Projected post signing day depth charts.

#27
#27
Volgrad98 said:
If Jeremy Banks works on holding on to the ball during the offseason, don't be surprised to see him as the #2. Kid has the instinct to find the openings and runs with purpose, a punisher. JMO of course.
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This is precisely why Pruitt liked him as a LB.
The roster has changed a lot the past 5 months so w'll see. But if he does go back to RB, he won't see the field unless he improves tremendously with his ball security. And Pruitt doesn't trust him right now carrying the football.
 
#29
#29
A lot of Brandon Johnson fans in here. He wasn't great last year, but he was good in 2017. He's a smooth athlete, and a pretty good route runner, but he has to improve his hands.

I hope Banks does stay at RB, or at least we get some size and talent in there with him or Crouch. Jordan is the biggest guy we got at 5-10. I'd like to see Fils-Aime involved more as well, as he did pretty well at the end of 2017 and when called upon last year minus the fumble. Gray will play, but we will see how much. Ty Chandler needs to be used like Kamara is, with Jordan being used like Ingram on the Saints.

Defensively, if they develop at all, there's a potential to be nasty. D Line has the most young or new faces, but there's a lot of talent. Plus if Solomon is eligible, they can take a huge leap forward.
 
#30
#30
KBVol said:
Brandon Johnson literally didn’t make a single big play last year, not one. He struggled all year long with dropped balls on his way to 14 catches for 132 yards and no touchdowns. He’s fallen down the depth chart and has been recruited over. He peaked in 2017, and there’s little to no reason to think he’ll be an impact player in 2019.
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Now you done gone and done it! Greasy gonna remind us that Brandon is the greatest WR since Jerry Rice.
 
#33
#33
Hawkeye4588 said:
For offense it is looking like this (Analysis from GoVols247):

QB:
1. Jarrett Guarantano
2. JT Shrout
3. Brian Maurer
Analysis: Tennessee currently is slated to have just three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster for 2019 after having four last season, though all three will go through spring practice. Redshirt freshman Shrout and freshman Maurer are talented youngsters, but it's too soon to expect them to make a serious push to take the starting job away from Guarantano. The question is will the Vols pursue a graduate transfer for added competition and security as they did with Keller Chryst in 2018. The numbers situation would appear to make it unlikely.

RB:
1. Ty Chandler
2a. Tim Jordan
2b. Eric Gray
3. Carlin Fils-aime
Analysis: Expect Chandler to continue to have a feature role in the offense. Gray gives Tennessee another Chandler-like playmaker, while the Vols will be hoping Jordan can be more dynamic and less of a freelancer than he was last season. Fils-aime also had a limited role late in 2018 after moving back to running back from defense and could be a factor. The question is where the Vols will turn for a bigger back. Jordan is a bruising runner but isn't particularly big, and the Vols currently plan to play freshmen Quavaris Crouch and Aaron Beasley on defense. Pruitt was unwilling to reveal where Jeremy Banks would play, so the sophomore would fill the role if he's not at linebacker, but it's expected he'll be at linebacker. Princeton Fant also might return to the backfield in the spring after splitting time at running back and tight end last season.

WR #1
1. Marquez Callaway
2a. Ramel Keyton
2b. Brandon Johnson
Analysis: Tennessee returns its top three receivers from last season, so there's no reason to think they won't continue starting in 2019. The question is what other wideouts can show they deserve playing time. Given how inconsistent and/or unproductive some of the returning veterans were in 2018, freshman Keyton could have a chance to get in the mix and contribute right away.

WR #2
1. Josh Palmer
2a. Tyler Byrd
2b. Cedric Tillman
Analysis: Palmer will look to become a more-well rounded receiver after emerging as a legitimate deep threat during his breakout sophomore season. Byrd's primary value in 2018 was as a perimeter blocker and special-teams player. Tillman showed intriguing upside in practice while redshirting in 2018 and is worth keeping an eye on this offseason.

WR #3
1. Jauan Jennings
2a. Jordan Murphy
2b. Jerrod Means
Analysis: Jennings elected to return to Tennessee to play his senior season instead of enter the 2019 NFL Draft, though he tested the waters and strongly considered it before announcing his decision on deadline day. Murphy has the kind of playmaking ability the Vols need and is a leading contender to be the next in line behind the Callaway-Palmer-Jennings trio. Means is an intriguing prospect who may need time to develop.
Tennessee plans to play Georgia transfer Deangelo Gibbs at receiver, and he conceivably would have a good chance at being a factor given his athleticism and ball skills and natural talent should he get an NCAA waiver to play this season instead of having to sit out in 2019.

TE:
1. Dominick Wood-Anderson
2a. Jackson Lowe
2b. Sean Brown
3a. LaTrell Bumphus
3b. Austin Pope
Analysis: Wood-Anderson should remain the starter and a focal point of the offense, as new offensive coordinator Jim Chaney has shown an affinity for involving tight ends in his past offenses. Eli Wolf transferring to Georgia opens the door more for the two newcomers to get on the field earlier. Bumphus and Pope were contributors last season and still could have roles, the former in short-yardage packages and the latter as a fullback or H-back, but freshman Lowe and signee Brown are more the type of players Tennessee's coaching staff wants at the position.

LT:
1. Wanya Morris
2. Marcus Tatum
3. K'Rojhn Calbert
Analysis: Tennessee's offensive line is hard to project, and there's plenty of combinations that could emerge between now and the start of the season. There are a couple of players who can be penned in as starters somewhere, while others will be battling for roles. The Vols signed a pair of five-star offensive tackles, and both could go straight into the starting lineup with Drew Richmond set to transfer (he remains in the NCAA transfer portal but has yet to announce his plans) and Trey Smithdealing with his medical condition. The hunch here is Morris, who is on campus and will go through spring drills, and Darnell Wright, who's set to arrive in the summer, are too talented, big and athletic to keep off the field for a Tennessee offensive line needing an injection of the exact attributes they bring to the table. Morris is the projected left tackle between the two, but also could play guard if he's not ready to play tackle. Tatum ended last season as the starter after stepping in when Smith was sidelined and is up to 312 pounds, and Calbert ended last season working at left tackle.

LG:
1. Jahmir Johnson
2a. Jerome Carvin
2b. Wanya Morris
Analysis: Johnson is perhaps the safest bet to be a part of Tennessee's starting five in 2019. The Vols love his tenacity and physicality, and Pruitt said last week he is up to 297 pounds after arriving on campus at 257 last summer. Tennessee recruited Johnson to play tackle, and it's a possibility he could play there as well. Carvin was a part-time starter in 2018 and should be better as a sophomore, but the competition at the two guard spots could be crowded, especially if the Vols end up shifting Morris inside if he's not ready to play tackle.

Center:
1. Brandon Kennedy
2. Ryan Johnson
3. Riley Locklear
Analysis: Kennedy is making good progress in his recovery from an ACL injury and should slot back into his starting center spot, though he likely will be limited in spring practice. Johnson started the final 11 games of last season after Kennedy's injury and should remain the second-choice center. Locklear and Carvin will provide further depth at center and both guard spots.

RG:
1a. Ryan Johnson
1b. Nathan Niehaus
3a. Melvin McBride
3b. Jackson Lampley
Analysis: The competition at guard could be pretty good with four returning players (Johnson, Johnson, Niehaus and Carvin) who started games there last season. We'll give the slight nod to Johnson at right guard, where he opened last season as a starter, ahead of Niehaus, a player Tennessee's staff likes who also started games at right guard in 2018. Signees McBride and Lampley both are projected interior linemen who are likely developmental prospects.

RT:
1. Darnell Wright
2a. Nathan Niehaus
50COMMENTS
2b. Marcus Tatum
3. Chris Akporoghene
Analysis: Wright will have to put it together pretty quickly over the course of the summer and in preseason camp if he's going to be the Day One starter, but he has the size, athleticism and physicality to play right away in the SEC. Perhaps this is expecting too much too soon, because by no means is it a lock Wright goes straight into the starting lineup. But with Tennessee losing its top tackles from last season and needing talents like Wright to help the offensive line improve, we'll go ahead and give him the nod. If Wright isn't ready to go, the Vols have a couple of decent options in Tatum and Niehaus, who both worked at right tackle extensively last season and will be familiar with the position. Akporoghene already has turned some heads since arriving on campus last month, but he's still raw and likely will need some time to develop, and it's a possibility he winds up playing inside after playing right tackle in high school.
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Good stuff. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

I see Jahmir Johnson moving out to Tackle. He has great feet and the added weight should help him. It would be nice if he could be a good LT and Morris takes the RT spot, so we're not relying on a freshman to protect the QB's blind side.
 
#34
#34
I see Murphy being a under-the-radar playmaker for us this year. He showed a few flashes last year.

I don't think they'll start any of the FR OTs at LT but could wind up there depending if the line sucks.
 
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#35
#35
Good write-up.

The backup WR battle will be interesting. The top 3 starters are obvious (JJ, Callaway, Palmer), but after that, should be pretty intense competition for 4th and 5th options at wideout.

Our LB corps looks absolutely loaded. That said, it looked "loaded" last season as well and we underperformed there. Hopefully, they make the jump this year.

O-line competition will be very interesting. Lot of blue-chip recruits competing with upperclassmen who should improve over the offseason. No clear-cut order other than Kennedy at Center, assuming he's fully healthy. Wright and Morris should be good, but I wouldn't pencil them in as starters as true Freshmen just yet.

Carlin Fils-Aime is a good player, but I'm a bit surprised he didn't transfer. Just feels like he doesn't fit Pruitt's offense well and the switch to DB didn't stick. Nothing against him; I like him a lot as a player and think he has the potential to be a very good RB, but seems like the scheme change has been to his detriment. And with Chandler, Jordan, and Grey on the roster, hard to see how he'll get many carries.

I think the writers are underrating Jordan. He's a good RB, but he suffered a lot from the poor O-line play. It hurt him even more than Chandler, who has a bit more elusiveness and big-play potential. Both Chandler and Jordan would've averaged probably 1 more ypc with a decent O-line, and they put up decent numbers even in spite of getting hit behind the line of scrimmage way too many times.

Brandon Johnson is also one I'm surprised didn't transfer. He played very well towards the end of 2017 but played very poorly last season. He fell way down the depth chart after basically being our #1 or #2 option in late '17. Hope he re-establishes himself this year and plays more like he did in 2017, but sort of skeptical.

And man ... we really need Solomon on the D-line! D-line depth is a bit scary right now. The defense has a chance to make a huge jump this year, but the D-line will get tested.
 
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#36
#36
DiderotsGhost said:
Good write-up.

The backup WR battle will be interesting. The top 3 starters are obvious (JJ, Callaway, Palmer), but after that, should be pretty intense competition for 4th and 5th options at wideout.

Our LB corps looks absolutely loaded. That said, it looked "loaded" last season as well and we underperformed there. Hopefully, they make the jump this year.

O-line competition will be very interesting. Lot of blue-chip recruits competing with upperclassmen who should improve over the offseason. No clear-cut order other than Kennedy at Center, assuming he's fully healthy. Wright and Morris should be good, but I wouldn't pencil them in as starters as true Freshmen just yet.

Carlin Fils-Aime is a good player, but I'm a bit surprised he didn't transfer. Just feels like he doesn't fit Pruitt's offense well and the switch to DB didn't stick. Nothing against him; I like him a lot as a player and think he has the potential to be a very good RB, but seems like the scheme change has been to his detriment. And with Chandler, Jordan, and Grey on the roster, hard to see how he'll get many carries.

I think the writers are underrating Jordan. He's a good RB, but he suffered a lot from the poor O-line play. It hurt him even more than Chandler, who has a bit more elusiveness and big-play potential. Both Chandler and Jordan would've averaged probably 1 more ypc with a decent O-line, and they put up decent numbers even in spite of getting hit behind the line of scrimmage way too many times.

Brandon Johnson is also one I'm surprised didn't transfer. He played very well towards the end of 2017 but played very poorly last season. He fell way down the depth chart after basically being our #1 or #2 option in late '17. Hope he re-establishes himself this year and plays more like he did in 2017, but sort of skeptical.

And man ... we really need Solomon on the D-line! D-line depth is a bit scary right now. The defense has a chance to make a huge jump this year, but the D-line will get tested.
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Under the right circumstances, I could see Carlin-Fills-Amy being a Sony Michel type player.
 
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#38
#38
Guarantano only throws outside, maybe not comfortable hitting the slots. Byrd’s one catch was from Chryst
 
#43
#43
Volador said:
Key word is DEPTH

Finally!!
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We got some depth, but man, we’re young/inexperienced on the D line and Lb. Hope that raw talent can overcome some of that. Trending right direction though.
 
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