Will we have enough players to field a team?

#51
#51
In modern college football with the portal it's tough to say what everyone's roster is going to look like at this point. Right now, though, we lost arguably our best player on offense (Eric Gray) and our best player on defense (Henry T). We also lost two of our top signees (Dylan Brooks and Cody Brown). We further lost 2 other players who were good enough to transfer to Oklahoma, 1 to Texas A&M, 1 to Miami and 1 to North Carolina. We lost probably a dozen other players who were depth pieces at best. Then we have the 4 suspensions, who I suspect we'll get back.

All in all we'll have plenty of players to field a team but I think 6-6 would be a solid performance by this crowd. While we may have more talent on paper than Kentucky and Missouri, with both games being on the road and having new systems on both sides of the ball, I don't expect to win those games. Kentucky beat the crap out of us last year and Stoops develops players and their program has been much more stable for their players. Missouri found their QB after we played them and closed out strong. It'll be an uphill battle over there. Obviously I'm not expecting to beat Bama, Florida or Georgia. I don't expect to beat Ole Miss either. Kiffin's offense will be a well oiled machine in year 2. Even if we put up some points I don't expect to stop them enough to win. Our defense, on paper, is in worse shape than our offense.

The most honest and realistic assessment I’ve seen. Well done.
 
#52
#52
Sounds good. Lucky for you I’m a cheap date these days. Seriously though, why do think 6-6 is such a reach? The reason I think we can get there is because I think we absolutely underachieved on the offensive side of the football last season. I know it’s a new system, but I think we can put together some points with whoever the qb will be and our group of wideouts . I’m actually pretty high on the running back group too. I see us getting Vandy and USCjr and a tossup with UK could us to 7.
. The amount of depth is probaly my biggest concern along with all the key players transferring out plus the transition to a new coaching staff and offense. I hope you are right though and we can get to 6 or 7 wins that would be a very solid first season for Heupel considering what he is walking into.
 
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#55
#55
Were you born on third base and thought you hit a triple? Where do you think a 3-7 team that was cheating to get 3 wins starts? It ain't 6 wins I'll tell you. Do we really have to hit rock bottom before some fans recognize where the program is?
All teams have forms of payments to players.
Had we enjoyed our cupcakes in 2020, our record would be 6-6.
My reply to the poster was that nobody is impressed with meaningless wins and our talent is lower level.
I was impressed with your outdated sports cliché about being born on third base.
I bet it made you feel good to get to use it on the forum.
 
#57
#57
Think Heupel is looking at the roster and seeing the prospects of trying to put a square peg in a round hole. The roster isn't built for what he wants to do. It's likely going to be a balancing act. Take the parts that do fit, add transfers then hope you can take what's left and mold it to allow it to help. If we make a bowl game this coming season, I'll consider it a tremendous success by this staff. And if we're entertaining to watch as well, I'd have to consider him SEC coach of the year material.

I can't count how many times that I have heard every member of this coaching staff say that they will assess their talent and scheme and call plays to their abilities. This is something that Pruitt did not do. He was very upfront in saying he was going to install his systems and recruit to it. He installed Alabama's defense and a Pro Spread , both of which we were light years away from a recruiting perspective.

CJHs offense uses TE/H role , which can be uses as a FB which brings a legit power running game. They will use 3 receivers and a single back with the H as a fourth receiver or FB.. It is very multiple and can got with any personnel grouping. Since it is so multiple , they could go with an "air raid " approach , or balanced , or power run heavy .

So this offense differs greatly from what you have seen out of other spreads in that it is not philosophically locked into a singular scheme or system ( Chip Kelly Oregon ) . It is standard fair football that they run aggressively and fast ...but they dont have to run it that way. It is very similar to the Al Saunders offense that Cutcliffe used only with tempo and a pistol run set and H back rather than under center QB and knuckle down traditional TE.

Sp there is no "square peg" issue here. We have the talent to run some iteration of this offense
 
#58
#58
If vandy and wake forest can field teams, then we can field a team. And if not, I smell a lifetime movie special about open tryouts and a miracle walk-on!
 
#61
#61
With all the transfers and players that were released after signing their letters. Do we have enough to be competitive?
Field a team? Yes.

Be competitive? Meh... doesn't really matter given all that has happened. It is a favorable schedule, though. Depends on who you expect to be competitive with.
 
#63
#63
All teams have forms of payments to players.
Had we enjoyed our cupcakes in 2020, our record would be 6-6.
My reply to the poster was that nobody is impressed with meaningless wins and our talent is lower level.
I was impressed with your outdated sports cliché about being born on third base.
I bet it made you feel good to get to use it on the forum.

Not my first rodeo.

I can cliche all day.
 
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#64
#64
Enough to field a team? Yes

Enough to be competitive? Doubtful against the SEC (other than Vandy).

Good News. If we get in a number pinch, there are several ex HS players in the fraternities, and a few guys in the local homeless shelters that know Cat starts with a C. Now, a few of them don't smell so good, but put them on the D line. Nobody will want to run through them.
 
#67
#67
My sources are telling me most likely, maybe, & maybe not especially when comparing future potential competitiveness to recent competitiveness. 50/50 right now as to whether the AD just cancels the season to save face however that situation is fluid and if things go south, north, east, or west the direction of the program could change. I trust my sources and they said I will get more texts about it soon but won't be able to check my blackberry until after I come out of a business meeting.
 
#68
#68
Just as we saw when Kiffin was here with the O line and going back to Fulmer with the walk on RB that Trooper Taylor said would be the starter, there are enough walk-ons to field a team. Even SMU had enough when they came back from the death penalty.
 
#74
#74
Does anyone know for sure how many we have on scholly right now? I saw someone wrote 70. 70 is not great but it is only 15 down and we should be able to cover that with the portal.

I agree we are, yet again, in complete rebuild mode. By perseverance the snail reached the Ark.
 
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#75
#75
In looking at the scholarship distribution on GoVols247 and subtracting the players I know are gone, I count about 83 players on scholarship, plus we have only used 20 out of 25 for the 2021 class. Using those 5 would put us at 88, which is 3 over the limit. I may have counted a couple of players I wasn't sure of, but I did not count anyone in the portal and I did not count DeAngelo Gibbs as I don't know his status.
Tennessee 2021 Football ScholarshipDistribution
 

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