NighthawkVol
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2007
- Messages
- 11,624
- Likes
- 41,184
...as well as my thoughts on Tennessee's 2024 outlook.
That was a great way to finish the season. No, Iowa isn't great, but they did play in the B1G championship game and they do have an outstanding defense. I expected a win, but not one that dominant. Nobody did to Iowa what Tennessee did yesterday (including #1 Michigan)...and that was with Milton, Wright, Small, Spraggins, Campbell, Bru, Thornton, Hadden, Slaughter, etc. all out.
Thoughts:
-As most have said, Nico looked good. He was in control the whole game. He managed the game exceptionally well for a freshman in his first start against a top 5 defense. There were times he held the ball too long, but that's to be expected from a freshman in his first start. He'll correct that. It will also help that he'll have much better WRs in 2024. Bru, Brazzell, Thornton, and probably Matthews will figure heavily into the 2024 plans...none were on the field yesterday. WRs didn't get good separation. Obviously, Keyton's issues have been discussed. That position will be an upgrade in 2024.
-Loved to see the running QB element back. Nico can really scoot. That element will do wonders for our offense in 2024. So will going fast again, which was also nice to see.
-The offensive line left a lot to be desired. The good news is, Spraggins and Campbell were out, so that was a big part of it. But the OTs didn't play well in pass protection. Davis particularly got whipped a lot, but Mincey got beat a couple times as well. Hopefully, that was because he's banged up some. Oline is the biggest area that needs to develop in the offseason. Three of the starting positions are in really good shape: Campbell, Mays, and Spraggins. I really hope Karic can add weight and strength to get better. I really hope Mincey can put it together to reach his ceiling (which is high). And I hope guys like Umarov, Grant, Lang, and Reddick can take the next step to provide depth. Random thought: I wonder if Davis might be the answer at LG? His biggest weakness is his feet, which aren't quick enough to be an SEC OT, but would be just fine as a Guard. He has the strength and run blocking ability that Karic doesn't yet.
-Dylan Sampson ran well, but the other parts of his game need work. He has to get better in pass protection. He dropped a shovel pass that would've been a huge gain and was a great call. But he's so dynamic as a runner. He gets yards that aren't there, squeezes through the tiniest of holes, and has more power than one would expect.
-I also liked what I saw from Seldon. He still runs a little high at times, but an offseason with Jerry Mack will really improve him. Look how much better Jaylen Wright became after his freshman year. If Seldon makes a similar jump, he'll be a stud.
-Tyre West showed out. He'll be better than Baron next year. And he's bigger, so he gives us a better DE against the run...more of an every down SDE.
-James Pearce might be an All American next year. If he stay healthy and focused, it'll be his last at UT. Day 1 pick. I can't wait to see what kind of player he becomes.
-I'm actually excited about our 2024 defense. The DLine will be stacked. Pili coming back, Carter, and Telander making a 2nd year jump, and a much more athletic back end means Banks can run the defense he wants to run.
-Perhaps my biggest criticism is the lack of PT for freshman DBs. When it was 28-0 and GJL is still in there, Jaylen McCollough is still in there, I was a little ticked. Conyer and Matthews should have played the whole 4th quarter. I hope Heupel addresses this with Banks and Martinez.
-Jourdon Thomas is going to be a stud next year. He'll be the best Star we've had under Banks. Better than Theo. Wonder if that bumps Boo to Safety.
Here's my depth chart going into spring. I have most of the freshmen (not all) at or near the bottom until they earn their way up some, so take that with a grain of salt. Some will. Also, you'll notice GJL is still on here as CB. I've left guys on the chart who haven't announced (or opted out of the bowl game). I'm assuming they're Vols until they ain't (even though I think GJL is likely gone):
QB- Nico Iamaleava (RSFr.), Jake Merklinger (Fr.), Gaston Moore (RSSr.)*
RB- Dylan Sampson (Jr.), Cameron Seldon (So.), Peyton Lewis (Fr.), Khalifa Keith (RSFr.), DeSean Bishop (RSFr.)*
WR- Chris Brazzell (RSSo.), Dont’e Thornton (Sr.), Kaleb Webb (RSSo.)
WR- Bru McCoy (RSSr.), Mike Matthews (Fr.), Nathan Leacock (RSFr.)
WR- Squirrel White (Jr.), Chas Nimrod (RSSo.), Braylon Staley (Fr.), Nate Spillman (RSFr.)
TE- Holden Staes (Jr.), Ethan Davis (RSFr.), Cole Harrison (Fr.), Emmanuel Okoye (RSFr.)
RT- Gerald Mincey (RSSr.), Shamurad Umarov (RSFr.), Dayne Davis (RSSr.), Larry Johnson, III (RSJr.)
RG- Javontez Spraggins (Sr.), Ayden Bussell (RSFr.), Gage Ginther (Fr.)
C- Cooper Mays (Sr.), Vysen Lang (RSFr.), William Satterwhite (Fr.)
LG- Andrej Karic (Sr.), Jackson Lampley (RSSr.), Masai Reddick (RSSo.), Max Anderson (Fr.)
LT- John Campbell (RSSr.), Brian Grant (RSSo.), Bennett Warren (Fr.), Jesse Perry (Fr.)
SDE- Tyre West (Jr.), Dominic Bailey (RSSr.), Tyree Weathersby (RSFr.), Carson Gentle (Fr.), Kellen Lindstrom (Fr.)
DT- Omar Norman-Lott (Sr.), Bryson Eason (RSSr.), Daevin Hobbs (So.), Trevor Duncan (RSFr.), Jamal Wallace (Jr.)
DT- Omari Thomas (Sr.), Elijah Simmons (RSSr.), Jayson Jenkins (RSSo.), Nathan Robinson (RSFr.), Jeremias Heard (Fr.)
LEO- James Pearce (Jr.), Joshua Josephs (Jr.), Caleb Herring (RSFr.), Chandavian Bradley (RSFr.), Jordan Ross (Fr.)
MIKE- Keenan Pili (RSSr.), Jeremiah Telendar (So.), Edwin Spillman (Fr.)
WLB- Arion Carter (So.), Elijah Herring (Jr.), Kaleb Perry (Jr.), Jalen Smith (RSFr.), Jordan Burns (Fr.)
LCB- Jermod McCoy (So.), Kaleb Beasley (Fr.), Marcus Goree (Fr.)
RCB- Rickey Gibson (RSFr.), Jordan Matthews (RSFr.), Chrsitian Harrison (RSSo.)
NB- Jourdan Thomas (Jr.), Boo Carter (Fr.), Christian Conyer (RSFr.)
S- Jakobe Thomas (Jr.), John Slaughter (RSFr.)
S- Andre Turrentine (RSJr.), Christian Charles (RSJr.), Edrees Farooq (Fr.)
K- JT Carver (RSJr.) *
P- Jackson Ross (RSSo.)
*non-scholarship player
81 on scholarship
That was a great way to finish the season. No, Iowa isn't great, but they did play in the B1G championship game and they do have an outstanding defense. I expected a win, but not one that dominant. Nobody did to Iowa what Tennessee did yesterday (including #1 Michigan)...and that was with Milton, Wright, Small, Spraggins, Campbell, Bru, Thornton, Hadden, Slaughter, etc. all out.
Thoughts:
-As most have said, Nico looked good. He was in control the whole game. He managed the game exceptionally well for a freshman in his first start against a top 5 defense. There were times he held the ball too long, but that's to be expected from a freshman in his first start. He'll correct that. It will also help that he'll have much better WRs in 2024. Bru, Brazzell, Thornton, and probably Matthews will figure heavily into the 2024 plans...none were on the field yesterday. WRs didn't get good separation. Obviously, Keyton's issues have been discussed. That position will be an upgrade in 2024.
-Loved to see the running QB element back. Nico can really scoot. That element will do wonders for our offense in 2024. So will going fast again, which was also nice to see.
-The offensive line left a lot to be desired. The good news is, Spraggins and Campbell were out, so that was a big part of it. But the OTs didn't play well in pass protection. Davis particularly got whipped a lot, but Mincey got beat a couple times as well. Hopefully, that was because he's banged up some. Oline is the biggest area that needs to develop in the offseason. Three of the starting positions are in really good shape: Campbell, Mays, and Spraggins. I really hope Karic can add weight and strength to get better. I really hope Mincey can put it together to reach his ceiling (which is high). And I hope guys like Umarov, Grant, Lang, and Reddick can take the next step to provide depth. Random thought: I wonder if Davis might be the answer at LG? His biggest weakness is his feet, which aren't quick enough to be an SEC OT, but would be just fine as a Guard. He has the strength and run blocking ability that Karic doesn't yet.
-Dylan Sampson ran well, but the other parts of his game need work. He has to get better in pass protection. He dropped a shovel pass that would've been a huge gain and was a great call. But he's so dynamic as a runner. He gets yards that aren't there, squeezes through the tiniest of holes, and has more power than one would expect.
-I also liked what I saw from Seldon. He still runs a little high at times, but an offseason with Jerry Mack will really improve him. Look how much better Jaylen Wright became after his freshman year. If Seldon makes a similar jump, he'll be a stud.
-Tyre West showed out. He'll be better than Baron next year. And he's bigger, so he gives us a better DE against the run...more of an every down SDE.
-James Pearce might be an All American next year. If he stay healthy and focused, it'll be his last at UT. Day 1 pick. I can't wait to see what kind of player he becomes.
-I'm actually excited about our 2024 defense. The DLine will be stacked. Pili coming back, Carter, and Telander making a 2nd year jump, and a much more athletic back end means Banks can run the defense he wants to run.
-Perhaps my biggest criticism is the lack of PT for freshman DBs. When it was 28-0 and GJL is still in there, Jaylen McCollough is still in there, I was a little ticked. Conyer and Matthews should have played the whole 4th quarter. I hope Heupel addresses this with Banks and Martinez.
-Jourdon Thomas is going to be a stud next year. He'll be the best Star we've had under Banks. Better than Theo. Wonder if that bumps Boo to Safety.
Here's my depth chart going into spring. I have most of the freshmen (not all) at or near the bottom until they earn their way up some, so take that with a grain of salt. Some will. Also, you'll notice GJL is still on here as CB. I've left guys on the chart who haven't announced (or opted out of the bowl game). I'm assuming they're Vols until they ain't (even though I think GJL is likely gone):
QB- Nico Iamaleava (RSFr.), Jake Merklinger (Fr.), Gaston Moore (RSSr.)*
RB- Dylan Sampson (Jr.), Cameron Seldon (So.), Peyton Lewis (Fr.), Khalifa Keith (RSFr.), DeSean Bishop (RSFr.)*
WR- Chris Brazzell (RSSo.), Dont’e Thornton (Sr.), Kaleb Webb (RSSo.)
WR- Bru McCoy (RSSr.), Mike Matthews (Fr.), Nathan Leacock (RSFr.)
WR- Squirrel White (Jr.), Chas Nimrod (RSSo.), Braylon Staley (Fr.), Nate Spillman (RSFr.)
TE- Holden Staes (Jr.), Ethan Davis (RSFr.), Cole Harrison (Fr.), Emmanuel Okoye (RSFr.)
RT- Gerald Mincey (RSSr.), Shamurad Umarov (RSFr.), Dayne Davis (RSSr.), Larry Johnson, III (RSJr.)
RG- Javontez Spraggins (Sr.), Ayden Bussell (RSFr.), Gage Ginther (Fr.)
C- Cooper Mays (Sr.), Vysen Lang (RSFr.), William Satterwhite (Fr.)
LG- Andrej Karic (Sr.), Jackson Lampley (RSSr.), Masai Reddick (RSSo.), Max Anderson (Fr.)
LT- John Campbell (RSSr.), Brian Grant (RSSo.), Bennett Warren (Fr.), Jesse Perry (Fr.)
SDE- Tyre West (Jr.), Dominic Bailey (RSSr.), Tyree Weathersby (RSFr.), Carson Gentle (Fr.), Kellen Lindstrom (Fr.)
DT- Omar Norman-Lott (Sr.), Bryson Eason (RSSr.), Daevin Hobbs (So.), Trevor Duncan (RSFr.), Jamal Wallace (Jr.)
DT- Omari Thomas (Sr.), Elijah Simmons (RSSr.), Jayson Jenkins (RSSo.), Nathan Robinson (RSFr.), Jeremias Heard (Fr.)
LEO- James Pearce (Jr.), Joshua Josephs (Jr.), Caleb Herring (RSFr.), Chandavian Bradley (RSFr.), Jordan Ross (Fr.)
MIKE- Keenan Pili (RSSr.), Jeremiah Telendar (So.), Edwin Spillman (Fr.)
WLB- Arion Carter (So.), Elijah Herring (Jr.), Kaleb Perry (Jr.), Jalen Smith (RSFr.), Jordan Burns (Fr.)
LCB- Jermod McCoy (So.), Kaleb Beasley (Fr.), Marcus Goree (Fr.)
RCB- Rickey Gibson (RSFr.), Jordan Matthews (RSFr.), Chrsitian Harrison (RSSo.)
NB- Jourdan Thomas (Jr.), Boo Carter (Fr.), Christian Conyer (RSFr.)
S- Jakobe Thomas (Jr.), John Slaughter (RSFr.)
S- Andre Turrentine (RSJr.), Christian Charles (RSJr.), Edrees Farooq (Fr.)
K- JT Carver (RSJr.) *
P- Jackson Ross (RSSo.)
*non-scholarship player
81 on scholarship
Last edited: