Before we get this under way, these are just my impressions based on reports from practice and what I've seen on film. There's going to be jockeying as far as the depth chart is concerned, there's always the possibility of injuries, and everyone has limits on their access to practices. don't take any of this as gospel truth. It's one man's opinions based on what he's seen.
As an overall impression, this team is physically more imposing than they have been in the past several seasons. While the freshmen showing up looking the part is a credit to the recruiting, the overall physical improvement of the team is a testament to the work of Craig Fitzgerald and his staff. That's not to say Tennessee is going to get off the bus and look like Alabama, but they won't be getting off the bus against a Kentucky looking out of place anymore.
The team also looks faster and more agile out there. Although they obviously had a fairly impactful injury that they are having to deal with, otherwise the team simply looks bigger, faster, more physical, more flexible, and less likely to become excessively injury-prone than they were at times in the past.
Things at quarterback are both somewhat settled and also very much competitive as well. There is no question of the starter for the Vols. Jarrett Guarantano has that job firmly locked down and no one is remotely close to challenging him. Not only is this team, but he is a clear leader out there and has become more vocal in that role. The competition is between JT Shrout and Brian Maurer for the backup job, and as such the two of them are getting additional reps in practice that Guarantano is less in need of. They need to identify a backup quarterback who can step in if needed. Now, before you think Guaratano isn't out there throwing passes, that isn't the case. He's just throwing fewer than Shrout and Maurer.
When it comes to the running backs, it's not a crowded room, but it's a talented one. Carlin Fils-aime is still working on recovering from a spring injury and has yet to return to full contact, which is bad news from a depth perspective but is good news for freshman Eric Gray, who is able to get in more reps as a consequence. This has allowed Gray to make himself part of the conversation to make an immediate impact at running back this season. Jeremy Banks is absolutely a running back now after some shuffling back and forth during his freshman season, and he's by far the biggest of the backs out there. He has spent a fair amount of time working on the fumbling issues that plagued him at times during his freshman campaign, and at least through spring and now it appears to largely be behind him. Fans pretty much know what they have in Ty Chandler and Tim Jordan, although I've gotten at least some indication that Jordan has taken a step forward in his decisiveness and footwork while Chandler has added strength to better run between the tackles. This group should be a strength of the team if they can get some help from the offensive line.
The wide receivers are everything fans expected them to be and maybe actually better than anticipated. While everyone knows how good Marquez Callaway and Jauan Jennings are from their career exploits, Josh Palmer's productive season last year left fans hopeful he would take another step forward. Well, that certainly seems to be the case. Physically he looks NFL ready, and he's been playing the part in camp so far as well. Brandon Johnson is having probably his best offseason so far in Knoxville, and Jordan Murphy continues to display the blazing speed he brings to the table. Tyler Byrd has returned to making circus catches, and now the group is also getting some exciting catches in camp from redshirt freshman Cedric Tillman and true freshman Ramel Keyton. I genuinely think this is a group with the potential to see all eight receivers I've named get some play in big-time moments, but for certain the top six will get the bulk of the work. With several seniors in the mix, they are playing for a rookie contract now.
At tight end, Dominick Wood-Anderson is everything fans hoped he would be. That's good news. The less awesome news is that it's still unclear if someone is close to taking the reins hind him. For a few practices, Jacob Warren was getting run alongside him. Other times, it has been Jackson Lowe. Warren and Austin Pope don't have their heads swimming quite like Lowe and fellow true freshman Sean Brown. Princeton Fant seems likely to be a candidate for the H-back/fullback role largely held last season by Pope, although Pope and walk-on Andrew Craig are also guys in that mix. There's plenty of talent here. They just need to figure out how the rest of this group shakes out.
The offensive line is obviously the most closely watched group on the practice field right now. Tennessee cannot afford the struggles of the last two seasons from the group again. The good news is that they look bigger and better overall. The bad news is they are still trying to figure out what the starting five might look like. They have about ten guys they are currently focusing on in order to sort out a pecking order, and honestly last year they didn't have that many, so they are already in good shape. Add in that they aren't even fully healthy on the offensive line yet, with Trey Smith still trying to sort out his status as well as Ollie Lane and Chris Akporoghene mainly working with the strength staff and the staff has options. They just need to sort out the status of Smith and find a starting five. I expect the line to be better; I'm just not sure how much better yet.
Losing Emmit Gooden isn't good news and nobody is ever going to suggest that it is. If there is a silver lining to it, it is that Gooden will be back next year and part of a much more experienced defensive line. However, I'm significantly less doom and gloom about the development than some have been. The defensive line is deeper this season, and more guys look ready to play at this level. The idea of having a three-deep and actually using it isn't as far-fetched as it was a year ago. Gooden is a hit as far as experience in SEC games is concerned, but it's not a crippling injury, in part due to the addition of Savion Williams, Darel Middleton, and Elijah Simmons as well as the continued development of Kingston Harris, Matthew Butler, and Greg Emerson. The defensive line won't be Alabama or Georgia good, but they should be good enough to allow the linebackers to handle the edge-rushing while they push from the interior and give the secondary the help they need to defend the pass. Also, like everyone else, this group is bigger, stronger, and faster so they are ready to hold their own against the run as well. The biggest thing here is the same as at tight end and offensive line: establishing a pecking order.
Will Ignont and Daniel Bituli have both had some maintenance days and are being managed as both are fairly important to the success of the defense. Since the pads went on, maintenance days are rolling back around for certain key players again. This has enabled Henry To'o To'o to get some running time with the ones, and he's certainly right there in the mix to be the first man up behind Bituli and Ignont. Shanon Reid is also very much in the mix inside, and JJ Peterson has been settling in and having better practices after a rough first few days. Solon Page is still on the thin side but also looks the part and is a solid candidate for the third Will linebacker. Outside, things have pretty well established themselves regarding a starting duo there as well with Darrell Taylor and Deandre Johnson looking more or less locked into the top spots. Kivon Bennett has certainly established himself as the #2 behind Johnson and his most likely challenger if one should emerge. Exciting freshmen Roman Harrison and Quavaris Crouch have both looked good out there and are physically well-along, but they are also freshmen going through their first camps and are trying to grasp all the new concepts. Jordan Allen is working to get back out there and he could be a factor for a #2 job once he does.
There's not a ton of drama in the secondary, and this looks to be right there with wide receiver for the greatest strength of the roster. However, the injury bug has been keeping Baylen Buchanan out of practices, and that means the staff needs to identify who will fill in while he remains unavailable. Depth at safety gives the staff a number of options to shift down there, including possibly senior safety and presumed starter Nigel Warrior, which would likely bump freshman Jaylen McCollough into the starting role. This is less of a concern and more of a minor nuisance. While the top three corners are pretty well settled with Bryce Thompson, Alontae Taylor, and freshman Warren Burrell, there is an opportunity as the fourth corner in the rotation. Candidates right now would appear to include Kenney Solomon, Kenneth George Jr., Jerrod Means, and Cheyenne Labruzza. No one has separated themselves yet, but my guess would be George if he can pick back up where he left off this spring when he was emerging before an off-field incident.
Nobody ever sees the specialists doing work, so I can't offer much here beyond saying that this should be a reasonably strong group as a whole.
I'm feeling fairly good about the team and where they're at right now, and I'm potentially going to land on being a bit higher on them than some of the media will be. Some of that is faith in the team and staff, but also a big factor in my thoughts on that front are some key potential weaknesses in some of the Vols opponents in 2019. No, it doesn't feel like '98, but it might be feeling a bit like 2015, and for now that's big after 9-15 the last two seasons.
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