Vols will be as good or better than last year but will record reflect it?

[Gandalf]

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[Cartervol]

I think the defense will be solid but not quite as good as last year. The offense is where they're going too have to be a lot better. It'll be a tall order. All the skill guys are basically different and the QB will be as well. I felt like at times they were way too conservative offensively last year, can't play that way this year because i don't think you'll be able to ask your defense to hold teams down as well as they did last year. Oline has to be better, WR needs to be better. RB will have to be solid and the QB can't be a turnover machine. This year has that 3 or 4 loss feel to it. 3 would be a good year, 5 is not out of the question either unforunately.

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

I actually think this one comes down to QB play. I'm not anti-Nico but was not particularly impressed with anything he brought to the table last year. I think he often played like an individual. I'm not sure the team rallied around him. Many times it seemed like he couldn't/didn't make the right reads or calls. Great athletic tools... but was he a good QB?

No idea about whoever plays this year. Didn't really see anything that made me feel comfortable from the guys who played the spring game. Not sure what Aguilar brings to the table at the SEC level. Guess we'll see soon.

Would anybody have been surprised if Nico had pizza delivered to one of his classes?

 

[Volinnooga]

I do not think we will be as good as last year and I think our record will reflect that. I think the defense will be good, but a step below last year. New QB, loss of an absolute stud at RB are going to have an effect. Bishop and Lewis will be solid but thay aren't DSamp (but I do think Lewis will be really good down the road). OL may be better eventually but a lot of new faces that will need time to jell. The loss of a seasoned center in Cooper Mays will also have an impact.

 

[Clad in Big Orange]

This is a season for low expectations. Perhaps we’ll be pleasantly surprised. I’m not going to get my hopes up when the August reports of “JA and the receivers having special chemistry” start appearing. I also don’t see how the defense can carry the offense like it did last season.

 

[DaddyChad]

Just as last year, preseason media is underrating Vols' Dline. LB's- post Pili- should be better from experience- if AC can stay healthy; Corners better when McCoy returns, deeper there anyway. Safety is biggest question but at least they got bodies now.

Oline will be better now that Heard is healthy and again, they got some decent depth. Bru and Squirrel neither were healthy by after the OU game, still played their asses off but just weren't near 100%. No Sampson but ground game has always been adequate. Actually they didn't ask much of Nico last year even though he does have huge talent but he was more a game manager as the D and Dylan carried the team.

Kicking game is rock solid.

8-4 is disappointing downside and 11-1 is orange shaded upside. Florida is much better, the Tide is no Saban product (hopefully think Shula and Dubose) and UGA comes early to Neyland with a new QB. Potential upsets are always there of course. OU can't be any worse, who knows about Arkie but both home games. MSU will be better, KY is KY.

In general, this is by far the deepest roster CJH has had here, and far fewer positions are such that one injury decimates the whole position room.

I hope they got a chip on their shoulders and that they keep getting overlooked.

Houston Astros pitcher Jose Lima once said there is one word that describes life in America and it pertains to the SEC- "youneverknow"

I think we’ll be good. Sampson though was one of the best RBs in the country. Pearce one of the best defensive players in the country and a first round pick. Also had an experienced if underwhelming at times Oline.

I think if our Oline is good we’ll be really good but idk if we have a guy that can carry us like Sampson.

 

[25vol]

Our schedule is pretty tough this year so I don’t think it will.

Offense: New WR corps/New RB group/New Oline/New QB. Hard to find a consistent piece on this offense so yeah I can’t blame anyone for thinking it could be a down year.

Defense: We won’t have much drop off at all imo. We might have even gotten better on defense this year.

Defense will keep us in many games this year while our unproven but certainly talented offense finds its footing.

 

[cgrish]

I actually think this one comes down to QB play. I'm not anti-Nico but was not particularly impressed with anything he brought to the table last year. I think he often played like an individual. I'm not sure the team rallied around him. Many times it seemed like he couldn't/didn't make the right reads or calls. Great athletic tools... but was he a good QB?

No idea about whoever plays this year. Didn't really see anything that made me feel comfortable from the guys who played the spring game. Not sure what Aguilar brings to the table at the SEC level. Guess we'll see soon.

If our ol is just as good as last year; I think qb play will be much better this year. One thing I have noticed about the new qb coming in is that he gets rid of the ball very quick, Much faster than Nico

 

[cgrish]

That was true in old world, but in new SEC world w/ 16 team playoff coming, there could be a year when an 8-4 team gets in the playoffs b/c of true gauntlet SEC teams play.

Wish you were right, but i don't see a 3 loss team in the sec making it in. Too many other teams have a soft schedule, and regardless of what the committee says, they look at wins and losses more than strength of schedule.

 

[marcusluvsvols]

Just as last year, preseason media is underrating Vols' Dline. LB's- post Pili- should be better from experience- if AC can stay healthy; Corners better when McCoy returns, deeper there anyway. Safety is biggest question but at least they got bodies now.

Oline will be better now that Heard is healthy and again, they got some decent depth. Bru and Squirrel neither were healthy by after the OU game, still played their asses off but just weren't near 100%. No Sampson but ground game has always been adequate. Actually they didn't ask much of Nico last year even though he does have huge talent but he was more a game manager as the D and Dylan carried the team.

Kicking game is rock solid.

8-4 is disappointing downside and 11-1 is orange shaded upside. Florida is much better, the Tide is no Saban product (hopefully think Shula and Dubose) and UGA comes early to Neyland with a new QB. Potential upsets are always there of course. OU can't be any worse, who knows about Arkie but both home games. MSU will be better, KY is KY.

In general, this is by far the deepest roster CJH has had here, and far fewer positions are such that one injury decimates the whole position room.

I hope they got a chip on their shoulders and that they keep getting overlooked.

Houston Astros pitcher Jose Lima once said there is one word that describes life in America and it pertains to the SEC- "youneverknow"

Good post. We will objectively be deeper and more talented as a team/roster than last season. That is a fact. I dont think the record will reflect it though because of QB and youth/inexperience at WR, Safety, and maybe LB.

This is the most talented team at UT in 20 years or more. Better than 50% bluechips for the 1st time since early 2000s. I think vegas is probably right as usual though. This is probably a 9-3 type year UNLESS whoever plays QB AND WR comes in and outperforms lasts years team. Then all bets are off and we can make the playoffs again at 10-2... I cant wait to find out. We have a LOT of talent at WR. They are just young and inexperienced. QB is the real question this year IMO and likely the difference between 8-4, 9-3, or 10-2 .

 

[Brave Volunteer]

Depth isn’t an issue because we have 82 guys instead of 85. If depth is an issue, it’s because guys 23-82 aren’t as good as they need to be. It’s not like we turned down 3 studs because we couldn’t find room.

Exactly right. I get so tired of hearing the scholarship limit excuse by fans. Thats ridiculous. 3 missing scholarships on an 85 man roster should be a drop in the bucket. If its impacting us that greatly, its as you said, because guys 23-82 arent good enough and that's on Huepel and his staff to find better players!

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Exactly right. I get so tired of hearing the scholarship limit excuse by fans. Thats ridiculous. 3 missing scholarships on an 85 man roster should be a drop in the bucket. If its impacting us that greatly, its as you said, because guys 23-82 arent good enough and that's on Huepel and his staff to find better players!

Well there are some fans who would excuse a UT coach for slapping the fans’ mothers and blame it on the previous coach, who they used to excuse for slapping their mothers. If there’s a reasonable excuse to make, they’ll find it. If there isn’t, they’ll find one anyway.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Good post. We will objectively be deeper and more talented as a team/roster than last season. That is a fact. I dont think the record will reflect it though because of QB and youth/inexperience at WR, Safety, and maybe LB.

This is the most talented team at UT in 20 years or more. Better than 50% bluechips for the 1st time since early 2000s. I think vegas is probably right as usual though. This is probably a 9-3 type year UNLESS whoever plays QB AND WR comes in and outperforms lasts years team. Then all bets are off and we can make the playoffs again at 10-2... I cant wait to find out. We have a LOT of talent at WR. They are just young and inexperienced. QB is the real question this year IMO and likely the difference between 8-4, 9-3, or 10-2 .

This simply is not the most talented team in 20 years. It isn’t even the most talented team in the past two years.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

This simply is not the most talented team in 20 years. It isn’t even the most talented team in the past two years.

Lol yeah I was wondering what roster he was looking at. Those two Josh Dobbs teams were more talented than this one.

 

[Proud Army Wife]

Listen I love the Vols and always will, but I’m not expecting much this season.

 

[vavolfan6]

I think our defense will take a small step back. Afterall we did lose a 1st and 2nd rd draft picks to the DLine. LB should be improved with more experience, but I'm not sure I am sold on the guys playing. Really like Edwin Spillman's potential so hopefully he gets more opportunities. Losing Jakobe Thomas at safety was a huge blow too. I feel we are one injury at DB from being really thin.

As for offense, we lost Dylan Sampson, the top RB in the SEC last year. Heupel is usually able to scheme up.a good rushing plan so I do expect to be able to replace 80-90% of the production with RB by committee. WR is unknown, but I like the upside of the room. OL should be slightly improved. We lost Cooper, Spraggins, and John Campbell. But we added 5* Sanders and some experience to the interior.

So for me outside of QB, we are slightly worse. But Aguilar could easily make up the difference by outperforming Nico. And if I were a betting man, I would bet on it to happen. Aguilar averaged 275 passing yards per game, which was good for 13th overall in FBS. Nico averaged 200 yards, which was skewed by throwing for 314 yards against Chattanooga. If Aguilar can split the difference and average 240 yards here it could really elevate the team.

Unfortunately we play Bama and Florida on the road, so even a slightly better team could still lose those games and end the season 9-3.