London Vol
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THE 2022 AWARDS PREDICTION
As the season is now only hours away, I thought I would hold a pre-season award ceremony. Now this is a very risky thing to do, just look at last year where the Offensive and Defensive Best Players would probably have been Cedric Tillman and Theo Jackson, now rewind one year and these two players were not even predicted as starters, let alone star players. Anyway, here goes:
BEST PLAYER - OFFENSE: HENDON HOOKER
Not a shock here. Last year Hooker came from 3rd on the Depth Chart to being ranked 7th quarterback in the country and is now the unquestioned starter. With getting the 1st team reps and another spring and fall practice under his belt, it is not unreasonable to expect a further improvement and if Tennessee is also more successful, l then he may also make a Heisman run.
Honourable Mentions: Cedric Tillman and Darnell Wright
With the improvement in Coach Heupel’s offense (they were 7th nationally ranked in 2021) Tillman should be the main recipient of this. Whilst he is not a burner, he runs great routes and has “sticky” hands, just look at last year’s 1,081 yards with 200 yards against the generationally good National Champions Georgia and 152 yards against the runners up Alabama.
Wright has moved back to his preferred Right Tackle position where, I think he will excel, thus launching his 2023 Draft campaign. I particularly wish this guy well, as he did not desert the “dumpster fire” of the Pruitt era unlike others, such as Wayna Morris, with whom he was often compared with.
BEST PLAYER - DEFENSE: BYRON YOUNG
Young is poised for a breakout season himself. Last year he had 5 1/2 sacks despite not being eligible for the first two games, but by the end of the season he was becoming unblockable. Factor in, that he has a very good coach in Rodney Garner, then “the sky’s the limit” for him.
Honourable Mentions: Omari Thomas and Jeremy Banks
After Matthew Butler was drafted last year, Thomas has become the leader of the D Line. He is a mountain of a man and again with coach Garners coaching, he should be the traditional road block in the middle of the O Line.
Banks has improved each year and one last push should see his potential being fulfilled. The way he plays has always made him a crowd pleaser, but in the past ill-discipline has stopped his progress. However, there were signs late last season that he was maturing by cleaning these up.
MOST IMPROVER - OFFENSE: JABARI SMALL
Small should have a breakout season for two main reasons. Firstly, he will receive the lion’s share of the carries since Tennessee lost Len’neth Whitehead and Lynn J Dixon for differing reasons and secondly, he has apparently bulked out, now weighing in at 213lbs, this should help him absorb the punishment that a running back inevitably receives.
Honourable Mentions: Jalin Hyatt and Cooper Mays
With the offense that coach Heupel has installed and with Velus Jones going to the NFL, Hyatt should benefit. This fall, by all accounts, Hyatt has improved quite dramatically, so he is my first honourable mention.
Is this the year that Cooper Mays finally stays healthy and fulfils all that potential? I think and hope so. I also think he will benefit by not being in the shadow of his big brother Cade.
MOST IMPROVER - DEFENSE: TAMARION MCDONALD
When you install a 4-2-5 defense, the STAR position becomes one of the most important pieces and it is rumoured that McDonald is the favourite to take over from Theo Jackson there. One reason why it is a very challenging position is that it is where you need to be able to stop the run yet also track the Tight Ends or the slot receivers. It conversely also allows you the exposure to shine as well.
Honourable Mentions: Trevon Flowers and Tyler Baron
After an injury plagued career, Flowers should hopefully have a successful conclusion to his time as a Vol, similar to what happened to Nigel Warrior.
As for Baron, not only does he seem to have matured this year, but he should also benefit from the emergence of Young, who on the other side, will get most of the attention from the opponents. For the team to be successful this season it will be very important that the Defensive Ends can get penetration, thus taking pressure off on an unproven backfield.
BEST NEWCOMER - OFFENSE: BRU McCOY
Finally getting clearance for Bru McCoy could be more important for the season than we realise at this time. The guy is a beast at 6’ 3” and 220lbs, these measurements are very similar to Tillman. In fact, they are almost clones in strength, route running and ability to compete for contested balls. The other advantage of Bru is his blocking. Remember Coach Heupel likes to swing pass to a three receiver set, with two blocking (go look at the first play against Kentucky for a 75yard touchdown).
Honourable Mentions: Dylan Sampson and “Squirrel “White
As mentioned earlier, the depth chart for the Running Backs is thin, so Sampson and Justin Williams-Thomas should have their number called often. However, I have chosen Sampson as the most likely to impress due to his outstanding speed and shiftiness.
“Squirrel” White is my other to look out for. He will be located “in the slot” as a backup for Jalin Hyatt and whilst we have high hopes this season for Hyatt, he has yet to deliver. But even if he does, then “Squirrel” could still be used for Jet sweeps and gadget plays.
BEST NEWCOMER - DEFENSE: CHRISTIAN CHARLES
This is a player that the coaches seem to love. He also seems to be able to play any Defensive Back position, but due to the uncertainty at Corner Back, I think,
he will land there first and as a baller that he is, he will land up being our best CB this season.
Honourable Mentions: Tyre West and Kaleb Webb
With our fast offense, the defense will almost certainly be on the pitch for the majority of the game and Defensive Line will need plenty of rotation to keep the heavy lifters fresh. Tyre West reportedly recorded 5 sacks in a scrimmage at the end of Spring Camp which in whatever circumstance cannot be ignored, so with the playing time available, I think by the end of the season we will be very aware of his name.
Kaleb Webb, this is a long shot, but as he is 6’ 3” the same as Tillman and McCoy and is known for contesting high balls, he seems to be a perfect substitute for the two. So, I guess playing time should not be a problem as there would be no need to change the game plan.
I look forward to reading your comments.
GO VOLS
As the season is now only hours away, I thought I would hold a pre-season award ceremony. Now this is a very risky thing to do, just look at last year where the Offensive and Defensive Best Players would probably have been Cedric Tillman and Theo Jackson, now rewind one year and these two players were not even predicted as starters, let alone star players. Anyway, here goes:
BEST PLAYER - OFFENSE: HENDON HOOKER
Not a shock here. Last year Hooker came from 3rd on the Depth Chart to being ranked 7th quarterback in the country and is now the unquestioned starter. With getting the 1st team reps and another spring and fall practice under his belt, it is not unreasonable to expect a further improvement and if Tennessee is also more successful, l then he may also make a Heisman run.
Honourable Mentions: Cedric Tillman and Darnell Wright
With the improvement in Coach Heupel’s offense (they were 7th nationally ranked in 2021) Tillman should be the main recipient of this. Whilst he is not a burner, he runs great routes and has “sticky” hands, just look at last year’s 1,081 yards with 200 yards against the generationally good National Champions Georgia and 152 yards against the runners up Alabama.
Wright has moved back to his preferred Right Tackle position where, I think he will excel, thus launching his 2023 Draft campaign. I particularly wish this guy well, as he did not desert the “dumpster fire” of the Pruitt era unlike others, such as Wayna Morris, with whom he was often compared with.
BEST PLAYER - DEFENSE: BYRON YOUNG
Young is poised for a breakout season himself. Last year he had 5 1/2 sacks despite not being eligible for the first two games, but by the end of the season he was becoming unblockable. Factor in, that he has a very good coach in Rodney Garner, then “the sky’s the limit” for him.
Honourable Mentions: Omari Thomas and Jeremy Banks
After Matthew Butler was drafted last year, Thomas has become the leader of the D Line. He is a mountain of a man and again with coach Garners coaching, he should be the traditional road block in the middle of the O Line.
Banks has improved each year and one last push should see his potential being fulfilled. The way he plays has always made him a crowd pleaser, but in the past ill-discipline has stopped his progress. However, there were signs late last season that he was maturing by cleaning these up.
MOST IMPROVER - OFFENSE: JABARI SMALL
Small should have a breakout season for two main reasons. Firstly, he will receive the lion’s share of the carries since Tennessee lost Len’neth Whitehead and Lynn J Dixon for differing reasons and secondly, he has apparently bulked out, now weighing in at 213lbs, this should help him absorb the punishment that a running back inevitably receives.
Honourable Mentions: Jalin Hyatt and Cooper Mays
With the offense that coach Heupel has installed and with Velus Jones going to the NFL, Hyatt should benefit. This fall, by all accounts, Hyatt has improved quite dramatically, so he is my first honourable mention.
Is this the year that Cooper Mays finally stays healthy and fulfils all that potential? I think and hope so. I also think he will benefit by not being in the shadow of his big brother Cade.
MOST IMPROVER - DEFENSE: TAMARION MCDONALD
When you install a 4-2-5 defense, the STAR position becomes one of the most important pieces and it is rumoured that McDonald is the favourite to take over from Theo Jackson there. One reason why it is a very challenging position is that it is where you need to be able to stop the run yet also track the Tight Ends or the slot receivers. It conversely also allows you the exposure to shine as well.
Honourable Mentions: Trevon Flowers and Tyler Baron
After an injury plagued career, Flowers should hopefully have a successful conclusion to his time as a Vol, similar to what happened to Nigel Warrior.
As for Baron, not only does he seem to have matured this year, but he should also benefit from the emergence of Young, who on the other side, will get most of the attention from the opponents. For the team to be successful this season it will be very important that the Defensive Ends can get penetration, thus taking pressure off on an unproven backfield.
BEST NEWCOMER - OFFENSE: BRU McCOY
Finally getting clearance for Bru McCoy could be more important for the season than we realise at this time. The guy is a beast at 6’ 3” and 220lbs, these measurements are very similar to Tillman. In fact, they are almost clones in strength, route running and ability to compete for contested balls. The other advantage of Bru is his blocking. Remember Coach Heupel likes to swing pass to a three receiver set, with two blocking (go look at the first play against Kentucky for a 75yard touchdown).
Honourable Mentions: Dylan Sampson and “Squirrel “White
As mentioned earlier, the depth chart for the Running Backs is thin, so Sampson and Justin Williams-Thomas should have their number called often. However, I have chosen Sampson as the most likely to impress due to his outstanding speed and shiftiness.
“Squirrel” White is my other to look out for. He will be located “in the slot” as a backup for Jalin Hyatt and whilst we have high hopes this season for Hyatt, he has yet to deliver. But even if he does, then “Squirrel” could still be used for Jet sweeps and gadget plays.
BEST NEWCOMER - DEFENSE: CHRISTIAN CHARLES
This is a player that the coaches seem to love. He also seems to be able to play any Defensive Back position, but due to the uncertainty at Corner Back, I think,
he will land there first and as a baller that he is, he will land up being our best CB this season.
Honourable Mentions: Tyre West and Kaleb Webb
With our fast offense, the defense will almost certainly be on the pitch for the majority of the game and Defensive Line will need plenty of rotation to keep the heavy lifters fresh. Tyre West reportedly recorded 5 sacks in a scrimmage at the end of Spring Camp which in whatever circumstance cannot be ignored, so with the playing time available, I think by the end of the season we will be very aware of his name.
Kaleb Webb, this is a long shot, but as he is 6’ 3” the same as Tillman and McCoy and is known for contesting high balls, he seems to be a perfect substitute for the two. So, I guess playing time should not be a problem as there would be no need to change the game plan.
I look forward to reading your comments.
GO VOLS
