With this Great class coming in...

#1
Chilmonty

Chilmonty

Obviously, ESPN HATES US!
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#1
Is there a returning player who is safe at his position??

Seriously, Randolph, AJ (if he returns), Maggitt, Sutton, who else???

On offense, even North and Pig will have guys nipping at their heels? Lane? Croom?

The competition at almost every position, will get INTENSE pretty quickly, and thats a very good thing!

I think "lack of quality depth" will soon be a thing of the past! :rock::rock:



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#3
#3
These are still FR. I would say the upperclassmen would have an advantage if Butch can coach like many fans think he can.
 
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#11
#11
Safe to start the season or throughout it?

WR, K, KR, PR, even RB- I could see a true freshman pushing for.
 
#13
#13
There are a handful of returning starters that I would consider "locks" as well, but to the point of the OP, the talent level coming will not only improve the overall talent of our team, but will push the players we already have.
 
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#14
#14
This off season is gonna be the longest in quite some time. With so much uncertainty at every position, practice updates are gonna be like gold come Spring :)
 
#15
#15
Competition will push the players already on the team. Also, don't underestimate how much it means to go up against great talent on the other side of the ball every day in practice.
 
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#16
#16
PayingUTKTuition said:
Competition will push the players already on the team. Also, don't underestimate how much it means to go up against great talent on the other side of the ball every day in practice.
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Excellent point! The practice squad next season will probably be as good as this years first team!


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#17
#17
jtipto10 said:
I'm betting Lane will start too, but some people on this site will freak if Hurd isn't starting day one
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I don't think they'll freak if he doesn't start. They'll probably freak if he doesn't play at all during the first game. But you should never expect a freshman to be the starter day 1 before he's even practiced with the team. Lane looked good this year and is a senior, even though Hurd's a 5 star, i don't see how Lane doesn't get the initial nod. I think Lane moves into Neal's role this year, and Hurd moves into Lane's.
 
#19
#19
IMO, North, Howard, AJ (depends on if he stays), Randolph, Downs, & Sutton. Everyone else, we shall see.
 
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#20
#20
Boca Vol said:
These are still FR. I would say the upperclassmen would have an advantage if Butch can coach like many fans think he can.
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This.

They are getting some JUCO help. Newcomers may push some on the DL but I suspect that Saulsberry and O'Brien will start inside. THe DE's are more open but I don't see Wiliams or Vereen losing PT. Someone else may start but these guys will play. It is easy to forget about the guys we were excited about this time last year but Miller, Brown, Carr, and Lewis had/have potential and will have over a year of development and S&C.

Newcomers are almost certain to make noise at the LB spots IMO if AJ leaves as expected. Maggitt and JRM look like good candidates to start then maybe Harris, King, or Bynum will compete for time but there just isn't much returning at that position in the way of proven performers.

It seems almost a foregone conclusion that 5 of the 10 two deep positions in the secondary will be open to new guys.

I personally think Lane will start and that the returning RB's (Smith, Hill, Pickett) will put up more of a fight for PT than many are expecting. However Lane has not shown the durability to carry the ball 200+ times like Neal did without injury. There will be plenty of PT for anyone who is ready to take it.

WR is absolutely wide open. North is probably the only completely safe guy. Everyone else better take max advantage of the time they have between now and when the new guys show up.

I feel for Croom. He was having a breakout game and now may be behind several guys when he returns.
 
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#22
#22
On the OL, it seems likely that Blair was recruited to start at LT. There is a hole there and I am not sure who returns with the athleticism to play there. The other starters are likely returning players.

C- Crowder
G- Jackson
G- Wiesman
RT- Kerbyson

But once again, we were all pretty excited to get Sanders last year and now he's been developing so he might compete somewhere as well.
 
#23
#23
sjt18 said:
This.

They are getting some JUCO help. Newcomers may push some on the DL but I suspect that Saulsberry and O'Brien will start inside. THe DE's are more open but I don't see Wiliams or Vereen losing PT. Someone else may start but these guys will play. It is easy to forget about the guys we were excited about this time last year but Miller, Brown, Carr, and Lewis had/have potential and will have over a year of development and S&C.

Newcomers are almost certain to make noise at the LB spots IMO if AJ leaves as expected. Maggitt and JRM look like good candidates to start then maybe Harris, King, or Bynum will compete for time but there just isn't much returning at that position in the way of proven performers.

It seems almost a foregone conclusion that 5 of the 10 two deep positions in the secondary will be open to new guys.

I personally think Lane will start and that the returning RB's (Smith, Hill, Pickett) will put up more of a fight for PT than many are expecting. However Lane has not shown the durability to carry the ball 200+ times like Neal did without injury. There will be plenty of PT for anyone who is ready to take it.

WR is absolutely wide open. North is probably the only completely safe guy. Everyone else better take max advantage of the time they have between now and when the new guys show up.

I feel for Croom. He was having a breakout game and now may be behind several guys when he returns.
Click to expand...

I am guessing Weatherd is also a candidate to start along side JRM and Maggitt. IMO, it is going to be hard to keep Croom out of the rotation for his size, hands, and speed. Hope Croom has a speedy recover though.
 
#25
#25
VolInDayton said:
The qbs don't have to worry about a star freshman coming in which is unfortunate
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Just a complete... but educated... guess on my part but I doubt that is as certain as you may think.

There have been a couple of commits that just kind of came out of nowhere. I suspect Jones has continued to recruit the QB's he would like to have who will still listen. It is probably wise not to let that get out much since it might tip the favorite off in an unhelpful way.

Sort of like trying to steal a guy's GF on the sly. You don't want him to know you're talking to her until she's hooked.
 
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