By Vince Ferrara
Tennessee, like many schools, has gone through off-season attrition. WR Vincent Perry is academically ineligible for the season. Punter Tommy Townsend is transferring. Previously, RB Joe Young was ruled out for the season (and likely career) with an injury. There have been others as well.
With the roster changes since the spring and the conversation from some fans about not wanting 3-stars making up their team’s roster, I decided to take a detailed look at the make-up of the Tennessee roster from several angles.
Below is a look at UT’s scholarship and walk-on numbers, games played, starts, breakdown by class of the scholarship players, the roster distribution by star rating and my projected Vols two-deep depth chart with player star ratings.
Tennessee Roster Breakdown (as of June 23, 2016)
Scholarships
80 scholarship players
35 walk-ons
115 total
*Not counted: (DT-Alexis Johnson – suspended, WR-Vincent Perry – ineligible/moved to walk-on, RB-Joe Young – injured, out this season and likely won’t play again…with all three possibly done at UT)
Games & Starts
1,053 total combined games played
409 total combined starts
35 players with 409 combined starts (11.7 avg)
62 players with game experience totaling 1,053 games played (17.0 avg)
43 players have played in double-digit games
18 players with double digit starts (at least one at every position except S & OT)
Tennessee’s Scholarship Players Breakdown
Scholarship Players – Exact Class
RS-SR = 7
SR = 6
RS-JR = 7
JR = 17
RS-SO = 6
SO = 16
RS-FR = 6
FR = 16
Total: 81 (80 scholarship + walk-on Colton Jumper)
Scholarship Players – Full Classes
Seniors (RS Sr & Sr) = 13
Juniors (RS Jr & Jr) = 24
Sophomores (RS So & So) = 22
Freshmen (RS Fr & Fr) = 22
Total: 81 (80 scholarship + walk-on Colton Jumper)
Scholarship Players – Average Star Rating On 247Sports Composite
5-stars = 2
4-stars = 37
3-stars = 37
2-stars = 2
Not rated = 3
Total: 81 (80 scholarship + walk-on Colton Jumper)
My Projected Vols Two-Deep With Average Star Rating On 247Sports Composite
*A few positions where playing time will go beyond two players have three or four listed
Offense (24)
QB – Joshua Dobbs-Sr (4) Quinten Dormady-So (4)
RB – Jalen Hurd-Jr (4) Alvin Kamara-RJr (4) John Kelly-So (3)
ZWR – Josh Malone-Jr (4) Jauan Jennings-So (4)
XWR – Preston Williams-So (4) Tyler Byrd-Fr (4)
SWR – Josh Smith-RJr (3) Marquez Callaway-Fr (4) WR-Latrell Williams-Fr (3)
TE – Ethan Wolf-Jr (3) Jason Croom-RSr (4)
LT – Drew Richmond-RFr (4) Dontavius Blair-RSr (4)
LG – Jason Robertson-Jr (3) Charles Mosley-RSo (4)
C – Coleman Thomas-Jr (3) Jack Jones-So (4)
RG – Dylan Wiesman-Sr (3) (50) Venzell Boulware-RFr (3)
RT – Chance Hall-So (3) Brett Kendrick-RJr (3)
*Others that could compete for spots: RB-Carlin Fils-Aime-Fr (4) WR-Cody Blanc-RSr (3) WR-Brandon Johnson-Fr (3) WR-Jeff George-RJr (3) TE-Jakob Johnson-Jr (3) TE-Eli Wolf-RFr (NR) C-Ray Raulerson-RSo (3) OT/OG-Austin Sanders-RJr (3) QB-Sheriron Jones-RFr (4) QB-Jarett Guarantano-Fr (4) TE/HB-Joe Stocstill-RSr (NR) TE-Devante Brooks-Fr (3) TE-Austin Pope-Fr (3) OT-Ryan Johnson-Fr (4) OT-Nathan Niehaus-Fr (3) OT-Marcus Tatum-Fr (3)
Defense (26)
LDE – Corey Vereen-Sr (3) Kyle Phillips-So (5) Dimarya Mixon-Jr (3) Austin Smith-So (3) *Smith would likely start at SLB when in 4-3 defense which is not the norm
LDT – Kendal Vickers-RJr (2) Kahlil McKenzie-So (5)
RDT – Danny O’Brien-RSr (4) Shy Tuttle-So (4)
RDE – Derek Barnett-Jr (4) Jonathan Kongbo-RSo (4) LaTroy Lewis-RSr (3) Darrell Taylor-RFr (4)
WLB – Jalen Reeves-Maybin-Sr (4) Cortez McDowell-Jr (4)
MLB – Darrin Kirkland Jr.-So (4) Colton Jumper-Jr (NR)
NCB – Malik Foreman-Sr (3) Marquill Osborne-Fr (4)
LCB – Justin Martin-Jr (4) Emmanuel Moseley-Jr (3)
RCB – Cameron Sutton-Sr (3) Darrell Miller-So (3)
FS – Todd Kelly Jr-Jr (4) Evan Berry-Jr (4)
SS – RaShaan Gaulden-RSo (3) Micah Abernathy-So (4)
*Others that could compete for spots: DE-Andrew Butcher-So (4) DT-Quay Picou-So (3) WLB-Quart’e Sapp-So (4) WLB-Elliott Berry-Jr (3) WLB-Dillon Bates-RSo (4) SLB-Kenny Bynum-RSr (3) MLB-Gavin Bryant-RSo (4) MLB-Daniel Bituli-Fr (4) WLB-Ja’Quain Blakely-Fr (3) CB-DJ Henderson-Jr (3) S-Stephen Griffin-So (3) CB-Baylen Buchanan-Fr (3) S-Nigel Warrior-Fr (4)
Special Teams (2)
PK – Aaron Medley-Jr (3)
P – Trevor Daniel-RJr (NR)
KR – Evan Berry, Malik Foreman, Micah Abernathy, Tyler Byrd
PR – Cameron Sutton, Alvin Kamara
*Others that could compete for spots: LS-Riley Lovingood-RFr (2) H/S-Parker Henry-RSo (NR)
Tennessee Starters Breakdown
Starters – Exact Class
RS-SR = 1
SR = 6
RS-JR = 2
JR = 8
RS-SO = 1
SO = 3
RS-FR = 1
FR = 0
Total: 22 *no special teams
Starters – Full Classes
Seniors (RS Sr & Sr) = 7
Juniors (RS Jr & Jr) = 10
Sophomores (RS So & So) = 4
Freshmen (RS Fr & Fr) = 1
Total: 22 *no special teams
Starters – Average Star Rating On 247Sports Composite
5-stars = 0
4-stars = 11
3-stars = 10
2-stars = 1
Not rated = 0
Total: 22 *no special teams
Tennessee Two-Deep Breakdown
Two-Deep – Exact Class
RS-SR = 4
SR = 6
RS-JR = 4
JR = 13
RS-SO = 3
SO = 13
RS-FR = 3
FR = 4
Total: 50 *no special teams
Two-Deep – Full Classes
Seniors (RS Sr & Sr) = 10
Juniors (RS Jr & Jr) = 17
Sophomores (RS So & So) = 16
Freshmen (RS Fr & Fr) = 7
Total: 50 *no special teams
Two-Deep – Average Star Rating On 247Sports Composite
5-stars = 2
4-stars = 27
3-stars = 19
2-stars = 1
Not rated = 1
Total: 50 *no special teams
Summary
Many of the numbers confirm above that this is both an experienced and talented Tennessee Volunteers football team, more so than any year going back to the Phillip Fulmer era.
17 of 22 projected starters are juniors or seniors. With 17 returning starters as well, many of the Vols players have been around, have been playing and, as Brad Edwards of ESPN pointed out on our show, they’ve been playing together and building chemistry.
These numbers also illustrate that you can win with some 3-star players, if you develop them and they out-perform that rating. Even the 4 and 5-star prospect recruiting machines like Alabama and Ohio State have some 3-star players that rise-above the higher rated guys, especially on the offensive line. Overall though, talent wins and you still need the elite talent. It just isn’t realistic to think you can avoid signing 3-star recruits. You can win with some 3-stars. Some.
