Yes – Tennessee Vols Can Contend For SEC East
With SEC Media Days beginning tomorrow one of the big questions that will be put to Tennessee Vols Head Coach Butch Jones is “Can Tennessee contend in the SEC East”. It will be asked early and often. Expectations for the 2015 Vols campaign are high, and they should be.
So save the questions and use common sense. Yes, they can contend and they will contend. The Vols are still young. There is no question. Tennessee started the 2014 season as one of the top 7 most inexperienced and young football teams in the NCAA. The Vols showed growing pains early, but rebounded when Josh Dobbs took over the reigns at Quarterback. The Vols trounced Iowa in the Taxslayer Bowl to show that this team is indeed maturing. Somewhat…
The Vols inexperienced offensive line will still be an issue, but not nearly as big as last season. The Vols O-Line looked somewhat lost early on, especially in the Oklahoma loss in Norman. QB Justin Worley took more shots than Rocky Balboa in an Apollo Creed bout. The Vols had not solidified the line, and it was obvious that the starting Freshman had not seen speed off of the edge like that yet.
Fast forward to the end of the season. The Vols offensive line played well down the stretch. QB Josh Dobbs took pressure off of that line by executing the zone read perfectly. No longer could defenses pin their ears back and key on Jalen Hurd. They had to respect the fact that Dobbs could hurt them with his legs as well. This gave the offensive line help in a big way.
These guys went through the battles last season and will be much better for it this season. The left Tackle spot will be crucial. Can Dontavius Blair live up to expectations finally and make this his spot? That is a legitimate question that should be directed at Jones.. Mack Crowder at Center, Jashon Robertson at Right Guard, and Kyler Kerbyson at Right Tackle will be a good SEC caliber line. Robertson (out of Nashville’s Montgomery Bell Academy) is a star in the making. Marcus Jackson will start at Left Guard.
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Tennessee can win with this line. The offensive backfield is ridiculous. Jalen Hurd looked faster and bigger in the Spring. He is as good as it gets in the NCAA. Add Alvin Kamara and now you have arguably one of the best one-two punches in the SEC. They can run around you, over you, and catch the ball out of the backfield. It is almost no fair to put Hurd one on one with a corner after throwing the ball to him out of the backfield. I would take that match up any day.
The defensive side is as solid as Tennessee has been since the Fulmer days. This influx of incoming Freshman Khalil McKenzie, Kyle Phillips and Shy Tuttle added to returning All SEC Freshman Derek Barnett will make this one of the best Defensive Lines Tennessee has seen in a while. They should be solid against the run, and will be able to put pressure on the quarterbacks at will.
The linebackers are solid, but maybe a little under sized. Jalen Reeves-Maybin is the next defensive star at Tennessee. Add Curt Maggit who can line up at Defensive End as well and you have a one man wrecking crew coming off of the edge. The problem for opposing offenses is you have Barnett coming off of the opposing edge. Supplement that with linebacker Chris Weatherd and it looks like an SEC Title Contender.
The defensive backfield is loaded. It will be led by Junior Corner Cameron Sutton and Senior Safety Brian Randolph. Emmanuel Moseley and Todd Kelly, Jr will be great as well. Rashaan Gaulden has made a big move and will get plenty of playing time. Depth is great in the defensive backfield and there will not be much of a drop off if a starter goes down. Justin Martin out of Overton High School will be spectacular when his time comes as well.
Going back to offense, the receiving corp is really good. They had a bad year last season. Injuries plagued this talented group of receivers. Marquez North, Josh Smith, Jason Croom, and Von Pearson were all banged up last season at some point. Only Pig Howard stayed healthy as a starter. Howard became Tennessee’s playmaker. He snagged everything in sight in close quarters last season, and was incredible in yards after the catch. He may not be as heralded as North and Pearson, but believe me when I say the NFL is taking notice of Pig Howard.
The season will go as usual. It will revolve around a quarterback. For the first time since Tyler Bray the Vols will return a starter from last season’s team. Josh Dobbs is the man on The Hill. Not only is Dobbs one of the smartest young men in the NCAA, he is also rising up the boards as one of the top returning Quarterbacks as well. Josh has matured on the football field.
Dobbs has become the leader of this team. He has improved in every aspect of his game. He throws well at all levels on the field. He can go over the top on you, or he can go underneath. He has good foot speed when running, and he has great decision making skills running the zone read. He makes everyone better on the offensive side of the ball. They “Key” to the season will be to KEEP DOBBS HEALTHY. If he stays healthy, the Vols will be at the top of the SEC East. If not, it will be tough to win with a Freshman Quarterback. That will be Quenten Dormady. Dormady is extremely talented, but it is tough to throw a kid that was at the Prom a few months back into the mix against Florida, Georgia or Alabama.
So save your breath asking whether Tennessee can contend. The answer is yes.