By Sam Forman / @Sam_FormanWNML
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, with the Vols pads smacking and everyone telling you Go Big Orange, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
It’s true, it’s true the Forman Files are here at sportsradiownml.com and more importantly football season has returned to East Tennessee and like most I could not be happier.
We have now seen the NFL pre-season come and go as of Thursday night and are only waiting on the final rosters to be announced.
Now, I know that was only preseason football, but it was still better than no football at all, at least to me.
If that wasn’t enough to get you in the spirit of the season, then how about the fact that last Thursday we also had the return of high school football in the area as Powell defeated Greeneville 19-17.
We have also had the first Monday game week press conference from Jeremy Pruitt as the Vols prep for Georiga State on Saturday.
So, now that it is truly football season I thought what better way to debut the Forman Files than by bringing you my top five local storylines you will want to keep an eye on ‘till the end of the 2019 football season.
Top Five Local Storylines
5) How many East Tennessee Teams will we see competing in a state title game- This is a question that gets asked yearly in East Tennessee and you always hear teams like Maryville and Alcoa as an answer just to name a few. However, while both the Rebels and the Tornados should be names to watch once again there are still plenty of questions to be answered by other local teams that will be looking for a title run in 2019. How will Knoxville Catholics move to Division II affect their shot at a state title in 2019. The Irish had an impressive 48-0 win over Chuckey Doak to open the season, but we’ll see a new level of opponents in the near future. Greenville saw its long winning streak snapped in week one by Powell as stated earlier and that only makes one question even more important. What will Greeneville look like after Caine Ballard resigned back in January after 10 years coaching the Green Devils and four state titles? Can Knoxville Central build off of last year’s championship? Friday night was sure a good sign for Central, but those are just a few of the questions you have to answer to find out how many East Tennessee teams may be heading to the mid-state to play for a championship in 2019.
4) How will local UT commits and targets play in 2019 – With several big name local prospects already committed to Tennessee and several big names still undecided this headline will easily last through the season. We didn’t get to see a Vols commit like Cooper Mays of Catholic have to work too hard to help his team to a win last Friday, but he is someone Vols fans will be watching closely all season. As will his teammate and UT target Tyler Baron who also holds offers from Oklahoma and Ohio State just to name a few. Plus, you can’t forget about UT commit and Maryville’s main running back Tee Hodge who will be looking for a state title before he heads to Knoxville next fall. As a side note you also have a handful of other local prospects that are currently committed to other SEC programs and Tennessee fans will have their eyes on them this fall as well.
3) Will we see Trey Smith, Aubrey Solomon or Bryce Thompson play for UT in 2019 – I chose to combine these three as they are all of about the same importance to Vols fans.
The main difference here is until late last Saturday night Tennessee fans thought they would see Bryce Thompson play in week one for the Big Orange.
However, due to a domestic violence situation that Thompson was involved in and arrested for over the weekend, he has now been suspended indefinitely Coach Pruitt announced in a statement. So, that takes away a key defensive piece for the Vols for who know how long. On the bright side Tennessee did find out this week that Aubrey Solomon was finally declared eligible by the NCAA. Pruitt also announced that Trey Smith has been medically cleared to play. However, the question remains how much will he be able to play and can he make it the entire season.
2) Can Jarrett Guarantano take a big step forward under Jim Chaney –This question has been floating around in one way or another since Jim Chaney made is return to Knoxville in the offseason. Chaney and Jarrett Guarantano seem to be a good fit and this will be the first experienced offensive coordinator Guarantano has had at UT. Chaney has worked with a lot of high level QB’s in the past and Guarantano certainly has the talent to add his name to that list. However, will that happen in 2019… That is what all Tennessee fans are asking and hoping for.
1) What will Tennessee’s record be this season –You could word this one several different ways, but at the end of the day it all still comes down to record. For me I see the Vols celling as being between 6-6 and 8-4 this season and I’m picking them to go 7-5 and finish fourth in the SEC East. Tennessee will see losses to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Mississippi State in 2019 in my opinion. However, the game in Knoxville against State could be one the Vols could wind up winning. I will also say UT cannot over look BYU in week two as that will be a closer game in my mind and the Vols can’t afforded an early season non-conference slip-up.
