This may come as a shock but basketball, the SEC tournament and even March Madness, will have to compete for headlines. Football time in Tennessee is just a week away.

Expect progress but no miracles from spring practice. Things are going to be different, for sure. Some mornings may be downright exciting for participants. There will supposedly be more contact, best man wins. Fans will eagerly await reports, no matter how skimpy.

No matter how much improvement is made, it won’t miraculously erase the disappointments of 2025. It has been three months and nine days since Vanderbilt romped all over sacred Shields-Watkins Field, 579 yards of offense, Diego Pavia passing and running the Vols ragged and topping off his hot-dogging with put-down comments.

Bruises haven’t healed. Embarrassment remains.

Before the game, Pavia said “We can beat Tennessee literally any given Saturday.”

After the Commodores did it, on November 29, the talented quarterback said this is how it is going to be, folks, Vanderbilt is going to be the team in the great state of Tennessee.

Indeed, that was the final straw that broke Josh Heupel’s streak of never dismissing an assistant coach. All the bowl loss did was knock the record on down to 8-5.

Heupel’s reaction was emphatic. He spent what it cost ($1.2 million) to bring Derek Owings from national champion Indiana to Tennessee as strength and conditioning coach in charge of several other enhancements.

I believe Owings will make a difference. The Hoosiers thought he did.

Heupel hired Jim Knowles as the new defensive coordinator and made the very smart move of allowing him to choose his helpers. Knowles was one season at fragmented Penn State. Before that, he was a key part of the championship campaign at Ohio State. Before that, he made defenses better everywhere he had been.

Knowles brought coaches Anthony Poindexter and Andrew Jackson from Penn State. They know his philosophy and scheme and should speed up installation. The coordinator added 27-year coaching veteran Derek Jones from Virginia Tech. His roots include a decade and change with David Cutcliffe at Duke. Knowles and Jones worked together eight years.

Knowles asked legendary Vol line coach Rodney Garner and linebacker coach William Inge to stay. Heupel applauded. That decision helped keep the budget under control (you didn’t know there is a budget?).

Can Knowles and Garner function together? Of course. Garner has done what he does for nine different defensive coordinators in 30 years, at Georgia, Auburn and Tennessee.

Here’s where spring practice will get even more interesting: four defensive Nittany Lions transferred to Tennessee. They know what Knowles teaches – and expects.

Edge Chaz Coleman is the No. 1 name. Middle linebacker Amare Campbell led the Lions in tackles. Defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam should improve the regular rotation. Safety Dejuan Lane will help Coach Poindexter get his points across.

A key point from the co-defensive coordinator is toughness. He will emphasize decisive takedowns.

“We have to tackle,” Poindexter said. “We have to be really, really good tacklers. If we can tackle and the ball doesn’t go over our head, we will be alright.”

Tennessee as a team missed 147 tackles last season. Two safeties missed 31.

New faces will be all around. Edge rusher Jordan Norman came from Tulane. Auburn transfer Kayin Lee figures to win a cornerback job. Kansas State nickel Qua Moss and Michigan safety TJ Metcalf have high potential.

Say a prayer for new kicker Cooper Ranvier, transfer from Louisville. He’ll be under pressure to do what Max Gilbert didn’t get done.

Max missed just five field goals last season but his misses were costly. There was the game-winner at the end of regulation against Georgia – a kick that could have changed the season – and misses in losses to Oklahoma and Illinois, games decided by a combined eight points.

Ranvier was 21-of-25 for the Cardinals. He hit a 50-yarder to force overtime against Virginia. He made a 48-yarder in the upset at Miami. He hit all four against California. Alas, he is not a machine. He missed a fourth-quarter 50 in the loss to Clemson.

There are 11 other transfers and 24 recent signees, No. 8 class in the country.

I’ve delayed the fact that DeSean Bishop and 11 other Vols are returning starters from that very young 2025 team. And I almost reached the end without mentioning the obvious question: Who will play quarterback?

You know the choices: Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre, talented thin man, six-foot-six; Faizon Brandon, five-star signee, one of the best prospects in the country; and Ryan Staub, survivor of three seasons under Coach Prime at Colorado.

Answer: QB1 to be determined, maybe in August or September, before Game 4 against Texas.

No doubt you have analyzed the schedule, two purchased victories and 10 games that could go either way. Don’t let that scare you back to basketball, not yet.

Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com

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