s two hours of College Game Day regarding the Tennessee Volunteers 2008 football season.

Here are a few notes from Saturday’s scrimmage: