Tennessee football is 103 days away. The too-early outlook is very confusing. Dedicated optimists have mentioned the playoffs. Realists are talking about 8-4. Self-appointed experts, paid to have opinions, are creating anxiety.
Insiders are supposedly full of information but my hearing is so bad, I can’t understand their whispers. I’m sure others, who say they have no clue, are telling the truth.
The hot-seat hints about Josh Heupel are a little surprising.
National analyst Joel Klatt foresees underachievement due to quarterback inexperience. Nothing new in that but you might wonder about coaching confidence when you consider the Vols’ two-week portal try for a big-time QB.
Paul Finebaum, No. 2 voice of the Southeastern Conference (Greg Sankey doesn’t do predictions) sees Heupel’s program on a downward trend.
“It feels like the Vols are going in the wrong direction. That should not happen, and it’s a very bad sign for a name-brand program.”
ESPN reminds us why Tim Banks got fired (Tennessee defense was 14th in the SEC last season). It ranks these Vols as the 25th best team in the country.
I do not expect a chorus of “We’re 25!” chants and cheers.
ESPN also asks a provocative question without offering an answer: “The rumblings in Knoxville have largely been limited to message board zealots, but what happens to Heupel if Tennessee falters with an inexperienced QB and a tough schedule, and ends up struggling to get to a bowl?”
CBS is talking in circles. Out of one side of its mouth, it has Tennessee going 7-5 – losing to Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas A&M and LSU. CBSSports.com ranks the Vols No. 17 among 138 teams, up 15 spots since January.
Vols Wire says 8-4. Vols are No. 20 in USA Today’s premature top 25, up four from January. Athlon magazine’s resident experts say 7.5 and 8.5 victories. That sounds a lot like what the big and booming gambling industry is saying. FanDuel opened over-under at 6.5 but had to raise it to 7.5. That’s what BetMGM said all along.
Strangely enough, there are believers in playoff possibilities. Ex-Vol Kevin Simon, on the Sports Source, said 9-3. On3’s JD PicKell talks as if the Vols could be a “tougher out” than many expect. He notes that three really big games are at Neyland Stadium.
Home field advantage used to mean something. The Vols went 1-3 against SEC foes last fall on Shields-Watkins Field. Lest you forget, one of those setbacks was the absolute rout inflicted by Vanderbilt. No, I’m not over it.
Vol fans who tell me what they think are pleasantly positive, well, at least lukewarm. One of the plus points is 12 returning starters. A balancing negative is those returnees are from a very ordinary team.
It may have been worse than ordinary. The seven significant opponents the ‘25 Volunteers defeated had a combined record of 27-57.
Those Vols scored three more points against SEC foes than they gave up. They were some better than expected on offense and far worse on defense.
Optimism? I am hearing that one or both young quarterbacks will be better than Joey Aguilar. I’ll believe that if I see it three Saturdays in a row in October.
Tennessee last year was the only team in the nation to produce three receivers with more than 750 yards each. Joey had something to do with that.
The general consensus is the offensive line will be better. The best explanation is the linemen will be a year older. It may help that David Sanders is now at left tackle where he wanted to be. Lance Heard didn’t want to switch positions. That unrest and more money were among the reasons he transferred to Kentucky.
I thought the line underperformed in the more challenging second half of last season. Heupel never said that. Coach Glen Elarbee got a three-year contract extension. He did not receive a raise. He is getting by on $900,000.
Nobody has said out loud that running back DeSean Bishop will be better than 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was among the SEC leaders with 5.91 yards per carry. Somebody has listed DeSean as a Heisman Trophy longshot.
Javin Gordon, imported from Tulane, may emerge as RB2 and share the gains.
Chris Brazzell, SEC receiving leader, went more professional. Slot Braylon Staley remains a plus. You are supposed to accept as fact that wideout Mike Matthews will drop fewer passes.
Of necessity, somebody will replace Brazzell. Take your pick: Radarious Jackson or Travis Smith could claim the position. TK Keys, arguably the No. 1 receiver in his recruiting class, was gimpy and didn’t do much in spring practice. He looks much better now.
It is significant that Tennessee did not go fishing for a star catcher in the transfer portal. It did, thankfully, add a tight end.
Vol fans are saying the defense is certain to be better. That’s one way of saying it can’t be worse. It was 92nd nationally. Tennessee as a team missed 147 tackles last season.
New coordinator Jim Knowles and hand-picked assistants Anthony Poindexter, Derek Jones and Andrew Jackson are supposed to produce improvement. I think it is good to have some continuity — Rodney Garner and William Inge.
Middle linebacker Amare Campbell will be the on-the-field extension of Knowles. Assuming Arion Carter recovers from foot problems, linebacker will be the best fortified position. The secondary has a favorable projection because of transfers and Ty Redmond’s development.
Fans concede the defensive front does not appear as strong as it has been. That is not comforting. Edge Chaz Coleman, No. 1 name among transfers, is a puzzle. He might play and make a big difference or he might not play for undisclosed personal reasons.
One fan is searching for a patch of four-leaf clover and other good-luck omens. New kicker Cooper Ranvier, transfer from Louisville, will be under pressure to do what Max Gilbert didn’t get done.
An overall optimistic outlook does not match the schedule. Nine league games include all the big boys except Georgia.
Vanderbilt might be over-confident. Auburn and Kentucky are supposed to be better with new coaches. As we have learned, anything can happen at Arkansas and South Carolina. Don’t misidentify Georgia Tech as a pushover.
Does degree of difficulty, stumbling blocks and fan outlook pour more heat on Heupel? Better team? Tougher schedule? Worse record? What say you?
Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com
