Tennessee Volunteer Men’s Athletics – Year In Review
The Tennessee Volunteer athletics had a good year overall in 2014. Here is a quick review of top three programs at Tennessee.
Football – Butch Jones’ team 117 did not reach bowl eligibility in 2013, so the Vols started 2014 at home. A year later, team 118 is sitting on the beach of Jacksonville, Florida awaiting to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Tennessee is a favorite to win the Taxslayer Bowl on Friday. What a difference a year makes; and a recruiting class makes as well.
Coach Jones got the year off to a great start with a top 5 recruiting class for the Vols. Players like Derek Barnett, Jalen Hurd, Jashon Robertson, and Josh Malone solidified a solid in-state recruiting class and helped Tennessee to a 6-6 record. The “high” of the season came as quarterback Josh Dobbs led Tennessee to a overtime win over Steve Spurrier in Columbia, South Carolina.
2014 has been good for the 2015 recruiting class as well. Tennessee again has a top 5 class led by the number one player in the country, Vol legacy Khalil McKenzie. The Vols look to be as serious contender for the SEC East title in 2015. They have 2014 to thank for it.
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Basketball – It was a strange year for Men’s basketball. Head Coach Cuonzo Martin led the Vols to a Sweet 16 birth and a 24-13 overall record. Tennessee beat Iowa, UMass, and Mercer in the NCAA Tournament before losing a close fought game to Michigan in the Sweet 16, 73-71.
Tennessee underachieved so much during the regular season that fans circulated a petition to fire Cuonzo. The team righted itself and made a statement during the tournament. After the season Cuonzo accepted the California Head Coaching Position leaving athletic director Dave Hart in a tough position.
Tennessee lost Jarnell Stokes to the NBA and a mass exodus followed after Cuonzo left. Hart went out and got Southern Miss coach Donnie Tyndall to lead the program. Donnie has an exciting style of basketball and currently has the Vols sitting at 8-4 on the season. Tennessee is 7-0 at home. Josh Richardson and Armani Moore lead the Vols now. Newcomers Kevin Punter and Devon Baulkman are shooting the lights out for the new look Vols as well. The program is under a bit of a cloud as recruiting improprieties at Southern Miss have surfaced. It is implied that Tyndall may have known about these. If so, Hart will have to make a decision on Tyndall’s future as a Vol. This team will make some noise in a down SEC, but will not be a threat to make the NCAA tournament in my opinion. They just do not have the size to compete this year.
Baseball – Tennessee made strides on the diamond this season, but still not where head coach Dave Serrano wants to be. Serrano finished his third season at Tennessee with a win-loss record of 31-23 including a 12-18 SEC record. Believe it or not, that is progress for this team. The Vols actually made it to the SEC tournament for the first time since 2007. Serrano has strung three top 20 recruiting classes together on the Hill, and it is starting to show. His present class is ranked 12th nationally. He is simply getting the job done.
Serrano’s best weapon on the team is his own son. Kyle Serrano has been dubbed the 16th best prospect in the upcoming baseball draft. Kyle has had success on the mound for the Vols, and he looks to continue that success this season. The Vols feature one of the best catchers in the SEC in Nick Senzel. Senzel had a great Freshman year in 2014, and was named to the All SEC Freshman Team. Outfielder Christin Stewart was named to the All SEC team as well in his Sophomore year.
Look for the Vols to return to the SEC tournament in 2015. It will not be a one and done stay like 2014, but 2014 will again prove as the springboard for the Basevols resurgence to the top. Tennessee has way too many good players in the State for this program to not be winning consistently. Serrano is doing a better job of getting those kids to Tennessee, but the Mid State area needs to be recruited heavier by the Vols.