Why UT wins 9 + in 2020

[cgrish]

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see us land Washington, but didn't we say the same things about DWA? He's also a mismatch, but for some reason, we just haven't made him a focal point of the offense. Wonder if it's our qb favoring the WRs or is it Chaney's offense? UGA always had great TE that absolutely gave teams fits. Really thought we'd see DWA be a lot more of a weapon than we did. I'll not be surprised when he's drafted and becomes the TE version of Alvin Kamara.

We didn't have a qb to get the ball to him consistantly.

 

[99Vol]

We didn't have a qb to get the ball to him consistantly.

I actually don't think he had great ball skills or catch radius. A bit overhyped IMO. If we didn't have anyone to get him the ball consistently then JJ and Calloway would not have the stats they do...

 

[BigOrangeAl 1979]

We should go 8-4 next year but 7-5 again wouldn’t surprise me

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

I think we win 7.

 

[Grudenhaslanded]

The offense will take a step back after losing Jennings and Callaway, especially if “Guaranteeno to do something stupid to lose the game” stays around. Jennings and Callaway hid some of our shortcomings in our QB play just as Dobbs’ legs did for the OL on Butchs squads. It’s going to be hard to replace Bituli and Taylor too. We are still a couple of years away from 9 plus wins and, barring complete melt downs in Alabama and Georgia, may never get there if recruiting doesn’t pick up. Even then, I don’t know how we catch up with Florida.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

Where I am with you, is that I think that between (A) Tennessee’s improvement and (B) I don’t think the bottom feeders of the East improve next year, I think Tennessee should have a safe eight.

Those safe eight are the OOC cupcakes, Mizzou, Kentucky, Vandy, Arkansas and South Carolina. The best of those teams may be Kentucky. If he loses any of these games, there will be a lot of growling

However, I don’t think Tennessee takes the next step of beating Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia or Alabama.

But, hey, it’s December 2019. A long way until September 2020

That will be the most popular pick at 8-4. Lots can go UTs way between now and then positively that will raise those expectations, a bad bowl loss to Indiana would calm expectations some. I think we destroy Indiana in the bowl, finish strong in recruiting and go no worse than 2-2 in next year's 4 big games but lots can change between now and then. Vols still haven't played a complete all phases 60 minute game but they've shown some really good trends. I think Fl/Ga/Tn rivalries is going to be the talk of the league next year and Ga is only one of the 3 that's gonna get a bunch of negativity in the offseason.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

[VIDEO=]

It’s going to come down to coaching and what Pruitt and crew are truly able to do year over year. I agree 8-9 is possible next year, but going into the 2019 season our schedule was really easy, and we didn’t even know how easy it was. We all thought Mizz, SC, and Miss State were probably going to finish with better records than they did.

We basically had 8 guaranteed wins this year, 3 guaranteed losses, and one toss up with KY.
We squandered 2 of the guaranteed wins and won the toss up.

Im optimistic, 5 in a row (6 of the last 7) is an unbelievable accomplishment. Pruitt just needs to stay on the trend he’s on. Indiana will serve as a terrific heat check.

I think we are going to smoke Indiana. We are bigger, faster, stronger and have more depth. Our best 6 is much better than their best 6, we are playing well, playing loose and free, playing with an edge, making big plays and at times dominating on the defensive side. They will not stand up to our physical play in the end. If it's good weather I believe it's a 42 to 24 type game, especially if we turn them over. If Vols turn it over it'll be closer to a 1 score game.
[/VIDEO]

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

someone explain how Florida's roster is better. It's Pruitt's third year. Gators at home. Why shouldn't we win?

I think we beat FL in Knoxville next year. It'll be the 1st time in a long time that our DBs will be physical enough to contain and possibly shut down their WR core. The Mullen/Pruitt rivalry will be a fun one to keep an eye on I think.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

We don’t have the QB play and WR depth and playmaking ability next year to do any better than 8-4 next year

Palmer is as good as anybody in the league at the position next year, Keyton, Gibbs, Chandler and Gray give 5 pretty good playmakers and on a defensive minded conservative offense type team I think that can be enough. I would not be surprised to see either Alonte or Thompson play some offense if we were to lack enough playmakers on that side. I'd personally like to see Alontae moved to Warriors spot as his athleticism and physical nature could play well there I believe. If we are going to beat the better teams then guys like Henry T, Crouch, Alontae and Thompson are going to have to score a few TDs outside of the normal production we get on offense. I see a bunch of potential players on both sides that can make the big plays needed to beat any of the big 4 on our schedule.

 

[CrybabyVol]

Palmer is as good as anybody in the league at the position next year, Keyton, Gibbs, Chandler and Gray give 5 pretty good playmakers and on a defensive minded conservative offense type team I think that can be enough. I would not be surprised to see either Alonte or Thompson play some offense if we were to lack enough playmakers on that side. I'd personally like to see Alontae moved to Warriors spot as his athleticism and physical nature could play well there I believe. If we are going to beat the better teams then guys like Henry T, Crouch, Alontae and Thompson are going to have to score a few TDs outside of the normal production we get on offense. I see a bunch of potential players on both sides that can make the big plays needed to beat any of the big 4 on our schedule.

Every team we play next year is going to have warts. There is no reason (maybe with the exception of Georgia if Fromm comes back) that we shouldn't be able to win every game we play. My point in my posts is I don't want the fan base to have a defeatist attitude regarding our prospects next season, because that is giving this regime a built in excuse. They shouldn't have such an excuse in year three. The other issue that I'm seeing is that if recruiting doesn't pick up this year then we are going to have a bit of a hole compared to our rivals in two or three years.

 

[CrybabyVol]

The offense will take a step back after losing Jennings and Callaway, especially if “Guaranteeno to do something stupid to lose the game” stays around. Jennings and Callaway hid some of our shortcomings in our QB play just as Dobbs’ legs did for the OL on Butchs squads. It’s going to be hard to replace Bituli and Taylor too. We are still a couple of years away from 9 plus wins and, barring complete melt downs in Alabama and Georgia, may never get there if recruiting doesn’t pick up. Even then, I don’t know how we catch up with Florida.

This is sad thing. UF is really not that far ahead of us in talent. On paper they had a good recruiting class on signing day last year, but it fell apart in the offseason. They just lost the QB Franks to the transfer portal, and there are rumors that their backup QB may follow suit. Florida could very well be a house of cards next year. Trask is injury prone. If the backup leaves and Trask suffers an injury, then their season could fall apart. I just hope Trask doesn't get injured before us. I'm tired of making bad UF back ups look like locks for the Heisman.

 

[CrybabyVol]

I think we win 7.

If you're right, Pruitt needs to go.

 

[Peyton_ManThing]

When looking back at this year to make sense of it, the insights come from a dark moment... We had just lost to BYU and a dejected mind was looking for hope. For me I told myself 3 things:

1. This is an elite coaching staff that "knows what good looks like"
2. This coaching staff said that they like this teams makeup and talent. Many times Pruitt said as much about the Dline... Ending his statements with something to the effect of, "they just haven't played and need experience."
3. Against GSU Darrell Taylor, Alonte Taylor, and Nigel Warrior we're the only players on D that started who had meaningful snaps. So it really was inexperienced. And against BYU, UT outplayed them by 2 tds so there was hope.

Then came Florida and I lost all hope.... BUT

If you look at the last 8 games you saw a team that was playing above it's talent level on Defense, and probably at it's talent level on offense (our offense was ranked about 55th over second half of season and played against 4 top 30 defenses).

So at the end of the season, here are my thoughts on next year...

1. With this staff, UT will be better at every position except receiver where there won't be as big of a drop-off as people think and we will pass for more yards next year and maybe OLB. And yes, I think we will be better a MLB and DB. If BK comes back then the Oline will be most improved group on team even with TS leaving. Just look at what the staff did with Emerson, Bennett, Nigel, Bumphus and others that would have been 4 year losers under Butch. This same thing will happen next year with players like Crouch, Fields, Keyton, Simmons, insert player name here.

2. 2nd year in Chaney's system. Look at UGA year 1 vs 2 in Chaney's system. Huge difference that will result in a running game breakout for Ty Chandler (yes I said Ty, not Eric Gray). Ty has the misfortune of spending his first 2 years behind miserable O lines and that has been 2 years of holes not existing and not building on the skillset of finding and hitttting the hole. Just wait and see the vision come back in year 2 with Chaney.

3. Talent. I know UT is only recruiting in the top 15 for now, but between Pruitt's evaluation ability and this staffs ability to develop players probably puts UT in the top 10 in talent.

So next year I think UT wins the games it should win especially with KY Mizz, Vandy, Ark, and SC all being pretty down next year.

Then it will pick off 1 or 2 against OU, UF, UGA, and Bama.

Good points. As interesting as it will be to see some of these young guys have an entire off season to develop and get ready for considerably more playing time next yr, I'm just as curious to see another off season of Chaney's system in place. I forgot which cf analyst it was but you can go back to just about anywhere Chaney has been and you can see a noticeable improvement on the field from year 1 to year 2. Hopefully thats the case for us even with having to replace JJ & Quez.

 

[Proud Army Wife]

The big thing Tennessee has to improve to take the next step is still the defensive front 7.

i think the offense will be fine if they get good QB play

Yeah, Pruitt is recruiting to build depth there. QB play is crucial. Interested to see who wins the starting job next season.

 

[Proud Army Wife]

The big thing Tennessee has to improve to take the next step is still the defensive front 7.

i think the offense will be fine if they get good QB play

I haven't followed the gators class except I know you've compiled a lot of db's. Have you taken another QB this class and do you think Jones sticks around if he doesn't get considerable playing time next season?

 

[Proud Army Wife]

I actually don't think he had great ball skills or catch radius. A bit overhyped IMO. If we didn't have anyone to get him the ball consistently then JJ and Calloway would not have the stats they do...

Yeah, I haven't looked up his stats, but from what I can remember I think he only caught 50% of the passes that came his way. He wasn't particularly elusive or good at beating his man after he caught the ball.

 

[sjt18]

Where I am with you, is that I think that between (A) Tennessee’s improvement and (B) I don’t think the bottom feeders of the East improve next year, I think Tennessee should have a safe eight.

Those safe eight are the OOC cupcakes, Mizzou, Kentucky, Vandy, Arkansas and South Carolina. The best of those teams may be Kentucky. If he loses any of these games, there will be a lot of growling

However, I don’t think Tennessee takes the next step of beating Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia or Alabama.

But, hey, it’s December 2019. A long way until September 2020

Oh wow... what a surprise! 99gator showed up to inform UT fans that their expectations are too high. This wasn't predictable at all....

 

[loosecannon]

I want to see it. I just don't. I expect us to go 8-4, but it won't be a clean 8 wins. J expect us to beat someone we aren't favored to, Georgia if Fromm leaves, and lose one we shouldn't. 9 wins is very doable, but I think we matchup poorly against Florida and Oklahoma. I think Alabama and Georgia have chances. I think that if we can score we can beat Bama, though not necessarily saying we will.

 

[BigOrangeAl 1979]

The offense will take a step back after losing Jennings and Callaway, especially if “Guaranteeno to do something stupid to lose the game” stays around. Jennings and Callaway hid some of our shortcomings in our QB play just as Dobbs’ legs did for the OL on Butchs squads. It’s going to be hard to replace Bituli and Taylor too. We are still a couple of years away from 9 plus wins and, barring complete melt downs in Alabama and Georgia, may never get there if recruiting doesn’t pick up. Even then, I don’t know how we catch up with Florida.

We won’t because we aren’t recruiting at a high enough level to Georgia and Bama and Florida. They are way ahead of us and that gap isn’t closing I hope fans are happy with 7-5 and 8-4 and at the very best 9-3 and never winning the East cause that’s what it will be under Pruitt and this coaching staff. You have to recruit top 5 in the country if you wanna win or challenge for the SEC every year we used to do that in the 90’s with Phil.

 

[BigOrangeAl 1979]

This is sad thing. UF is really not that far ahead of us in talent. On paper they had a good recruiting class on signing day last year, but it fell apart in the offseason. They just lost the QB Franks to the transfer portal, and there are rumors that their backup QB may follow suit. Florida could very well be a house of cards next year. Trask is injury prone. If the backup leaves and Trask suffers an injury, then their season could fall apart. I just hope Trask doesn't get injured before us. I'm tired of making bad UF back ups look like locks for the Heisman.

Florida is ahead of us the last two seasons in wins, coaching and player development and recruiting. They had a better recruiting class than we did last year and a much better one this season not too mention they have easily beat us the last two years haven’t even been competitive and I don’t think that will change in 2020. I’m not sure Mullen will win a Natty or not at Florida but I know this he is going to own Pruitt on the field.

 

[sjt18]

If we land Darnell Washington, we'll be kicking ass and taking names. Dude is an athletic freak and mismatch nightmare. Our defense is becoming lethal and our decent o-line next year will be more experienced. If Bailey wins the starting job, look out. This team will be formidable.
Now, if we don't get Washington and Bailey doesn't start, then yeah we'll still be a decent team probably looking at 8 wins.

Love your posts. You're a great fan and very knowledgeable.

That said... I always count anything you get from a freshman as a bonus.

Things that give me comfort.

If JG finishes strong then UT heads into 20 with one of the best QB rooms in the country after being anything but that headed into 19 in spite of what the talking heads might have said.

DL is solid.... and gets better with it's best player by a fairly wide margin returning from injury.

Secondary should get better though what Nigel Warrior has done this year has been really impressive.

OL should be better, stronger, and deeper.

WR and TE should be very good. I don't think you can take Callaway, DWA, and JJ off the roster and say you're getting better. UT has talent but it could take some time to see production. It will probably have to be a "by committee" thing.

ST's should continue to be good. Punter needs to be improved.


Things that don't make me feel comfortable.

I know they've said they like their talent at LB but Bituli and Taylor have shaped games this year.

I am stepping out of line a little to say that I think UT's RB's are an issue. IMHO, a physical runner like Hurd would have had well over 1000 yards behind this OL. They "try" to be physical but it isn't natural to them. Their production shows it. UT really needs a guy with good speed who can run through tackles.


Of course all of this really does hinge on JG's late season improvement being real and not just an aberration. We've seen him have good games before only to sink back into that cautious, unproductive mentality. For that and the other reasons mentioned above... I think a strong performance in the Gator Bowl is HUGE to the Vols headed into the off-season and spring.

 

[Proud Army Wife]

Love your posts. You're a great fan and very knowledgeable.

That said... I always count anything you get from a freshman as a bonus.

Things that give me comfort.

If JG finishes strong then UT heads into 20 with one of the best QB rooms in the country after being anything but that headed into 19 in spite of what the talking heads might have said.

DL is solid.... and gets better with it's best player by a fairly wide margin returning from injury.

Secondary should get better though what Nigel Warrior has done this year has been really impressive.

OL should be better, stronger, and deeper.

WR and TE should be very good. I don't think you can take Callaway, DWA, and JJ off the roster and say you're getting better. UT has talent but it could take some time to see production. It will probably have to be a "by committee" thing.

ST's should continue to be good. Punter needs to be improved.


Things that don't make me feel comfortable.

I know they've said they like their talent at LB but Bituli and Taylor have shaped games this year.

I am stepping out of line a little to say that I think UT's RB's are an issue. IMHO, a physical runner like Hurd would have had well over 1000 yards behind this OL. They "try" to be physical but it isn't natural to them. Their production shows it. UT really needs a guy with good speed who can run through tackles.


Of course all of this really does hinge on JG's late season improvement being real and not just an aberration. We've seen him have good games before only to sink back into that cautious, unproductive mentality. For that and the other reasons mentioned above... I think a strong performance in the Gator Bowl is HUGE to the Vols headed into the off-season and spring.

Thank you. I agree with you. I think we take a step back in play-makers on offense, but I could be wrong. Like you said, we just need consistent QB play. If JG wins the start, he'll need to improve upon leading the wr's open. He's good at placing 50/50 balls, but that's not something he can rely on as much next yr with this young wr group. Palmer yes, but we really don't know yet what the rest can do.

I can only imagine what our offense would look like if we swapped JG, and our rb's for Dobbs, Hurd, and Kamara behind this o-line. Dobbs wasn't a great passer, but I guarantee if he had competent coaching from the likes of Chaney, Weinke, and Tee, he would be something super special. It's just a crying shame how Butch squandered their talent with his incompetence. A lot of people hate Hurd and think he's a trader, but I honestly don't blame him one bit for his decision. Butch was a liar and a snake risking injury to Hurd for his own benefit. The kid didnt want to be a power back (albeit great at it) because he had NFL aspirations and wanted a longer career. Butch wouldn't listen.

I do think our o-line is decent, but depth still needs to be built there, and there's still a lot of mistakes. I understand though, they are freshman and I think they'll get it together. They were good at pass protect, but struggled to block when rushing. Morris whiffed on his assignment quite a few times. They're going to need to clean it up there for our run game to improve. I don't really blame the rb's there. Gray will be special I think.

I think we'll be ok on defense. We may take a small step back losing Bituli, Taylor and Warrior, but we also return a lot of talent. Pruitt is also recruiting to build depth there, and if there's one thing that man knows, it's what kind of players needed for an elite defense.

All in all, I'm excited for this bowl game. It's been a long time coming. I hope we win big, and finish this recruiting class strong. Look forward to see who wins the QB starting position next season and to continue to see this team grow.

 

[sjt18]

We won’t because we aren’t recruiting at a high enough level to Georgia and Bama and Florida.

Frankly, you do not know that. Pruitt is taking a decidedly different tact than Jones. He's actually leading a staff that does their own evals rather than looking at recruiting as a PR effort. UT employs a consultant... a real recruiting service. Most if not all big programs do. There is more perception and subjectivity... and politics in the rankings done by the fan based sites as actual professional evaluations.

The fan based sites use the info and tools they have. They see who the top programs are chasing. They see camp results. They respond to marketing efforts by recruit handlers. Few have the expertise to do real evaluations... none have the time to sift through the 200,000+ HS seniors each year.

Generally speaking, those that get 5 stars are going to be good players. Probably 80% or better will have close to the expected impact. Four star success is significantly less depending on how you measure it. For every player that gets 4/5 stars, there will be one or two that plays like they should have once they get to college.

They are way ahead of us and that gap isn’t closing I hope fans are happy with 7-5 and 8-4 and at the very best 9-3 and never winning the East cause that’s what it will be under Pruitt and this coaching staff. You have to recruit top 5 in the country if you wanna win or challenge for the SEC every year we used to do that in the 90’s with Phil.

You have to get talent. You don't have to be top 5 according to Rivals or 247... if you can recognize and develop talent.

You can belly-ache and condemn all you want over recruiting rankings. But the simple truth is that whoever the coach is that turns UT around whether Pruitt or someone else... will find talent that isn't "highly rated" by these recruiting sites that get folks like you all jacked up. He will find 3* guys like Dan Williams, Corey Vereen, Dallas Thomas, Cam Sutton, and John Kelly... and avoid the 4/5* guys like Kenny O'Neal, Nuke Richardson, Chris Donald,...

If your idea is that UT is going to hire someone who starts taking the "big name" recruits away from Bama right away... the ones Bama really wants... you probably should stop watching until someone actually fixes it.

 

[05_never_again]

You have to get talent. You don't have to be top 5 according to Rivals or 247... if you can recognize and develop talent.

...but all of the national title winners (and most of the schools that compete for it) are in the top 5 almost every year according to those guys. Definitely the top 10.

 

[Proud Army Wife]

Frankly, you do not know that. Pruitt is taking a decidedly different tact than Jones. He's actually leading a staff that does their own evals rather than looking at recruiting as a PR effort. UT employs a consultant... a real recruiting service. Most if not all big programs do. There is more perception and subjectivity... and politics in the rankings done by the fan based sites as actual professional evaluations.

The fan based sites use the info and tools they have. They see who the top programs are chasing. They see camp results. They respond to marketing efforts by recruit handlers. Few have the expertise to do real evaluations... none have the time to sift through the 200,000+ HS seniors each year.

Generally speaking, those that get 5 stars are going to be good players. Probably 80% or better will have close to the expected impact. Four star success is significantly less depending on how you measure it. For every player that gets 4/5 stars, there will be one or two that plays like they should have once they get to college.


You have to get talent. You don't have to be top 5 according to Rivals or 247... if you can recognize and develop talent.

You can belly-ache and condemn all you want over recruiting rankings. But the simple truth is that whoever the coach is that turns UT around whether Pruitt or someone else... will find talent that isn't "highly rated" by these recruiting sites that get folks like you all jacked up. He will find 3* guys like Dan Williams, Corey Vereen, Dallas Thomas, Cam Sutton, and John Kelly... and avoid the 4/5* guys like Kenny O'Neal, Nuke Richardson, Chris Donald,...

If your idea is that UT is going to hire someone who starts taking the "big name" recruits away from Bama right away... the ones Bama really wants... you probably should stop watching until someone actually fixes it.

Lol but, but...we should be pulling in top 5 classes every season even though we've been a dumpster fire the past decade. Didnt you know all the top recruits should want to come here!?!?