Tennessee Vols – John Jancek Building Something Special?

60,000 plus Tennessee Vols faithful left Neyland Stadium Saturday impressed after the last snap of the Orange and White Game. Most were impressed with Josh Dobbs and how good he looked commanding the offense.

Others were excited about seeing the two young running backs Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara take the field together. Still, more wanted to see how the banged up receiving corp looked without North and Croom on the field. And don’t forget those that came to see if the offensive line has improved as much as the Tennessee coaching staff thinks they have.

It is only natural for fans to want to see where the scoring is going to come from next season. The Vols are talented on offense there is no doubt. But something else is happening in Knoxville. And it is not on the offensive side of the ball.

Defensive Coordinator John Jancek is assembling a very talented bunch of young men on the defensive side. It has been a while since Tennessee has played “Tennessee” style defense. The team improved significantly last season over Jancek’s first season. But there is big time need for improvement.

Tennessee still gave up on average 23.9 points per game. To give you an example of where that stands, that was 9th best in the SEC.  Ole Miss gave up 13.8, LSU 16.4, Alabama 16.6, Mississippi State 19.4, Arkansas 20.3, Florida 21.2, Georgia 21.3, and Missouri 21.4. The Vols must improve in this category to beat rivals Georgia and Florida this season. And they can.

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Jancek is developing depth quickly. The defensive line looks to be a strength on Rocky Top next season. The Vols return virtually everyone. It will be anchored by Freshman All American Derek Barnett and All SEC selection Curt Maggitt. These guys are really good at getting up field and pressuring the quarterback. They also both play exceptional containment and run defense.

Then you have the bigs still around. Owen Williams and Danny O’Brien played a lot last season, and they played well. They did not have the luxury of a depth chart so to speak, and had to play too many snaps as a defensive lineman in the SEC. This season they will have a few others that saw meaningful snaps. Kendall Vickers had a great spring and looks ready to contend for time. Trevarris Saulsberry should be ready to go to give the Vols needed help. Corey Vereen is could have an outstanding season as well opposite Barnett.

But the young guns could make the difference. Vol Fans were impressed with Shy Tuttle this past week. He has a big frame and a strong motor. Kyle Phillips may be ready to go as a freshman. He has ridiculous speed and strength for a freshman, and may be one of the best to come to Knoxville in a long time. Add Andrew Butcher in the mix as well. This kid gets after it. Then sprinkle in the best incoming freshman in the country, Khalil McKenzie. McKenzie is a beast, and I do not see how Tennessee will keep him off of the field this season. He will be an impact player. So the Line is set!

The secondary may be as talented as I have seen in a long time at Tennessee. Cam Sutton is a shut down corner that will play in the NFL some day. Emmanuel Moseley is press corner Sophomore coming off of a great freshman campaign. The Safeties are pretty well set with Brian Randolph and either Todd Kelly, Jr or LaDarrell McNeal starting. All five of these guys will be on the field at once several times when the Vols go Nickel. And they will play a lot of Nickel due to the fact that the Linebacking position will be a tad weak.

Now here is the interesting part. You have the most improved player in the spring that wants to see the field. Rashaan Gaulden can play anywhere in the secondary. He is a ball hawk and a fearless tackler. He hurt his hand and was in a cast for the Orange and white game. Evan Berry and Malik Foreman had a great spring and could play for any team in the SEC in the secondary.

Now add incoming newcomers CB’s Justin Martin, Darrell Miller and Micah Abernathy and you have incredible depth. Not just depth, but talented depth. As in there won’t be a tremendous drop off. That is unbelievable as a Tennessee fan. Just think how bare the cupboard was a few seasons back.

Now moving to linebacker it gets a tad tricky. Jancek has a great one in Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Reeves-Maybin will pick up the slack left by one of the most prolific tacklers in Tennessee linebacking history which was AJ Johnson. Reeves-Maybin can be just as good and much better in pass coverage.

Then you have Senior Chris Weatherd who will play the weak side linebacker. Weatherd is fast and gets to the ball carrier quick, but he can find himself out of position just simply due to lack of SEC experience. Sophomore Dillon Bates and Junior Kenny Bynum will battle it out for middle linebacker duties. Bynum has about 25 pounds on Bates at the moment, and seems to be ready to make that position his, but Bates is just so smart and so fast that he will be tough to beat. Look for Sophomore Gavin Bryant, who can flat out play, to throw his hat in the ring here too.

As far experience goes that is about it. Tennessee will rely on newcomers Darrin Kirkland, Jr and Quart’e Sapp to provide depth along with  Sophomore Elliot Berry who is making strides as well. There is certainly talent here, but not quite the numbers you would like to have at a position that takes a beating week in and week out in the SEC. Think about it. Tennessee will face hard nosed, physical running teams Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas this season. That is a tough group to face for the front seven.

Suffice it to say that this should be a shining year for the Big Orange Defense. They have another year under their belt in the Jancek system, and those that played last year should play even faster this season. It is going to be fun to watch. He is assembling something special.