We can win next year

[sjt18]

Great coaches, coach great. Jones lost one more than the sum of his talent in each of his first two years. People were somehow surprised and disappointed when this pattern continued. He was not a good coach.

A "good" coach next fall beats Vandy, UK, Mizzou, 3 of the NC games then at least one of the 3 vs USCe, UF, and WVU. It would be an indication of something better than good if he wins all 3.


One of the things you can watch for is how physical the team plays and how many injuries they have. Injuries happen. They happen more to teams that are hesitant or poorly developed.

 

[KBVol]

As I see it, our failures on the field last year were due to poor play calling and an unbelievable attrition from injuries. We simply could not handle that unfortunate combination. We needed talent to overcome the poor coaching, and much of that talent was in a cast on the sidelines.

The best thing Butch Jones did while at Tennessee was recruit. from his second year onward, we had top 10 recruiting classes. There is real talent on this team.

I've seen several threads talking about how bad next year could be. They cite a brutal schedule and a new coaching staff as very reasonable causes for a potentially bad outcome next year. I submit that, even with losses to Bama, Georgia, Auburn next year, there is potential to have a 9 win regular season. The talent is there, the injuries should be healed, and lets hope to God that the coaching is improved. WVU, UK, SCAR, UF, Mizzou, Vandy and the cupcakes will all be winnable games.

It may not go that way. I hope that it does, and I don't believe I am being foolish in thinking that it is a realistic possibility.

A little off on Jones’ recruiting here. Rankings from year 2 on....

2014- 7th
2015- 4th
2016- 14th
2017- 17th

Only 2 top 10 classes, not 4

 

[Remy]

I was skeptical of Smart his first year at UGA. Obviously he was learning on the job BUT this second year for him has been terrific. If CJP can have that second year success like Smart that would be awesome. IMO first year expectations should be 6-6 and get to a bowl game for Pruitt. There is too much talent left on this team for a 4-8 repeat in 2018.

Smart next year will have his previous starter who lost his job due to injury a junior in Eason. He will have a returning true sophomore who as a freshman led UGA to a team of four in the playoffs for a NC. He also has the #1 QB per many rating services coming in as a freshman. He is doing something right. Hard to see how he will manage that but he managed a bunch of RBs there this year with big egos.

 

[Remy]

I am not sure if Pruitt is going to be the man or not, but we all know that next year we will have some growing pains. However, I am persistently seeing people say 5-7 would be likely and 6-6 would be a stellar season for us. There is plenty of talent on this roster. It is not perfect. The OLine needs some help and TE is weak. However, there is PLENTY of talent at all other positions and this does not even include the incoming class. I am not thinking this is a 10 win team by any means, but this roster is good enough to be 7-5 or 8-4 IMO. We are in the east and we only have to better than SC, VANDY, MIZZ, UK to be 8-4.

Next Years Roster (Sans Freshman) - 247 sports rankings
5 - 5 star players
24 - 4 star players
32 - 3 star players

Offense
QB - Dormady - 4 star
QB - Gaurantano - 4 star
QB - McBride, 3 star
WR - Callaway - 4 star
WR - Jennings - 4 star
WR - Byrd - 4 star
WR - B. Johnson - 3 star
WR - Williams - 3 star
WR - Murphy - 3 star
WR - Palmer - 3 star
WR - Fant - 3 star
WR - J Jones - 3 star
TE - Pope - 3 star
TE - Bumphus - 3 star
TE - Johnson - 3 star
TE - Wolf - 2 star
TE - J. Brown - 3 star
RB - J Kelly - 3 star
RB - Chandler - 4 star
RB - Fils-Aime - 4 star
RB - Jordan - 3 star
RB - Coleman - 3 star
OL - T. Smith - 5 star
OL - D. Richmond - 5 star
OL - R. Johnson - 4 star
OL - Hall - 4 star
OL - Boulware - 4 star
OL - Tatum - 3 star
OL - Calbert - 3 star
OL - Brooks - 3 star
OL - Niehaus - 3 star
OL - Locklear 3 star

Defense
LB - Bituli - 4 star
LB - Ignont - 4 star
LB - Kirkland - 4 star
LB - Bates - 4 star
LB - Sapp - 4 star
LB - A. Smith - 3 star
LB - Blakely - 3 star
LB - Page - 3 star
LB - Reid - 3 star
DL - Mckenzie - 5 star
DL - Kongbo - 5 star
DL - Phillips - 5 star
DL - Tuttle - 4 star
DL - A. Johnson - 4 star
DL - Crosby - 4 star
DL - D. Taylor - 4 star
DL - Picou - 3 star
DL - Butler - 3 star
DL - Bennett - 3 star
DL - D. Johnson - 3 star
DL - Thaxton - 3 star
DL - Bain - 2 star
DB - Warrior - 4 star
DB - Abernathy - 4 star
DB - Osborne - 4 star
DB - TK Jr. - 4 star
DB - Gaulden - 4 star
DB - M. Gray - 4 star
DB - Buchanan - 3 star
DB - Labruzza - 3 star
DB - T. Bailey - 3 star
DB - T. Jackson - 3 star
DB - Shamburger - 3 star

Good grief that offensive listing looks more like Boise State than what we need to see at UT. Not even one 5 star???

 

[SaintLouisVol]

I am not sure if Pruitt is going to be the man or not, but we all know that next year we will have some growing pains. However, I am persistently seeing people say 5-7 would be likely and 6-6 would be a stellar season for us. There is plenty of talent on this roster. It is not perfect. The OLine needs some help and TE is weak. However, there is PLENTY of talent at all other positions and this does not even include the incoming class. I am not thinking this is a 10 win team by any means, but this roster is good enough to be 7-5 or 8-4 IMO. We are in the east and we only have to better than SC, VANDY, MIZZ, UK to be 8-4.

Next Years Roster (Sans Freshman) - 247 sports rankings
5 - 5 star players
24 - 4 star players
32 - 3 star players

Offense
QB - Dormady - 4 star
QB - Gaurantano - 4 star
QB - McBride, 3 star
WR - Callaway - 4 star
WR - Jennings - 4 star
WR - Byrd - 4 star
WR - B. Johnson - 3 star
WR - Williams - 3 star
WR - Murphy - 3 star
WR - Palmer - 3 star
WR - Fant - 3 star
WR - J Jones - 3 star
TE - Pope - 3 star
TE - Bumphus - 3 star
TE - Johnson - 3 star
TE - Wolf - 2 star
TE - J. Brown - 3 star
RB - J Kelly - 3 star
RB - Chandler - 4 star
RB - Fils-Aime - 4 star
RB - Jordan - 3 star
RB - Coleman - 3 star
OL - T. Smith - 5 star
OL - D. Richmond - 5 star
OL - R. Johnson - 4 star
OL - Hall - 4 star
OL - Boulware - 4 star
OL - Tatum - 3 star
OL - Calbert - 3 star
OL - Brooks - 3 star
OL - Niehaus - 3 star
OL - Locklear 3 star

Defense
LB - Bituli - 4 star
LB - Ignont - 4 star
LB - Kirkland - 4 star
LB - Bates - 4 star
LB - Sapp - 4 star
LB - A. Smith - 3 star
LB - Blakely - 3 star
LB - Page - 3 star
LB - Reid - 3 star
DL - Mckenzie - 5 star
DL - Kongbo - 5 star
DL - Phillips - 5 star
DL - Tuttle - 4 star
DL - A. Johnson - 4 star
DL - Crosby - 4 star
DL - D. Taylor - 4 star
DL - Picou - 3 star
DL - Butler - 3 star
DL - Bennett - 3 star
DL - D. Johnson - 3 star
DL - Thaxton - 3 star
DL - Bain - 2 star
DB - Warrior - 4 star
DB - Abernathy - 4 star
DB - Osborne - 4 star
DB - TK Jr. - 4 star
DB - Gaulden - 4 star
DB - M. Gray - 4 star
DB - Buchanan - 3 star
DB - Labruzza - 3 star
DB - T. Bailey - 3 star
DB - T. Jackson - 3 star
DB - Shamburger - 3 star

Now, imagine that all these players are EE freshman. Are you still as excited?

 

[jasonvol18]

5-7

Don't think we even sniff a 5-7 season under JP. Doubt we see a losing season under him.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Seven wins would be a great season next year. We do not have all that much SEC talent.

This all day. Our lack of talent should be clear. Just look at all the JUCOs Pruitt is offering.

 

[Dtj64]

As I see it, our failures on the field last year were due to poor play calling and an unbelievable attrition from injuries. We simply could not handle that unfortunate combination. We needed talent to overcome the poor coaching, and much of that talent was in a cast on the sidelines.

The best thing Butch Jones did while at Tennessee was recruit. from his second year onward, we had top 10 recruiting classes. There is real talent on this team.

I've seen several threads talking about how bad next year could be. They cite a brutal schedule and a new coaching staff as very reasonable causes for a potentially bad outcome next year. I submit that, even with losses to Bama, Georgia, Auburn next year, there is potential to have a 9 win regular season. The talent is there, the injuries should be healed, and lets hope to God that the coaching is improved. WVU, UK, SCAR, UF, Mizzou, Vandy and the cupcakes will all be winnable games.

It may not go that way. I hope that it does, and I don't believe I am being foolish in thinking that it is a realistic possibility.

We have a lot of talent on this team. We were the undisputed no.1 ranked team in the nation in sustaining season ending injuries the last year or two. Was butcher's practices to physical, or was it just vol luck?

 

[photovol]

The talent is definately down at UT right now, but under Pruitt, I expect this years team to be much more competitive and much more fun to watch (especially on defense)
Go Vols

 

[photovol]

We have a lot of talent on this team. We were the undisputed no.1 ranked team in the nation in sustaining season ending injuries the last year or two. Was butcher's practices to physical, or was it just vol luck?

Some of the injuries last year under Jones, were emotional injuriesopcorn:

 

[CAVPUT]

That's like saying the cause of your ticket was crossing the yellow line rather than driving drunk. You really can't do much with playcalling in a bad system with 4 years of poor development. The injuries... relate to both the development and the system that causes players to be uncertain about what they're doing.

Yes and no. Jones failed in recruiting in many ways. Some positions are just weak.

If Pruitt is an elite coach and some things fall into place just right... nine wins are possible. If he gets 7 or 8 wins then we'll have to wait to see how it goes. If he wins 6... he's probably not the guy either. If he wins 5 or less then just plan on another painful termination and coaching search within the next 4 years OR a steady decline of the program.

There's the rub. Every new coach is the second coming to the fans who want to believe, but no one really knows what kind of head coach Pruitt will turn out to be. He's going to have some growing pains. Fans need to be real about the expectations. Pruitt has to put together a staff which will need time to gel as a group. He then has to begin patching holes in this roster and turning it over all while trying to put his systems in place and changing the culture. Oh...and do all this while winning in the SEC facing what might be the toughest schedule in the country next year. Yeah....he's got to work a miracle.

 

[btate]

Injuries won't be healed. On OL many are gone for good. Jack Jones for instance is done with football. Hall may not be back also. You cannot overcome a thin under developed O line. It will stop the rest of the offense from working. And a poor offense eventually will wear down even a good defense. So the OL will likely prevent this team from having a good season in 18. Our only hope is that the staff lands some of the Juco's and develops the current roster by next fall. That is a tall order.

I know two years we were 15 th rated class and many players never lived up to their rating. We do not have any big time players to play in the SEC.

 

[Dtj64]

Some of the injuries last year under Jones, were emotional injuriesopcorn:

I know I was emotionally injured because of him. Lol

 

[btate]

This team currently has no OL or DL on the roster. Without either, this team won't win in the SEC. Don't tell me about Tre Smith or McKenzie/Tuttle. Tre is excellent but only can play one position. McKenzie and Tuttle both came in with great fanfare and promise and have done nothing in their three years on the team. If those two weren't injured, they were getting pushed qll around on the field. And who knows qhat Kongbo will do, if anything.

We must bring in 4 or more OL and DL recruits and hope they pan out or we will be struggling for years.

We don’t have a QB either. Can’t win without a good QB

 

[87&91ALUM]

Georgia is starting a lot of seniors. That will make a difference when they are gone. Bama loses a few. Auburn a young team with few seniors. IMO Georgia will be a notch or two down next year. Chubb and Michel gone. Big time contributors on defense, at WR and TE gone.

 

[jasonvol18]

Smart next year will have his previous starter who lost his job due to injury a junior in Eason. He will have a returning true sophomore who as a freshman led UGA to a team of four in the playoffs for a NC. He also has the #1 QB per many rating services coming in as a freshman. He is doing something right. Hard to see how he will manage that but he managed a bunch of RBs there this year with big egos.

Will be shocked if Eason is at GA next year. I think it's a foregone conclusion that he's heading back out west somewhere.

 

[jasonvol18]

We don’t have a QB either. Can’t win without a good QB

I would wait on making the having no QB assumption until they actually get their first real college coaching from coach's who know what they are doing.None of them have gotten that since becoming college QB's. I've seen HS staffs better than the ones they have had since arriving here. Now we will know what type of talent we have and just how much we do and do not have.

 

[Dtj64]

We don’t have a QB either. Can’t win without a good QB

Give me the no.1 defense in the country and a below average, to average qb and I'll take my chances.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

We don’t have a QB either. Can’t win without a good QB

Alabama disagrees.

 

[UTK]

8-4. Losses to UGA, Auburn, Bama, and SC

We start out strong but UGA, Auburn and Bama are just too much. We lose to SC simply by being beat up. But after that we win out and finish strong. Pruitt’s first year and worst year will be equivalent to Butchs best two years. That will speak volumes. What difference having an actual football coach makes.

 

[UTK]

We don’t have a QB either. Can’t win without a good QB

We have two talented QBs. Maybe three. Just don’t see it with Dormady. Wait and see what proper coaching does for JG though. He will open some eyes. Kid has the tools and toughness to be a leader that the whole team respects. People seriously need to stop counting him out, crow will be served.

 

[USMC-TNVOL]

If he does just as good as a HC as he has as a DC, there should be only 3 games we can call a loss before the season starts: GA, Auburn, AL. SC and Florida should be the closest SEC games after that and the rest should be wins. 6-6 should be the floor, not the ceiling.

 

[btate]

Alabama disagrees.

Alabama has 17 5 star players , I believe they would be the exception. I would take that many 5 star player over good QB , rather have both. Don’t forget he has only loss two games in two years.

 

[HooahVol]

Here is the schedule with conservative expectations included:

Sept. 1 -- vs. West Virginia (Charlotte) - Tough start. WV was 8-4 last season. I have no idea how many starters they are returning but this could very well be a loss for a first game with a new coach.
Sept. 8 -- ETSU - Win
Sept. 15 -- UTEP - Win
Sept. 22 -- FLORIDA - Winnable
Sept. 29 -- at Georgia-Probably loss
Oct. 6 -- Open Date
Oct. 13 -- at Auburn-Probably loss
Oct. 20 -- ALABAMA- Loss
Oct. 27 -- at South Carolina -Winnable
Nov. 3 -- CHARLOTTE-Win
Nov. 10 -- KENTUCKY-Win (hopefully)
Nov. 17 -- MISSOURI-Winnable
Nov. 24 -- at Vanderbilt-Win

Take Auburn, Bama and UGA as losses there are 8 winnable games there. I still think .500 is the goal but I could see 8 wins. That West Virginia game would be a big moral booster if we can pull it out to start the season.

 

[81Orange]

This team currently has no OL or DL on the roster. Without either, this team won't win in the SEC. Don't tell me about Tre Smith or McKenzie/Tuttle. Tre is excellent but only can play one position. McKenzie and Tuttle both came in with great fanfare and promise and have done nothing in their three years on the team. If those two weren't injured, they were getting pushed qll around on the field. And who knows qhat Kongbo will do, if anything.
We must bring in 4 or more OL and DL recruits and hope they pan out or we will be struggling for years.

We simply don’t have enough depth. Tut was on a two year recovery plan. He will return to form next year. We asked our DTs to play too many snaps. They did well when rested.
Kongbo is not the athlete that was advertised. Big yes, strong, yes, not quick, fast, balanced, coordinated. Would have made a better DT.