Some have argued that Tennessee has more quality SEC players on its roster this year than last.
Some have argued that’s one reason the Vols will be as good or better than last season’s 8-4 regular-season record.
Tennessee might match last year’s win total. It might even get to nine wins.
But reaching eight wins will be a tough task because I don’t see the talent being as good.
I don’t care how many four- or five-star plays dot the roster. I care if those players play like four- or five-star players. And too many of them have not.
Here are three reasons I don’t think UT’s roster is as good as last year and the main reason I don’t predict Tennessee exceeding its win total of a year ago.
The position groups. Looking at eight units, I’d take Tennessee in five areas in 2016 over 2017 with one being a virtual push.
I think Tennessee was more talented last year at quarterback, running back, receivers/tight end, defensive line and special teams. I think this year’s team is better along the offensive line and in the secondary. I think linebacker is a push.
At quarterback, I don’t think anyone would argue that you’d rather have Josh Dobbs over Quinten Dormady or Jarrett Guarantano.
At running back, you’d prefer Jalen Hurd, Alvin Kamara and John Kelly over Kelly and either Ty Chandler or Carlin Fils-Aime at running back.
At receiver, I’d rather have Josh Malone and Jauan Jennings than Jennings and Tyler Byrd or Marquez Callaway.
Along the defensive line, it’s tough to replace the 20-plus sacks of Derek Barnett, Corey Vereen and LaTroy Lewis. I can’t imagine Jonathan Kongbo, Darrell Taylor and Kyle Phillips chalking up 20 combined sacks. They might not get 10. Tackle play could be better this season, but you will miss Danny O’Brien, who was suspended midway last season.
I give the secondary the edge this year because I think it will have more depth and get a boost from the addition of cornerback Shaq Wiggins, the improvement of corner Justin Martin in the spring and the talent of safety Nigel Warrior.
I would take last year’s special teams because it had Cam Sutton and Alvin Kamara as punt returners. Otherwise, the same subjects are involved: Eric Berry is a terrific kick returner, Trevor Daniel is a top-notch punter and Aaron Medley is an average kicker.
I’m a fan of middle linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. but too many others are unproven at this position. And Kirkland must stay healthy, which he didn’t a year ago.
2. The NFL draft.
Tennessee had six players taken in the first four rounds of the most recent draft. In the upcoming draft, UT might have one or two players taken in the first four rounds: Kirkland or Kongbo, and that’s if they turn pro early. Kelly and Jennings, both juniors, have an outside shot. Perhaps defensive tackle Shy Tuttle if healthy.
The point: UT doesn’t have as many difference makers on the 2017 roster.
A close friend and former UT football coach told me Tennessee has about 45 players that you can win with in the SEC.
My number is about half that.
Quite a few point to the star ratings of UT’s players as an indication of a high talent level. Let’s examine that.
In recent years, recruiting services have adjusted ratings. A five-star suggests a player that will be selected in the first round of the NFL draft and be a potential All-American. A four-star will be taken in rounds two to five and be a likely all-conference player. A three-star could be a late-round pick who should start for at least one season.
Using that as a guide, I don’t see one player who has taken a snap on the current roster that projects to be a first-round pick.
While UT has over 20 four-star players, few have played like a middle-round draft pick.
In other words, not many of UT’s four- or five-star players have played to their star rating.
That could change this season as some of the talent is young – but it is still unproven.
3. The preseason All-SEC team.
Tennessee wasn’t close to having a player on the media’s first team. The Vols had two on the second team and two on the third team.
Last year, Tennessee had nine players on media All-SEC teams: three on first, three on second, three on third.
Doesn’t that suggest to you a dropoff in talent?
My take: If Tennessee wins nine regular-season games this season, it will have overachieved based on its talent level. And eight wins would be a solid season.
Avid golfer Darius Rucker is parlaying his favorite hobby into a gig on SiriusXM as the host of a new show, On Par With Darius Rucker.
The monthly show, which will debut on July 26, will feature Darius chatting with other celebrities and professional golfers about the worlds of golf and entertainment.
“They say that rock stars want to be pro athletes, and pro athletes want to be rock stars, and there is definitely some truth to that,” said Darius. “It’s no secret that music and golf are two passions of mine. I’ve been lucky enough to play with and get to know well some of the best golfers on tour. While we’re on the course, I’m looking for swing tips and all they want to do is talk music. SiriusXM is the perfect place to blend both of those worlds into one show, and I am really excited to get started.”
On Par With Darius Rucker will debut on July 26, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., on Sirius channel 208, XM channel 92 and on the SiriusXM app.
Carly Pearce is enjoying the first Top 20 single of her career with “Every Little Thing,” which is currently No. 17 on the Mediabase chart. Carly, who was named to the 2016 CMT Next Women of Country class, signed a new record deal with Big Machine Label Group in January and released “Every Little Thing” to country radio in February. Now the Kentucky native has a new video for the personal tune.
“I wrote this song from a very personal place of a heartbreak that I experienced and never really thought anybody was going to hear it,” says Carly to Nash Country Daily. “I certainly didn’t think that it was going to be something that would be my debut into the country genre. I thought that maybe my fans would have to buy into me a little bit to understand the artistic side of this song. I joke and say I’ve put out a lot of songs and been a part of a lot of things, but this song, as soon as it came out, it felt like it had its own wings and it was kind of out of my control.
“It’s about a relationship that was four or five years ago, but I wrote it last year. I think about a year ago I wrote it. It’s interesting to have this song come out, and those feelings were so real, but now, so much life has happened and I’m thankful that that relationship didn’t work. It’s been amazing just to hear different stories of people that are going through that or even people that are attaching the song to something much greater like a death or being a widow or something like that.”
More than three years after dropping his 2014 album, Ignite the Night, Chase Rice will release his fourth studio album, Lambs & Lions, on Sept. 29. The 10-song offering, which includes seven songs co-written by Chase, features the lead single, “Three Chords & the Truth.”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever know the full reason why I had to struggle through two failed singles [“Whisper” and “Everybody We Know Does”] in a row after such an amazing start, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” said Chase. “God had my back the whole time, whether I knew it or not. Out of those failed singles I got ‘Three Chords & The Truth.’ I was fed up with trying—whether that was trying to be something I’m not, trying to make music that people said I should make or trying to make music I felt people wanted to hear. Instead I decided I’m going to make music that I needed to hear. When you go through tough times the truth always has a way of finding its way to you. This song was my truth. It’s the soul of my childhood, the songs that went along with it and the memories associated with those songs. It’s my heart waiting to be heard, and the songs that shaped it, especially in the third chorus.”
Fresh off the breakout success of his current single, “My Girl,” which reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart last week, Dylan Scott tells Nash Country Daily that his next single will be “Hooked.”
Penned by Lindsay Rimes, Seth Ennis and Morgan Evans, “Hooked” will be featured on the Deluxe Edition of Dylan’s self-titled debut album, which will drop on August 4. In addition to the original album’s 13 songs, the Deluxe Edition will feature three new tracks: “Hooked,” “Can’t Take Her Anywhere” and “Sleeping Beauty.”
“The new single is a song off the Deluxe that I did not write, so that narrows it down to one song, ‘Hooked,’” says Dylan to NCD. “We’re excited about it. A buddy of mine sent it to me in an email, and it was one of those moments where it immediately took me back to where I was 11, 12, 13, 14 years old and just a fan of music. I could see myself riding around and just jamming to this up-tempo song.”
Watch Dylan’s “Hooked” video below.
Dylan Scott Deluxe Edition Track Listing with Songwriters
On Thursday (July 13), Scotty McCreery was stopped by police at the Raleigh Durham International Airport after TSA X-ray screening identified a handgun in his luggage, according to ABC11 News in Raleigh-Durham, N.C..
The police searched the country star’s backpack and found a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun and ammunition.
According to the police report, Scotty had forgotten to remove the firearm and ammunition from his bag after going target shooting at a shooting range prior to entering the airport for his flight.
On Friday (July 21), Scotty made the following statement to ABC11:
“I have been a concealed carry permit holder for awhile now after being robbed at gunpoint in 2014, and I take gun safety very seriously. While in between tour dates last week, I went to go target shooting with a friend a few days before an early flight out of my hometown Raleigh-Durham airport. Unfortunately, I did not realize that I left my pistol in my backpack until the TSA found it during the security X-ray screening and rightly confiscated it. I had my concealed carry permit on me so once they had checked everything out, they then released me to catch the next available flight. Great to know our airport security force is on the job. I have learned a lesson that I won’t forget.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee football team has one of the nation’s top head coaches in Butch Jones – a leader who has led the Vols to three consecutive winning seasons, including back-to-back nine-win campaigns.
Jones will enter his 11th season as a head coach in 2017 with unquestionably one of the nation’s top coaching staffs. Four of the Vols’ assistants have previous experience as head coaches at the NCAA Division I level, giving UT an impressive collection of mentors at the top of the college football ladder.
Associate head coach/defensive line coach Brady Hoke has been a conference coach of the year in three different leagues during stints at Ball State (2003-08), San Diego State (2009-10) and Michigan (2011-14), while defensive coordinator Bob Shoop was the head coach at Columbia from 2003-05. Offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Larry Scott spent the second half of the 2015 season as the interim head coach at Miami (Fla.) and quarterbacks coach Mike Canales spent parts of two seasons as the interim head coach at North Texas in 2010 and 2015.
Hoke and Canales will enter their first season with the Vols this fall. Shoop begins his second season as defensive coordinator. Scott enters his second season on Rocky Top, and his first as offensive coordinator.
The four assistants talked to the media on Friday about their experiences as head coaches and took questions on the upcoming season with fall camp set to start on July 29.
“There’s not a day that we come into work that we don’t enjoy working with one another in the defensive room, offense and defense, and the quality controls and the graduate assistants,” said Shoop, who has 28 years of college coaching experience, including the last six years as a Power 5 defensive coordinator.
“We’ve assembled a big-league staff and most importantly it’s a good group of men, leaders, teachers, role models and mentors who happen to be good football coaches.”
Hoke was one the nation’s most impressive hires this offseason. A veteran of 33 years coaching experience at the collegiate level, Hoke has seen 39 of his players get drafted as a head coach. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2011 and collected the same honor from the Mountain West Conference in 2010 and from the Mid-American Conference in 2008.
Scott led Miami to the Sun Bowl finished with a 4-2 record as the head coach for the Hurricanes during the second half of the 2015 season. He was hired as Tennessee’s tight ends coach in 2015 before being promoted this offseason.
Canales served as the head coach at North Texas for five games in 2010 and seven games in 2015. On of college football’s top developers of quarterbacks, he has 32 years of coaching experience, including 23 years as an offensive coordinator. He watched Jones’ rise to a top head coach from afar and has been impressed with Tennessee’s success in recent years. Canales said he will take his lessons learned as a head coach into his position room.
“Being here where I’ve had a chance to watch Coach Jones’ career, his development and his growth as he climbed the ladder into this position at the University of Tennessee and being good friends and watching what he’s done, it’s been good for me to be here in this situation where I just get to coach a room,” Canales said. “I know I am the CEO of our quarterback room. I think that’s important that they understand that I’ve been a coordinator, a quarterback coach and a head coach. I think Coach Jones values the opinions that we have, but it also gives me a chance to work my room and give them my philosophy that I have gained over the many years that I have coached.”
Brady Hoke (On how his experience as a head coach prepared him for his role at Tennessee)
“Number one, there are good days and bad days. I think we all know that. My experience helps with my role as coaching the defensive line but also as a guy who has been through a lot of different experiences that you get as a head coach. As an assistant, you really think you know everything a head coach does. Every day is different. When you have 120 men that you work with and their families and the things they’re going through, every day is different. We can help when it comes to tough decisions. Maybe we have gone through it and can give our experiences.”
(On the kind of offseason the line has had)
“Coming into the spring, there were a lot of guys who were held out because of surgeries, injuries or rehab. It’s been refreshing to see where they’re at now. There’s a lot that you want to see from those guys as the new positions coach. Those guys have had a nice summer when you look at strength and body gains. When we have a chance to meet with them, their football intelligence is good. I’m as excited as anybody to see Kendal Vickers. I have watched him on tape a bunch, but I want to work with him live. Also, Kyle Phillips is another guy. There were a lot of them who weren’t there during the spring. Another guy who is getting better is Shy Tuttle. When he gets back to full form, I am really looking forward to that.”
Larry Scott (On how his experience as a head coach prepared him for his role at Tennessee)
“Until you sit at that end of the table, I don’t think there is anything that will make you ready for that until you take on those responsibilities and run the program from top to bottom. It was one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had. People always ask how you know you’re ready. Well, a lot of people don’t know until they’re thrust in those positions. For me, I had to get ready fast. I had about an hour to get ready and take on the challenges that we had at that point in time at the University of Miami. It was about grabbing the bull by the horns and attacking the situation and refocusing what it’s all about. It all goes back to the players. You promise their parents in living rooms that you’ll develop them into men and football players. It’s also about doing all you can to restore what this is all about, which is winning. It was an awesome opportunity, but it’s definitely helped me as an assistant coach. It gives you the feeling of confidence that you need moving forward. You always look at the next challenge, accept it and then go. That experience definitely shaped me to where I am now.”
(On the 7-on-7’s this summer)
“I think everything, year in and year out, is all about growth. How can we grow as coaches and help players grow as players? Just through the big picture of evaluation through that, with a relatively young football team and new quarterbacks and young receivers, we felt like we needed to get those guys working together, communicating, being on the same page, communicating the verbiage, playing together and getting a feel for each other. This builds the sense of urgency, competition, standards and expectations. All of those things are already in place and allows you to hit the ground running once fall practice starts.”
Bob Shoop (On having head coaching experience)
“Coach Hoke was the Coach of the Year in the Big 10, the Mountain West and the MAC. Larry Scott did a great job when he was the interim head coach at Miami and Mike Canales did a great job. I was a head coach at Columbia for three years and we didn’t win a lot of games, but I really like this staff, not that I didn’t like the previous staff, but this is a good staff.
“I think the thing that Coach Jones has done by having people on the staff There’s not a day that we come into work that we don’t enjoy working with one another in the defensive room, offense and defense, and the quality controls and the graduate assistant. We’ve assembled a big league staff and most importantly it’s a good group of men, leaders, teachers, role models and mentors who happen to be good football coaches. who have head coaching experience, is we see the big picture. You don’t necessarily agree as a staff with every decision that’s made but you understand why. That’s where Coach Jones allows the staff to do their jobs and that’s what he does a really good job of to me. He manages things well and he’s an excellent communicator. He’s a delegator, a leader and he sets the culture and identity of the team. It’s our job to reinforce that message whether it’s me on defense or Larry on offense or the position coaches. I think that’s been good.
“We just want to put the best product we can on the field and put our players in the best position to be successful and win football games.”
(On the returning defensive line)
“I’m excited about this group. Jonathan Kongbo is on a mission. I think he’s worked hard. He had a good bowl game and he worked as hard as he could since January, getting stronger, getting faster and more explosive. He had a great spring and he’s had a great summer. I think the three guys at defensive end that we’re really excited about are Kongbo, Darrell Taylor and Kyle Phillips. I think those guys are really explosive players and can be good. The fourth end right now, going into camp, would probably be Deandre Johnson, the early enrollee freshman. He had a good spring.
“At defensive tackle, Kendal Vickers is a guy that I think has earned the trust and respect of the coaching staff and the players and he’s kind of the grandfather figure. Everybody just kind of looks to him as the old veteran guy who knows what to do. Kahlil McKenzie has had a great summer and Shy Tuttle is getting healthy again. That’s exciting to me. Quay Picou in the winter and the spring has also made as much progress as anybody in the program. In the freshman group, Matt Butler is a guy who could play both defensive end or tackle. Between Butler, Eric Crosby or Kivon Bennett maybe one of those guys could step in and be the fifth tackle. The lesson I learned last year is you can never have enough guys. We have to continue to develop depth because this league is such a physical league.”
Mike Canales (On his time as a head coach and how it helps him in his current role)
“Sometimes you look at it as an unfortunate or fortunate situation to be the interim head coach twice at the same place. It was a great situation for myself in that it gave me a chance to use some of the philosophies I had gained throughout my career with the coaches I’ve been involved with. It gave me an opportunity to use those philosophies I had learned from them and their style and I created my own style as the interim head coach at North Texas. You go from worrying about half the team, 50-55 players, to going to now where you’re responsible for anywhere to 105-113 players and now you’re responsible for every young man in the program and making sure they represent the program, the community and the university in a way that you would want them to do.
“Being here where I’ve had a chance to watch Coach Jones’ career, his development and his growth as he climbed the ladder into this position at the University of Tennessee and being good friends and watching what he’s done, it’s been good for me to be here in this situation where I just get to coach a room. I know I am the CEO of our quarterback room. I think that’s important that they understand that I’ve been a coordinator, a quarterback coach and a head coach. I think Coach Jones values the opinions that we have, but it also give me a chance to work my room and give them my philosophy that I have gained over the many years that I have coached.”
(On getting the quarterback mentally game ready)
“It’s pushing them through camp and trying to create a situation as game-like as possible, whether we’re in a scrimmage situation or practice situation where they mentally have to understand it’s game ready.
“Peyton Manning said it to them best in that game preparation, weekly preparation, how you prepare, the communication at the quarterback position from player to coach and coach to player and then every rep at practice has to be a game rep. If I allow one of our quarterbacks to practice at 50% in a rep, I’m cheating him. I’m not going to cheat our quarterbacks. I’m going to get them ready to play and understand that every rep is a game rep. That’s the mentality it has to be at practice. My personality will not allow them to do anything less than 100%. I want perfection in the hope that we’ll reach excellence. That’s what I want at that position, so I’m going to push them as hard as I can push them to be better than they were the day before. I want them to understand that what Peyton Manning said to those guys in that room is what I preach and what I coach. Every rep is a game rep and that’s the way we’re going to practice. That’s the way we’re going to prepare so come Monday when we show up in Georgia, we’re ready to play game speed.”
![After No. 1 Success of “My Girl,” Dylan Scott Announces New Single, “Hooked” [Watch the Video]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2017/07/06154953/Dylan-Scott.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
“My Girl” (Dylan Scott, Josh Kerr)
