Randy Smith
I can't really call this a pre-season look at Tennessee football, because we are still three months away from the start of the season. So, I'll call it what it is; a premature look at the Vols for 2015. Usually when you talk about something that is premature, it is something that is done in haste, much too early to really be accurate. However this is how a lot of Vols fans are approaching the off-season. U.T. has had just two winning seasons since 2007, and one of those was last season's 7-6 worksheet.
Only two bowl game appearances since 2007 as well, and that makes the Big Orange faithful more than just hungry. They're looking forward to the start of the season in much the same way that a starving wolf stares at a herd of sheep.
Let's start with the offense. Junior Joshua Dobbs returns at quarterback as arguably the best signal caller in the SEC East. He has a full stable of talented receivers to throw to including junior Marquez North and senior Alton "Pig" Howard. The talent is definitely there at running back as sophomore Jalen Herd will join sophomore transfer Alvin Kamara. The Vols are not real deep at runningback, but if no one gets hurt, they could have one of the best running back tandems in the country. The offensive line which was completely rebuilt last year should be much better in 2015, and much deeper.
On defense, the Volunteers should be more than good enough to challenge for an SEC East title. They have four legitimate All-SEC contributors on defense, including sophomore defensive end Derek Barnett, senior linebacker Curt Maggitt, junior linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin and junior defensive back Cameron Sutton. Add in most every other returning starter with the nations' top defensive line class for 2015, and there is plenty of talent and depth.
All that I just mentioned sounds great doesn't it? Two straight top five recruiting classes for coach Butch Jones is beginning to pay off big time. But there is one slight problem. The Vols play in the Southeastern Conference; still college football's top conference even though it's been two years in a row the SEC has failed to win a national title after winning seven straight. Every team is good with the possible exception of Vanderbilt. Every team in the SEC is at least as good as they were last year, with only Florida and Vandy keeping the status-quo. Kentucky should be much improved in 2015 and two time defending East champ Missouri should drop off just a bit as the Tigers lost a lot of people on defense.
That leaves Tennessee to fight it out with Georgia and Missouri for the East title. Georgia should probably be favored, but we all know how that works out each year. Even though Tennessee plays eight of its twelve games in the state of Tennessee this fall, the four road games will be tough. At Florida, at Alabama, at Kentucky and at Missouri will all be pivotal games for the Volunteers. Florida, Kentucky and Missouri will all be toss-ups, while 'Bama will be favored. If Tennessee can win two of those four on the road and go 7-1 in the other games in the state, they can finish 9-3.
How's that for a premature look at Tennessee football for 2015? I'll spend more time later going over the SEC, and Tennessee football for 2015. Until then, enjoy baseball and time at the beach. We're just 92 days away from the season opener with Bowling Green in Nashville on September fifth!
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer. He is currently teaching Broadcasting at Coahulla Creek High School near Dalton, Ga.
His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for thirty years.
He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga Television for more than a quarter-century.
In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, (Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith.) They have four grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, DellaMae and CoraLee.