Tennessee football: A couple of Vols snubbed from preseason All-SEC honors

[Type Orange+]

All-SEC preseason teams are out, and only one Tennessee football player made one of the three teams. Here are three Vols left off the teams.

We get it; the Tennessee football program isn't what it use to be. And, yes we know the Vols are coming off their worst season in program history. But, that doesn't mean there isn't talent on this team.

The media only projected one Vol as a preseason All-SEC player. Of course, that player was offensive linemen Trey Smith, and deservingly so. Smith is a beast. But, there are some other players on the team that warrant at least a look on the third team.

The same media members projected the Tennessee basketball team to finish 13th in the SEC, which we know how that turned out. And, despite losing in the SEC Tournament Finals, the Vols had a strong case to call themselves the best team in the league.

I have posted as much as is allowable, but here are the names of the three players mentioned. The article goes on to make a case as to why these three Vols should have at least been 3rd team:

Marquez Callaway

Nigel Warrior

Daniel Bituli

Tennessee football: Vols snubbed from preseason All-SEC honors

 

[General Jack]

Nigel is a straight-up BA. If he's stays healthy he'll show up on the end of season awards teams.

 

[Volgrad98]

We've got some talent on this team. Agree with General Jack about Nigel and we we might have one or two more come season ending awards. Ty Chandler comes to mind, I think our OL might surprise some teams giving Ty some open lanes. IMO of course.

BTW OP, you didn't have to quote the names. You can just type them out without citing the article.

 

[Type Orange+]

Nigel is a straight-up BA. If he's stays healthy he'll show up on the end of season awards teams.

There you go. The end of season teams have more meaning, but it's bewildering that a kid who's on the watch list for the Bednarick Award wasn't selected for his conference's all pre-season team.

 

[lovavol]

0 and 8 will get you overlooked, need to prove it on the field

 

[YankeeVol]

We have more talent than 0-8 in the SEC

 

[Type Orange+]

0 and 8 will get you overlooked, need to prove it on the field

I surmise that last year's record has much to do with it.

 

[Remy]

Warrior fo' sho', Callaway breaks out if we get good QB play, Bituli is solid but his partner in DKJr will surprise folks this season. If both stay healthy we could end up with one of the best LB tandems in the league.

 

[OrangeMound]

0-8 in the SEC, no one deserves to make it. It's Team game.

 

[stevenrich2003]

Pre season means nothing.

Let the boys play ball and when the dust settles we will know who is on top. This is rocky TOP by the way.

 

[BowlBrother85]

0-8 in the SEC, no one deserves to make it. It's Team game.

I agree with that up to a point, but some really great players have emerged from teams who were terrible the year before. Eric Berry won the Thorpe Award in '09. Tennessee was just 5-7 the year before.

 

[LittleVol]

Warrior fo' sho', Callaway breaks out if we get good QB play, Bituli is solid but his partner in DKJr will surprise folks this season. If both stay healthy we could end up with one of the best LB tandems in the league.

Q Sapp is above DKjr right now.
He's a shredded 6'2 230 running a 4.5 and had 70 tkls himself last year.

Warrior, Bituli, Sapp...and perhaps Phillips will get this defense going!

 

[FLVOL_79]

UT should have a self imposed ban on preseason honors for anyone on that 4-8 team.

 

[RollerVol]

after last season, nowhere to go but up...Trey made it, but after the season you'll see a few more Vols added...:thumbsup:

GO VOLS!

 

[MyBloodRunnethOrange]

We have more talent than 0-8 in the SEC

Yes we do, and the cancer has been removed!

 

[BisonVol]

Warrior has first round NFL talent. If he stays healthy, he'll be first team all conference at the end of the season. DKJ is an all conference caliber player if he's 100% healthy, but it doesn't sound like he is. Bituli has NFL talent and will have a good season now that he will actually receive some coaching. Callaway might be a second team all conference guy at season's end if we get good QB play, but that's best case scenario. Chandler is an all conference guy if used correctly. The question there is will Helton adapt his offense around what Chandler does well, or will he try to force Chandler into situations that don't utilize his abilities.

 

[KBVol]

We have more talent than 0-8 in the SEC

Certainly more than 0-8. But probably not more than 3-5 or 4-4 imo.

 

[KBVol]

0 and 8 will get you overlooked, need to prove it on the field

Agreed. On an 0-8 team, you better be special if you’re gonna get recognized. Trey Smith is the only player on this team that’s shown himself to be “special” at this point

 

[46yrvol]

The toll that the injury epidemic has taken for two straight seasons has left us with an inability to evaluate our talent. It's like having guys held in limbo.

For example. The last time we saw D Kirkland playing healthy was in the first half of the
VT game of 2016. He is entering his 4th year and I don't know how good this guy is or what his ceiling is, nor does anyone else. the same is true for Chance Hall and Shy Tuttle(considering that it's his second season back from knee surgery). Also, to lesser extent, TKjr and Quarte Sapp.

 

[UTwick]

I surmise that last year's record has much to do with it.

We stunk it up last year and brought all the negative press on ourselves. Time to turn the corner. (Got to get to the corner first).

 

[BowlBrother85]

Agreed. On an 0-8 team, you better be special if you’re gonna get recognized. Trey Smith is the only player on this team that’s shown himself to be “special” at this point

100% agree. Warrior makes a lot of tackles but a safety on a run defense as bad as Tennessee's was last year had better be making a lot of tackles... everybody and their brother was breaking into the secondary.

 

[Gandalf]

"Don't let the man who puts his armor on boast like the one who takes it off."

 

[volstuckinwa]

It's crazy to me that none of us talk about Juann Jennings anymore. That guy is just a ball player! I think his impact will be huge this year.

 

[Type Orange+]

It's crazy to me that none of us talk about Juann Jennings anymore. That guy is just a ball player! I think his impact will be huge this year.

I hope the same. And the new TE, Dominick Anderson, is a big guy who can also line up at WR. Hopefully we'll see considerable improvement in our QB play and OL protection because the receivers are in place.

 

[illinoisvolfan1]

This is what happens when a team is coming off a really bad year.

Not surprising at all.