I think Emmitt Gooden coming back healthy along with everyone else on the line getting another full year of coaching and strength and conditioning, we will see a vast improvement from this season. Darell Taylor is leaving. With that being said, I think we have players like Roman Harrison and others who are absolute savages. Darell got so close to the QB with no avail so many times this year. Next year, It wont just be one player getting close, it will be a HOST OF VOLUNTEERS meeting the QB or RB in the backfield. We have some dudes coming in the 2020 class that play with bad intentions like Tennessee defenses we all remember. The D Line will also free up elite level LB's like Henry T to flow freely to make a play instead of having to shed an extra block or chip. If Q Crouch starts playing instinctive football next year our LB's will be fun to watch fly around the field as Wilson, Raynoch, Eddie Moore, Burnett, Mayo, Simon, and many other that I have not mentioned used to do. With the loss of Nigel, I am so excited to see our safety play. Tank McCollough will be a force and if Flowers gets healthy and continues to improve, I expect a lot of big time plays and momentum changing hits to occur in EVERY game next year. I have full faith in Bryce Thompson's ability to lock down the #1 receiver on the opposing team and feel comfortable with Alontae or George covering the other wide out. Shamburger is my question mark. He did great things occasionally this year but found himself out of place more often then not. I think that the coaching staff has faith in Shamburger and hopefully the light turns on this year with him as well. In all, I am excited to watch this defense play next year. We have depth and we have a lot of guys with a savage mentality on the field. Pruitt is bringing in the type of kids that want to absolutely bury you on every play and has no fear of anyone they face. I would love anyone's feedback on my brief assesment. Everyone is excited about our O Line as I am too, but I am a defense loving fan. GO VOLS!
That's one of the best outlooks and write ups I've seen about our Defense on the forums so far.
Darell Taylor could take over games at times but he also hugely benefited from our system. I think we'll be able to not only absorb the loss of Taylor, Bituli, & Warrior; but improve for allot of the reasons you mentioned. As
sjt18 has pointed out many times, we finished near the SEC lead in team sacks. We weren't dependant on one man or position to create our pass rush. With Gooden back and Elijah Simmons gaining from a full year in the S&C program hopefully they both contribute heavily in the 2 deep.
I'd love to see E. Simmons become a damned if you do, damned if you don't conundrum at NT on passing downs. Double team him & create a miss match on the edge/picking up the blitz. Block him one-on-one and he's almost assured to collapse the pocket, bullrushing the QB.
Hopefully with our two incoming freshman RB's bringing the size Pruitt likes Q. Crouch will be utilized solely at LB, his preferred position. If he still contributes as a goal line RB it won't bother me though. I'm thinking J. Banks is back and locks down an OLB spot. I'd love to see J. Banks get a full spring & fall camp getting LB reps if he's paid his dues and readmitted, which seems likely. Let's not forget JJ Peterson either. He steadily progressed and got reps in the 2-deep last season.
All in all our Defense has made steady incremental steps from atrocious in 2017 to mediocre in 2018 with occasional flashes of good. This season the Defense started out mediocre due primarily to assignment and alignment issues. By the midpoint of the season they were playing good and got down right stingy a good bit during the back half of the year.
By all indications we should be able to pick up right where we left off next year. We start out replacing 3major Defensive contributors but that's nowhere near the amount of first time starters we started off 2019 breaking in and we have allot more depth. I think we'll have a stingy top 15-20 defense that sets us up for an 8-4 season regardless of how our Offense looks with the QB & WR uncertainties.
What I'd like to see and what you alluded to is our Defense continuing to improve to the point of becoming elite and down right nasty. I think Pruitt did an admirable job completing the roster flip (Ignont & a few others) and finally has the players he wants to constantly play aggressive with an attacking Defense.
If our Offense is improved at QB and new WR's emerge or the Defense progresses ahead of schedule, lookout. This could be a 10 win season.