Tennessee Volunteers Preview

One team in particular that is on the hot seat to regain some of their 90’s form is the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols have experienced a couple of pretty disappointing seasons that have tarnished the achievements of the team and clouded their success just a few years ago. A powerhouse throughout much of the 90’s, the Vols finished a mere 5-6 in 2005 and have a lot of rebuilding to do if they hope to improve on that number in the years to come.

Recruiting is something the Vols have been struggling with the past couple years, and this has been hurting them and may hurt them more in the future if more success can’t be found on the recruiting front. The Vols are struggling a bit in terms of talent as it is, and the team is only getting older. Despite only returning 9 players in total between offense and defense combined, the starting roster is filled with juniors and seniors. This lack of young talent can weigh its toll, especially considering many of these juniors and seniors don’t have much game time playing experience as it is.

On the bright side, the Vols do have a couple strengths, and most of that lies on the defensive side of the ball. Despite losing 6 of the front 7 players, those who are stepping in are expected to be improvements over their departed comrades. Also, the entire secondary is returning starters and that will undoubtedly contribute greatly in the pass defense.

Can the Vols be expected to have immediate improvements? Well yes, especially considering they finished with a disappointing 5-6 record last season. Expect the Vols to at least make a bowl appearance, but putting them in the mix for the conference championship, especially in the tough SEC, is definitely quite a stretch for the inexperienced Vols squad.