Them Vols offseason thread

GreatWhiteNorth said:
Wu...I'm curious as to your thoughts on how many wins we get this year?
Click to expand...

I think we beat:

USU
Ark St
Mizzou
Vandy
Chatt
UK


And a possibility at UF or Scar, but both are pretty unlikely. Anything under 6 wins is a huge disappointment. This season is crucial in terms of '16 recruiting. So, 6, maybe 7. But that's pretty much it. I don't see any way at 8
 
If Tennessee head coach Butch Jones had an MVP of spring practice award, he’d likely bestow it on senior running back Marlin Lane.

Jones told InsideTennessee he couldn’t be “more proud” of the progress Lane made both on and off the field in the weeks leading up to spring practice and throughout the allotted 15 work days.

“Marlin has really taken a hard look at himself and has really transformed as a player and as man,” Jones told IT. “He’s leading like a senior should. He is carrying himself like a champion and he is leading by example.”

Jones reeled off a long and winding list of reasons why he is so optimistic about Lane’s final season on Rocky Top. But atop the list of reasons, Jones has been particularly impressed with Lane’s newfound consistency and his emergence as a vocal leader.

“He comes out to practice everyday and gives us his all. I can’t say that about last year, just to be honest with you. He attacks drills now,” Jones said. “…. Leading doesn’t come easy to him. But he has really put himself out there and tried to be that vocal guy for us, which we need badly.”

Tennessee running backs coach Robert Gillespie is equally excited to see what the future has in store for Lane this fall, but is also eager to see how Lane’s leadership impacts the Vols’ young running backs.

“I was worried for a little, because I didn’t know who those young guys could look to as an example — both as a man and at practice,” Gillespie said. “Marlin is that guy.”

Tennessee freshman center Ray Raulerson had what sources described to IT as a “rude awakening” to life cracking helmets at the SEC level.

Raulerson took a while to get used to the physical demands of spring practice, constantly needing extra breathers and complaining of soreness. But Tennessee coaches aren’t about to write Raulerson off just yet. Not by any means.

“Some just take longer to get used to things,” offensive line coach Don Mahoney said. “Ray will get there.”

Raulerson pleased coaches by playing very physical throughout camp, but his biggest need for improvement is his conditioning level. If he needs an example of what a well-rounded SEC offensive lineman looks like, he needs to look no further than Tennessee’s current starting left guard.

According to nearly everyone around the Tennessee program, Marcus Jackson had what can only be described as an impressive spring. A host of Tennessee coaches praised Jackson for playing mistake-free football all spring while emerging as a leader and bringing a nice blend of athleticism and physicality to the still-growing offensive front.

Vols utility defenseman Curt Maggitt told IT that Jackson is the “toughest” offensive linemen to go against in one-on-one drills. Defensive tackle Danny O’Brien agreed.

“He just plays nasty,” Maggitt said. “He’s got one heck of a mean streak, man.”

It should be noted that freshman walk-on linebacker Colton Jumper was described by nearly all of Tennessee’s defensive coaches as a “pleasant surprise” this spring. While Jumper isn’t about to compete for a starting spot, IT was told he played an invaluable role to the Vols’ scout team looks.

You can never have too many weapons. And the Vols certainly appear to have their fair share on offense. But if wideout Jason Croom can be lumped into that group remains to be seen.

Croom, as impressive physically as any Vols player on roster at 6-feet-5, 235 pounds, struggled mightily with attacking the football and playing physically last season. Sources tell IT Croom made “strides” this fall, but still has a long way to go in order to reach his full potential.

The departure of running back Alden Hill certainly doesn’t derail Tennessee’s rushing plans for next season, but coaches were widely happy with Hill’s progress throughout spring.

“We’ll be counting on Alden to step in there,” Gillespie told IT. “He’s really grown as a man. We need him in there to change up the pace. He’s been running with a purpose for the first time since he’s been here.”
 
pleasantly surprised to see the news that Pig may be on the team in the fall
 
idk if it's in butch or bajakian's repertoire/nature, but some sort of big boy wildcat formation involving AJ, JRM, Lane, Hurd, Quez, etc could be very useful. All depends on the OL, tho.
 
005 said:
idk if it's in butch or bajakian's repertoire/nature, but some sort of big boy wildcat formation involving AJ, JRM, Lane, Hurd, Quez, etc could be very useful. All depends on the OL, tho.
Click to expand...

JRM would be a monster
 
LotteryPick said:
I went back and watched the HUDL of him against Hurd's
team and he went ape ****.

Made some great tackles on Hurd too.
Click to expand...

AV can attest to this I believe, but I think JRM was the most talented RB we had on the roster til Hurd got here. And he's pretty close to Jalen at that position
 
wU-Tang Vol said:
AV can attest to this I believe, but I think JRM was the most talented RB we had on the roster til Hurd got here. And he's pretty close to Jalen at that position
Click to expand...

I won't argue that one bit.

He was a fantastic RB in high school. We really needed him on D, though. He's going to be great this year.
 
He would be a star. We have the tools for that to be in addition to a ground attack, not just a changeup for no reason.

Depth at RB will depend heavily on three frezhmen. Might as well see if anyone else can get reps.
 
Yeah, JRM can star at multiple places on the field. He would have been a beast at RB.. Cam Sutton would be a stud WR as well.
 
Do we have a player that would start for FSU? North?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 67 (members: 1, guests: 66)

Share this page

Back
Top