dduncan4163
Have at it Hoss
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First and 10: Tennessee has been ‘back’ before. But this time, it’s different
The rebuild
I was talking with Heupel earlier this summer, and he was trying to explain the depth of the gutted program he inherited from the glorified P. E. coach, Jeremy Pruitt.
At one point during spring practice of 2021, the Vols had a walk-on long snapper competing at a linebacker spot because depth was so thin.
Before Heupel’s first team hit the field, more than 30 players left for the transfer portal. And these weren’t end-of-the-roster players, these were guys who had won games, and could win games, and would/will play in the NFL.
LB Henry To’o To’o, TBs Tyson Chandler and Eric Gray, OTs Jahmir Johnson and Wanya Morris, LB Quavaris Crouch, DE DeAndre Johnson and DB Key Lawrence were all projected starters, all guys who could have made a significant difference in Year 1.
The roster Heupel left at UCF was far better than the roster he inherited at Tennessee. How this program has won 11 of 17 games under Heupel — and 3 of their past 4 vs. ranked teams — is the most overlooked story in the SEC over the past 2 seasons.
Heupel patched holes through the transfer portal and freshman recruits, and hit the portal lottery with Hooker, who signed with Tennessee not knowing who the coach would be (Pruitt had just been fired). Heupel convinced Hooker to stay, and by Week 2 of last season, Hooker was the answer at the most important position on the field.
That, more than anything, will be the difference between Heupel and Jones: recruiting (high school and portal) and developing the quarterback position. And Heupel has the advantage because of his player-friendly Blur Ball offense, and because — as a former All-American and national championship-winning quarterback at blue-blood Oklahoma — the sales pitch is easier and the development quicker.
Jones’ quarterback recruits were a hodgepodge of wishing and hoping: Riley Ferguson, Quinten Dormady, Sheriron Jones, Jauan Jennings (yep, the WR was a QB recruit) and Jarrett Guarantano. Jones did hit with Dobbs, but once the 2016 season ended — once Dobbs had led back-to-back 9-win seasons, the production dramatically slipped and so did the program.
Heupel’s first QB recruit in 2021, 4-star Kaidon Salter, was dismissed from school after off-field problems. His second, 4-star Tayven Jackson in 2022, is a third-string backup.
The rebuild
I was talking with Heupel earlier this summer, and he was trying to explain the depth of the gutted program he inherited from the glorified P. E. coach, Jeremy Pruitt.
At one point during spring practice of 2021, the Vols had a walk-on long snapper competing at a linebacker spot because depth was so thin.
Before Heupel’s first team hit the field, more than 30 players left for the transfer portal. And these weren’t end-of-the-roster players, these were guys who had won games, and could win games, and would/will play in the NFL.
LB Henry To’o To’o, TBs Tyson Chandler and Eric Gray, OTs Jahmir Johnson and Wanya Morris, LB Quavaris Crouch, DE DeAndre Johnson and DB Key Lawrence were all projected starters, all guys who could have made a significant difference in Year 1.
The roster Heupel left at UCF was far better than the roster he inherited at Tennessee. How this program has won 11 of 17 games under Heupel — and 3 of their past 4 vs. ranked teams — is the most overlooked story in the SEC over the past 2 seasons.
Heupel patched holes through the transfer portal and freshman recruits, and hit the portal lottery with Hooker, who signed with Tennessee not knowing who the coach would be (Pruitt had just been fired). Heupel convinced Hooker to stay, and by Week 2 of last season, Hooker was the answer at the most important position on the field.
That, more than anything, will be the difference between Heupel and Jones: recruiting (high school and portal) and developing the quarterback position. And Heupel has the advantage because of his player-friendly Blur Ball offense, and because — as a former All-American and national championship-winning quarterback at blue-blood Oklahoma — the sales pitch is easier and the development quicker.
Jones’ quarterback recruits were a hodgepodge of wishing and hoping: Riley Ferguson, Quinten Dormady, Sheriron Jones, Jauan Jennings (yep, the WR was a QB recruit) and Jarrett Guarantano. Jones did hit with Dobbs, but once the 2016 season ended — once Dobbs had led back-to-back 9-win seasons, the production dramatically slipped and so did the program.
Heupel’s first QB recruit in 2021, 4-star Kaidon Salter, was dismissed from school after off-field problems. His second, 4-star Tayven Jackson in 2022, is a third-string backup.
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