Ok, I'll give a brief synopsis a shot.
QB - Guarantano has all the arm talent in the world, that much is clear. Has he improved in consistency, field vision and general control of the position? I guess we will see. I think he will be a serviceable starter. Chryst has looked as you would expect based on all reports. Solid, consistent, unspectacular. An incredibly safe, high floor but low ceiling option.
RB - All reports are this group looks pretty good. We kind of know what we have with Chandler, a fast quick-twitch runner who can break big plays. Madre London is a plodder who transferred from Michigan State who could be a solid but unspectacular between the tackles runner. The player who has improved their stock the most is Tim Jordan, a powerful bowling ball type of runner who looks to get his fair share of touches. We will almost certainly be running back by committee, and the ceiling seems high for Jordan and Chandler, but we don't know where they are at now, really.
WR - You would hope this group could be really good. Jennings has been getting back up to speed, Callaway has all the tools to be a top SEC receiver and Brandon Johnson showed flashes in the slot last season. Talented youngsters like Josh Palmer and Jordan Murphy have huge ceilings but are raw. On paper, this group should be a strength and present serious matchup questions to opposing defenses. On paper. If we can get decent QB play these guys should be able to generate some explosive plays.
TE - Dominick Wood-Anderson and Eli Wolf look to hold down the fort here, with Pope playing some kind of blocking H-Back/TE Hybrid role. The coaching staff has done their best to control the hype for DWA but all accounts are he looks very good and could be a matchup nightmare. We will see. Eli Wolf should be a solid contributor.
OL - Trey Smith is back and looks to have his nasty streak in tact, which is great news considering he had blood clots in his legs that could've cost him his football career. He looks great and has been throwing teammates around like rag dolls in practice. Brandon Kennedy, a Bama grad-transfer, has the Center spot locked down and looks to be a solid contributor. We all hope Drew Richmond can take a step forward at Right Tackle and live up to his potential. He has looked solid based on reports, but you just have to see it on the field with him to believe it. Guard is a rotating door right now with Ryan Johnson, Locklear, JUCO transfer Jahmir Johnson and others. We need someone to step up at that position, its really an unknown. K'Rojhn Calbert and Jerome Carvin provide young unproven depth.
DL - You have to feel good about three senior starters in Tuttle, Alexis Johnson and Kyle Phillips. The question with all these groups will be how the transition to the 3-4 goes. I feel these guys will probably be OK, and Shy is supposedly as healthy as he's been since his freshman year, which is great news. The 2-deep here is incredibly rough with walk-on Paul Bain and Fr. Kingston Harris as our backup DE's. Hopefully those guys can be better than expected but I would call DL depth dire at best.
LB - These guys are super talented and versatile, and if they can live up to their billing, should easily be the strength of the defense. Kongbo is an athletic freak who has apparently done well grasping this defense, unlike under the previous regime. Darrell Taylor brings experience and solid play. Daniel Bituli is a tackling machine who has looked great in camp and I believe will take another step forward in this defense. Darren Kirkland Jr. is back after mulling a transfer. He has still been hampered by injury but reports are saying hes coming somewhat close to up to speed. Quarte Sapp should be a nice contributor. Depth here should be decent with Ignont, Dillon Bates, Austin Smith, Deandre Johnson and Jordan Allen all behind the four starters. Hopefully some of those guys can emerge and spell our starters.
CB - Extremely talented but young, raw and unproven. Alontae Taylor or Bryce Thompson, both true freshman, are your co-starters at one side, with Baylen Buchanan, an inconsistent performer in previous years, on the other side. This should worry you and all Tennessee fans. IF these guys can play close to their potential we could have average to above-average SEC CBs this year, with the future at the position being incredibly bright. Or, the Freshman and Buchanan could be the weakest point on our whole team and consistently give up huge plays. I am extremely worried about this group.
S - Nigel Warrior is a stud and Abernathy is OK. Those are your starters. Warrior has looked great in camp, unsurprisingly. Shamburger made the move to S and should provide decent depth, and newcomer Trevon Flowers is supremely athletic and early indicators are the coaches really like his game and potential. I imagine he will see the field early on in his UT career. Todd Kelly Jr. was surprisingly listed as third string on the depth chart. He is an average SEC safety but he has tons of experience and I think he will still see the field a lot this fall.
K - Cimaglia is your starter, and you hope he can find consistency and grow into being a solid SEC kicker.
P - We have two talented young punters in Joe Doyle and Paxton Brooks. Both were very well thought of out of HS. Hopefully one has grabbed control of the position though they are listed as co-starters.
That's my 10,000 foot overview. We have pretty clear question marks at QB, interior offensive line, DB, DL depth, TE, and new systems on both sides of the ball. I think 6-6 would be a pretty nice first season, though if Pruitt and staff prove to be good SEC coaches I think 7-5 is attainable.
