Why No. 18?
1. Recruiting. This February marked Jones fourth full recruiting class at Tennessee, and given how well hes recruited during this time despite this February's obvious and troubling decline in blue-chip signees it stands to reason that the Volunteers have compiled enough athleticism and depth to match wits with any team on the schedule. Having said that: Tennessee wasnt lacking for ability in each of the past two seasons and we know how that turned out. In general, however, this sort of overall talent level remains rare across the Football Bowl Subdivision.
2. Brady Hoke. Jones' offseason overhaul of his coaching staff will be one of the spring's defining storylines for Tennessee. One name stands out above the rest: Hoke, most recently of Oregon, where he struggled terribly in his one season as defensive coordinator, takes over a defensive line that lost its greatest star, end Derek Barnett, but retains enough ability to rank in the top half of the SEC. Could Hoke take this group and improve the Volunteers' overall production even without Barnett on the edge? It's been some time since Hoke focused all of his attention on coaching the line, but he's very much one of the best in football at coaxing the most out of this position group.
3. Last chance. Don't sleep on the motivation that comes from the chopping block. It's no secret that another underwhelming season in 2017 would spell the end for Jones and his coaching staff, with the writing on the wall potentially as early as the end of September, given the teams on UT's opening-month slate. Perhaps having their backs to the wall will provide the Volunteers with the impetus needed to avoid the series of self-inflicted that have come to define the Jones era and discover the sort of consistent approach needed to make waves in and out of the SEC. Hey, we can dream, right?