Dobbs 4 Heisman
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So everyone is pegging 2017 as a rebuilding year. At best most people think we might be able to equal the 9-4 records we've had in 2015 and 2016.
Here are a few reasons why I think we could be significantly better in 2017 than most people think:
(1) There's still alot of talent on the roster. At least two top 5 recruiting classes (2014 and 2015) and two more in the top 15 (2016 and 2017) are going to be on campus. Our composite 4-year recruiting rank next season should be the highest its been in nearly a decade. Yes those classes have had alot of attrition but on paper we are still a top 10-12 team in the country based purely on talent.
(2) We return 15 of 22 starters and 33 of 44 from the 2-deep. We only lost 7 starters to the draft or graduation (Dobbs, Kamara, Malone, Weisman, Barnett, Vereen, and Sutton) and only another 4 players from the 2-deep (Croom, Lewis, Bynum, and Foreman). Yes most of the starters we lost were our very best players, however, we're still returning alot of talent. Especially in the trenches. 4 of 5 starters are back on the offensive line. And we added the #1 player in the 2017 class to that group. They have to improve at some point. We'll also return 4 of our top 5 DTs most who suffered season-ending injuries in 2016. In addition, because of the season-long injuries to departing stars like Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cam Sutton we've had the benefit of developing depth at those positions for next season (i.e. Baylen Buchanan, Colton Jumper, Cortez McDowell, etc.).
(3) We'll have over 20 seniors on Team 121. Its been a long time since Tennessee has had that many seniors on the roster. The last couple of years we've been called a young team because of the number of freshmen and sophomores we've had starting for us. You won't be able to say that in 2017. Most of our 2-deep will be made up of seniors and juniors with significant playing experience. That should benefit us in 2017.
(4) A more balanced schedule in 2017. In 2016 all of our big games (Florida, Georgia, Texas A&M, and Alabama) were concentrated in 4 consecutive weeks. By the Alabama game we were devastated with injuries. And we were unable to recover from then on. In 2017 we won't have any big opponents in back to back weeks. We don't play any of Georgia Tech, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, or LSU in consecutive weeks. This should help with the wear and tear of the season.
(5) Better strength and conditioning should lead to less injuries. This is actually more hope than an actual fact but hopefully Team 121 fares better in the injury department than Team 120.
If Team 121 can stay healthy I see no reason why they can't go 10-2 in the regular season and win the SEC East. On paper we are more talented than Florida. They are losing even more elite talent to the NFL than we are and they don't have the benefit of strong recruiting the last few years to fall back on. And Georgia will be a young team in 2017 depending on alot true freshmen and sophomores in their 2-deep. Expect them to disappoint given the lofty preseason expectations like we did in 2016.
Here are a few reasons why I think we could be significantly better in 2017 than most people think:
(1) There's still alot of talent on the roster. At least two top 5 recruiting classes (2014 and 2015) and two more in the top 15 (2016 and 2017) are going to be on campus. Our composite 4-year recruiting rank next season should be the highest its been in nearly a decade. Yes those classes have had alot of attrition but on paper we are still a top 10-12 team in the country based purely on talent.
(2) We return 15 of 22 starters and 33 of 44 from the 2-deep. We only lost 7 starters to the draft or graduation (Dobbs, Kamara, Malone, Weisman, Barnett, Vereen, and Sutton) and only another 4 players from the 2-deep (Croom, Lewis, Bynum, and Foreman). Yes most of the starters we lost were our very best players, however, we're still returning alot of talent. Especially in the trenches. 4 of 5 starters are back on the offensive line. And we added the #1 player in the 2017 class to that group. They have to improve at some point. We'll also return 4 of our top 5 DTs most who suffered season-ending injuries in 2016. In addition, because of the season-long injuries to departing stars like Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cam Sutton we've had the benefit of developing depth at those positions for next season (i.e. Baylen Buchanan, Colton Jumper, Cortez McDowell, etc.).
(3) We'll have over 20 seniors on Team 121. Its been a long time since Tennessee has had that many seniors on the roster. The last couple of years we've been called a young team because of the number of freshmen and sophomores we've had starting for us. You won't be able to say that in 2017. Most of our 2-deep will be made up of seniors and juniors with significant playing experience. That should benefit us in 2017.
(4) A more balanced schedule in 2017. In 2016 all of our big games (Florida, Georgia, Texas A&M, and Alabama) were concentrated in 4 consecutive weeks. By the Alabama game we were devastated with injuries. And we were unable to recover from then on. In 2017 we won't have any big opponents in back to back weeks. We don't play any of Georgia Tech, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, or LSU in consecutive weeks. This should help with the wear and tear of the season.
(5) Better strength and conditioning should lead to less injuries. This is actually more hope than an actual fact but hopefully Team 121 fares better in the injury department than Team 120.
If Team 121 can stay healthy I see no reason why they can't go 10-2 in the regular season and win the SEC East. On paper we are more talented than Florida. They are losing even more elite talent to the NFL than we are and they don't have the benefit of strong recruiting the last few years to fall back on. And Georgia will be a young team in 2017 depending on alot true freshmen and sophomores in their 2-deep. Expect them to disappoint given the lofty preseason expectations like we did in 2016.
